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Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Washington, D.C. arrests illegal Guatemalan gang member with extensive criminal history

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    FAIRFAX, Va. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested an illegally present Guatemalan gang member with an extensive history of criminal activity that includes a multitude of charges and convictions for assault and battery, burglary, credit card fraud, trespassing and drug crimes. Officers with ICE Washington, D.C. arrested Mykol Santos-Santos, 25, in Fairfax May 12, after the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center refused to honor ICE’s 16th immigration detainer lodged against him.

    Santos-Santos resisted the arrest heavily, resulting in the injury of an ICE officer.

    “Mykol Santos-Santos is a habitual offender. He is a documented member of a violent criminal gang with a lengthy criminal history and represents an egregious danger to our Virginia communities,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C. Field Office Director Russell Hott. “While we are happy to have arrested him, we find it inexcusable that local law enforcement refused to honor 16 separate immigration detainers against Santos-Santos, forcing ICE officers to make an at large arrest where one of our officers was injured. We could have worked together with local law enforcement to arrange a safe transfer of custody. Instead, they decided to place politics ahead of public safety, and as a result one of our brave officers was injured. ICE Washington D.C. will continue to prioritize the safety of our public by arresting and removing criminal alien threats to our communities.”

    U.S. Border Patrol arrested Santos-Santos July 11, 2014, after he illegally entered the United States near Hidalgo, Texas. Border Patrol officials issued him a notice to appear before a Justice Department immigration judge.

    ICE Washington, D.C. arrested Santos-Santos July 17, 2018, during a targeted enforcement operation in Annandale, Virginia.

    On Jan. 2, 2019, a Justice Department immigration judge granted him an $8,000 immigration bond.

    On June 30, 2023, a Justice Department immigration judge ordered Santos-Santos removed from the United States to Guatemala.

    Between Feb. 20, 2020, and May 8, 2025, Fairfax County Police arrested Santos-Santos at least 30 times and charged him with crimes including assault and battery, drug possession, drug possession with intent to distribute, burglary, theft, larceny, trespassing, property damage, obstruction of justice, attempting to flee police, failure to appear and violating court orders.

    Between June 17, 2022, and May 12, 2025, ICE Washington, D.C. lodged 16 separate immigration detainers against him with the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. The facility ignored all 16 detainers and released Santos-Santos back into the community on each occasion.  

    Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

    Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in our communities on X at @EROWashington.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: 5 Connecticut Residents Charged with Defrauding Connecticut and Washington Small Business Loan Programs

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned a 20-count indictment charging MYCALL OBAS, 42, of Danbury, MBALI NCUBE, 35, of Danbury, PIERRE OBAS, 49, of Danbury, TERESA VARGAS, 43, of Hartford, and STEPHEN WALKER, 30, of New Canaan, with offenses related to fraudulent small business loan applications in Connecticut and Washington.

    The indictment was returned on May 14, 2025.  Mycall Obas, Ncube, Pierre Obas, and Vargas were arrested on May 15, and Walker was arrested today.  Each has entered a plea of not guilty and is released on bond pending trial.

    According to the indictment, the National Development Council (“NDC”), now known as Grow America, was a not-for-profit lender that provided capital to small businesses, including through state-sponsored small business loan programs.  The Connecticut Small Business Boost Fund (“CT Boost”) was an economic initiative supported by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development that connects Connecticut small businesses and non-profits with support services, including access to flexible funding for capital expenditures.  The Small Business Flex Fund (“Flex”) was an economic initiative supported by the Washington State Department of Commerce that connected Washington state small businesses and nonprofits with support services, including access to flexible funding for capital expenditures.  NDC worked with CT Boost and Flex to provide loan funding to small businesses in Connecticut and Washington, respectively.

    As alleged in the indictment and statements made in court, Mycall Obas, Ncube, Pierre Obas, and Walker used stolen personal and business identities, or created false business identities, to apply to NDC for small business loans through the CT Boost and Flex programs.  In connection with the loan applications, they created and submitted false business records, including fraudulent certificates of organization, false income statements, false balance sheets, and false tax returns.  Vargas, who was a contractor for NDC and responsible for processing and underwriting small business loan applications, processed some of the fraudulent loan applications and submitted them to NDC for approval.  She also specifically requested to be the loan processor on certain loan applications submitted by her co-conspirators in order to further the scheme. 

    It is alleged that the co-conspirators applied for and obtained 12 loans totaling more than $2 million through this scheme.

    The indictment charges each of the five defendants with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and multiple counts of wire fraud.  Each of these charges carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.  The indictment also charges each of the five defendants with one more counts of making illegal monetary transactions, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years on each count.  Mycall Obas and Pierre Obas are also charged with aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory term of imprisonment of two years.

    U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and the Meriden and Danbury Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie T. Levick.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ojo Amarillo Man Charged in Brutal Assault

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Ojo Amarillo man has been charged by criminal complaint with assault following an incident that left the victim with multiple fractures and severe facial injuries.

    According to court documents, on May 6, 2025, the Navajo Nation Police Department responded to a residence in Ojo Amarillo, New Mexico, where officers discovered the victim suffering from extensive facial lacerations, swelling, and a right eye swollen shut. She was immediately transported to San Juan Regional Medical Center for emergency treatment.

    The victim reported that Kyle Kee, 33, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, attacked her without warning, striking her repeatedly in the face, back, and stomach. The assault only ended when a phone call interrupted the attack. The victim said that Kee had previously assaulted her and was on probation for a prior offense.

    Officers located Kee hiding in a nearby field. After initially attempting to evade capture, Kee was apprehended and became verbally aggressive, spitting on and kicking an officer during the arrest.

    Medical records confirm the victim sustained an orbital fracture, nasal bone fractures, multiple contusions, and a laceration above her right eye requiring sutures.

    Keeis charged with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been set. If convicted, Kee faces up to 10 years in prison.

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

    The Farmington Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Jordan is prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sharon Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Fentanyl and Cocaine in Close Proximity to School

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Sharon, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to fentanyl and cocaine trafficking within 1,000 feet of an elementary school and next to a day care facility, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    Larry Marrow, 37, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Robert J. Colville to possession with intent to distribute quantities of fentanyl and cocaine within 1,000 feet of a playground, school, or public housing on July 6, 2023.

    Judge Colville scheduled sentencing for September 30, 2025. The law provides for a total maximum sentence of not less than one year and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $2 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

    Assistant United States Attorney Craig W. Haller is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.

    The Mercer County Drug Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Marrow.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: D.C. Man Sentenced to More Than 30 Years for Violent Armed Robbery Spree in Prince George’s County

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Greenbelt, Maryland – Today, U.S. District Judge Lydia K. Griggsby sentenced William David Hill, aka Old Man, aka Tank, 68, of Washington, D.C., to more than 33 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. This sentence is in connection with two armed commercial robberies — and the discharging of a firearm during one of the robberies — in November 2016. 

    Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office.

    On July 3, 2019, following a seven-day trial, a federal jury convicted Hill and co-defendant Ronnell Francis Lewis of the robberies.  According to the evidence presented at trial, on November 22, 2016, Lewis, Hill, and a co-conspirator robbed an auto repair business in Clinton, Maryland. 

    Specifically, the evidence showed that the robbers entered the business brandishing firearms and ordered two employees to get on the ground.  The defendants took money from the victims’ pockets and ordered them into the front office.  They then bound and gagged one victim with zip ties and duct tape, respectively.  The second victim fought. As a result, the robbers shot and ultimately paralyzed the second victim, before fleeing in a vehicle that they stole earlier in the day.

    As detailed at trial, on November 26, 2016, the defendants also robbed a barbershop in Seat Pleasant, Maryland.  According to the trial testimony, the two defendants entered the business, ordered everyone on the ground, and then robbed them. 

    During the robbery, the defendants threatened the victims with violence.  According to the evidence, the robbers put the cash in a dark, single-strap duffle bag and fled in a stolen minivan. 

    Police saw the minivan at a traffic light and attempted to halt the vehicle, but the driver refused to stop, fleeing into Washington, D.C.  Law enforcement eventually stopped Lewis and the driver and seized their vehicle. The third person, later identified as Hill, escaped but authorities eventually apprehended him.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

    U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI for its work in the investigation and thanked the Prince George’s County Police Department, Seat Pleasant Police Department, and the Metropolitan Police Department for their assistance.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan S. McKoy and Elizabeth Wright who prosecuted the case.

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

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Jefferson Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking Two Victims in Texas

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    A federal jury in the Eastern District of Texas convicted Corey Lamar Johnson, 42, of Jefferson, Texas, today on two counts of sex trafficking and related charges for his conduct in trafficking multiple young women in several states, compelling the victims to engage in commercial sex through acts and threats of physical and psychological harm. Specifically, the jury convicted Johnson of two counts of sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, obstruction of a sex trafficking investigation, three counts of interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, interstate travel in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to commit interstate travel in aid of racketeering. Johnson’s co-defendants, Jessica Smith, 38, and Rachel Walker, 31, previously pleaded guilty respectively to conspiracy to commit interstate travel in aid of racketeering, and interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution sex trafficking.    

    “The defendant used violence and threats of violence to compel his victims to engage in commercial sex for his profit,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “There is no place in a civilized society for the defendant’s inhumane conduct, and the Justice Department is committed to punishing human trafficking and achieving justice for its victims.”

    “Congratulations to the team who brought Corey Johnson to a well-deserved appointment with justice,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin Jr. for the Eastern District of Texas. “For far too long, the defendant treated vulnerable, young women in ways no person should ever be treated, but today justice was served. There is no more important work for the U.S. Attorney’s Office than to rescue the oppressed and protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

    Evidence at trial showed that Johnson recruited young and vulnerable women through alluring posts online of his supposedly extravagant lifestyle. Johnson promised the victims he recruited that they, too, could achieve such a lifestyle. Once recruited, however, Johnson had the victims engage in commercial sex acts, and when the victims wanted to leave Johnson, he turned violent, using threats, physical force, brandishing his firearms, and bragging about having “beat” a murder charge, all to keep the victims engaging in commercial sex for his profit.

    A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. Johnson faces a minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison as well as mandatory restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The Texas Department of Public Safety investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel Kummerfeld and Robert Wells for the Eastern District of Texas, and Trial Attorney Slava Kuperstein of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.

    Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: 19 May 2025 News release Member States approve WHO Pandemic Agreement in World Health Assembly Committee, paving way for its formal adoption

    Source: World Health Organisation

    World Health Organization Member States, meeting today in Committee A of the World Health Assembly, approved a resolution that calls for the adoption of an historic global compact to make the world safer from future pandemics. The WHO Pandemic Agreement will next be considered for final adoption by the Assembly on Tuesday during the plenary session.

    Monday’s approval of the Pandemic Agreement resolution follows a more than three-year process, launched by governments during the COVID-19 pandemic, to negotiate the world’s first such accord to address the gaps and inequities in preventing, preparing for and responding to pandemics. This watershed agreement was adopted under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution. It aims to foster stronger collaboration and cooperation among countries, international organizations like WHO, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders to prevent pandemics occurring in the first place, and to better respond in the event of a future pandemic crisis.

    “Governments from all over the world are making their countries, and our interconnected global community, more equitable, healthier and safer from the threats posed by pathogens and viruses of pandemic potential,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “I congratulate WHO‘s Member States for resolving to come together in the aftermath of COVID-19 to better protect the world from future pandemics. Their work to develop this global accord will ensure countries work better, faster and more equitably together to prevent and respond to the next pandemic threat.”

    The Pandemic Agreement and the resolution calling for its adoption will be taken up by the full plenary of the World Health Assembly on Tuesday, 20 May. Immediately after, there will be a High-Level segment featuring statements from Heads of States of multiple countries.

    “The WHO Pandemic Agreement is a demonstration of the shared desire by all people to be better prepared to prevent and respond to the next pandemic, with a commitment to the principles of respect for human dignity, equity, solidarity and sovereignty, and basing public health decisions to control pandemics on the best available science and evidence,” said the Honorable Dr Esperance Luvindao, Minister of Health and Social Services of Namibia, and Chair of the Committee A meeting that adopted today’s resolution. “The costs that COVID inflicted on lives, livelihoods and economies were great and many, and we – as sovereign states – have resolved to join hands, as one world together, so we can protect our children, elders, frontline health workers and all others from the next pandemic. It is our duty and responsibility to humanity.”

    The resolution sets out several steps for taking the world forward and preparing for the Pandemic Agreement’s implementation. It includes the launch of a process to draft and negotiate an annex to the Agreement that would establish a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system (PABS) through an Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG). The result of this process will be considered at next year’s World Health Assembly. Once the Assembly adopts the PABS annex, the Pandemic Agreement will then be open for signature and consideration of ratification, including by national legislative bodies. After 60 ratifications, the Agreement will enter into force.

    In addition, Member States also directed the IGWG to initiate steps to enable setting up of the Coordinating Financial Mechanism for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, and the Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network (GSCL) to “enhance, facilitate, and work to remove barriers and ensure equitable, timely, rapid, safe, and affordable access to pandemic-related health products for countries in need during public health emergencies of international concern, including pandemic emergencies, and for prevention of such emergencies.”

    According to the Agreement, pharmaceutical manufacturers participating in the PABS system will play a key role in equitable and timely access to pandemic-related health products by making available to WHO “rapid access targeting 20% of their real time production of safe, quality and effective vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics for the pathogen causing the pandemic emergency.”  The distribution of these products to countries will be carried out on the basis of public health risk and need, with particular attention to the needs of developing countries and those supported through the GSCL.

    The Pandemic Agreement aligns with the International Health Regulations, amendments to which were adopted by governments at last year’s World Health Assembly to bolster international rules to better detect, prevent and respond to outbreaks.

    Dr Tedros thanked the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) that coordinated and facilitated the process to draft and negotiate the Pandemic Agreement. The WHO Director-General also praised the tireless work and excellence of the WHO Secretariat team that supported the Bureau and Member States, led by Dr Michael Ryan and Dr Jaouad Mahjour.

    “An immensely talented, experienced and driven WHO team was assembled to support the vision of governments to develop this historic Pandemic Agreement,” Dr Tedros said. “This group of individuals, representing so many countries and regions of the world, deserve enormous credit and thanks from the international community for what they have done to help make the world safer for future generations.”

    The INB was established in December 2021, at a special session of the World Health Assembly. WHO Member States were tasked to develop a convention, agreement or other international instrument under the WHO Constitution to strengthen pandemic preparedness, prevention and response. Members of the INB Bureau that guided the process were Co-Chairs Ms Precious Matsoso (South Africa) and Ambassador Anne-Claire Amprou (France), and Vice-Chairs Ambassador Tovar da Silva Nunes (Brazil), Ambassador Amr Ramadan (Egypt), Dr Viroj Tangcharoensathien (Thailand); and Ms Fleur Davies (Australia). Past members included former Co-Chair, Mr Roland Driece (the Netherlands), and former Vice-Chairs Ambassador Honsei Kozo (Japan), Mr Kazuho Taguchi (Japan), and Mr Ahmed Soliman (Egypt).

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Upgrades to improve rail reliability

    Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets

    Train commuters and businesses moving goods around the country will see more reliable rail services, thanks to the Government’s investment of $604.6 million for rail upgrades and renewals through Budget 2025, Rail Minister Winston Peters and Transport Minister Chris Bishop say. 

    “The funding provides $461 million to maintain and renew the rail freight network, and $143.6 million to replace and upgrade the Auckland and Wellington metropolitan rail networks, and will deliver a more productive, efficient and reliable rail network that supports economic growth and productivity,” Mr Peters says.

    “We want railways to succeed for this country – rail freight backs our business, and business backs our cities and provinces.

    “Rail currently moves 13 per cent of national freight and a quarter of New Zealand’s exports, complementing our road freighters’ short-hauls by doing the heavy-haul weights, the long-distance runs, and being the efficient clearing house so coastal ports can handle more export ships.

    “The Rail Network Investment Programme for 2024-2027 is now funded, meaning maintenance, network operations, asset renewals and modest improvements are funded.

    “This programme replaces decades’ old bridges, culverts, and other assets with infrastructure to last for generations to come, and provides the bedrock for growth by the commercially-funded freight operations to move our goods.

    “We have a legacy for rail freight and this builds on it. The Northland line is upgraded from Swanson to Whangārei, new locomotives and shunts are arriving, new wagons are serving customers and more are being assembled in Dunedin, and rail ferries are being secured on the Strait,” says Mr Peters.

    The Government is also funding critical network renewals in Auckland and Wellington.

    “Metro rail investment in Auckland and Wellington will improve the level of service for passengers by addressing overdue and critical renewals work,” Mr Bishop says.

    “A backlog of overdue renewals has made services less reliable, with commuters experiencing ongoing disruption in recent years. Piecemeal network maintenance has increased overall costs and has not delivered the high-performing metro rail service that our cities need to flourish.

    “The poor state of our metro networks has flow-on impacts for performance. For example, temporary speed restrictions are often needed as a safety precaution, leading to increased travel times and disrupting service schedules. 

    “The Budget investment in metro rail will continue to support delivery of modern networks that are more reliable, can be efficiently maintained, ease congestion on the busiest parts of the network, and allow for increased future demand. It will also ensure a better experience for commuters who already make 24 million journeys on the networks each year. 

    “Auckland Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council will also need to meet their fair share of costs to deliver the services we want for metro rail.”

    Editor’s notes for the metro networks and the Wairarapa:

    Recent rail investments include funding through previous Budgets and the National Land Transport Fund of:

    • $159.2 million funding to complete the Rail Network Rebuild programme in Auckland, and to address historic formation, drainage and track issues. This investment is critical to prepare the network for the opening of City Rail Link
    • $107.7 million in Budget 2024 funding for metro rail networks was split between Auckland and Wellington to address the renewals backlog and deliver more reliable services for commuters in our main cities:
      • $48.8 million for Auckland
      • $52.9 million for Wellington
      • $6 million of contingency funding to manage cost escalations on maintenance and renewal works.
    • $137.2 million for upgrades to substations on the Wellington metro rail network, to improve the reliability of services
    • $802.8 million investment into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail network infrastructure and rolling stock to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Stanford Medicine is orchestrating multiple agents to connect medical data, clinical trials and more – all with the goal of delivering more effective cancer care. Incredible to see in action. Learn more about our new healthcare agent orchestrator.

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Stanford Medicine is orchestrating multiple agents to connect medical data, clinical trials and more – all with the goal of delivering more effective cancer care. Incredible to see in action. Learn more about our new healthcare agent orchestrator.

    Stanford Medicine is orchestrating multiple agents to connect medical data, clinical trials, and more – all with the goal of delivering more effective cancer care. Incredible to see in action. Learn more about our new healthcare agent orchestrator: https://lnkd.in/gGJd-uQG

    Transcript

    Sanford Medicine is the at the forefront of Cancer Research in the context of treatment. Tumor boards are a really important meeting of many different clinicians who convene because a patient presents in a way that they’re not familiar with. You have to pull together information about medications, procedures, radiology, labs, a patients history and the medical literature. That information is fragmented in a bunch of different places. Those are things we do manually and we can’t do them 4000 times per year. Their health care agent Orchestrator is a way of bringing all this together at the beginning so that we can help make patient decisions more efficiently, faster, and perhaps more accurately. This is an agentic AI solution deployable through Azure AI Foundry. We’ve been able to build, customize, and deploy our own agents to provide a comprehensive report that brings together all of these disparate information sources. They’re already using Word to summarize things. They often make PowerPoint slides. This enables us. To put everything in an integrated setting into one summary, it took just a few lines of code to deploy these agents into teams so that we could start interacting with them directly. It’s being delivered as a platform on which we can build. We can package things to share with others. We wanted to develop tools that would help physicians all over the world. I think it’s going to be transformative.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Stanford Medicine is orchestrating multiple agents to connect medical data, clinical trials and more – all with the goal of delivering more effective cancer care. Incredible to see in action. Learn more about our new healthcare agent orchestrator.

    Source: Microsoft

    Headline: Stanford Medicine is orchestrating multiple agents to connect medical data, clinical trials and more – all with the goal of delivering more effective cancer care. Incredible to see in action. Learn more about our new healthcare agent orchestrator.

    Stanford Medicine is orchestrating multiple agents to connect medical data, clinical trials, and more – all with the goal of delivering more effective cancer care. Incredible to see in action. Learn more about our new healthcare agent orchestrator: https://lnkd.in/gGJd-uQG

    Transcript

    Sanford Medicine is the at the forefront of Cancer Research in the context of treatment. Tumor boards are a really important meeting of many different clinicians who convene because a patient presents in a way that they’re not familiar with. You have to pull together information about medications, procedures, radiology, labs, a patients history and the medical literature. That information is fragmented in a bunch of different places. Those are things we do manually and we can’t do them 4000 times per year. Their health care agent Orchestrator is a way of bringing all this together at the beginning so that we can help make patient decisions more efficiently, faster, and perhaps more accurately. This is an agentic AI solution deployable through Azure AI Foundry. We’ve been able to build, customize, and deploy our own agents to provide a comprehensive report that brings together all of these disparate information sources. They’re already using Word to summarize things. They often make PowerPoint slides. This enables us. To put everything in an integrated setting into one summary, it took just a few lines of code to deploy these agents into teams so that we could start interacting with them directly. It’s being delivered as a platform on which we can build. We can package things to share with others. We wanted to develop tools that would help physicians all over the world. I think it’s going to be transformative.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Holds Talks with the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of Mexico

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhua) — Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), held talks with Sergio Gutierrez Luna, president of the Chamber of Deputies (lower house) of Mexico, in Beijing on Monday.

    Zhao Leji said China is willing to work with Mexico to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, implement the five plans for building a community with a shared future for China and Latin American and Caribbean countries (LAC), enrich the content of the China-Mexico comprehensive strategic partnership, and promote unity and prosperity between China and LAC.

    The above-mentioned five programs, covering aspects such as solidarity, development, civilization, peace and people-to-people connectivity, were introduced by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the 4th China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum Ministerial Meeting in Beijing last week.

    The NPC Standing Committee chairman noted that the Chinese side highly appreciates the long-term commitment of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies to the one-China principle and welcomes Mexico’s flexible participation in the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.

    According to Zhao Leji, China welcomes deepening cooperation with Mexico in traditional sectors such as infrastructure construction, expanding cooperation in new sectors including electric vehicles, new energy and agricultural machinery, strengthening cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and expanding cooperation in education, think tanks and the media.

    Zhao Leji stressed that the Chinese National People’s Congress is willing to strengthen exchanges and maintain close coordination with the Mexican parliament.

    As important representatives of the Global South, China and LAC countries should carry forward the glorious tradition of independence and self-reliance, safeguard their right to development, uphold international fairness and justice, and practice genuine multilateralism, the NPC Standing Committee chairman added.

    S. Gutierrez Luna, for his part, stated that Mexico is ready to work with China to promote the implementation of the results of the China-CELAC Forum and strengthen cooperation in the areas of economics, science, technology, culture, education and tourism.

    Mexico advocates for strengthening international cooperation instead of erecting barriers, S. Gutierrez Luna emphasized, adding that the Chamber of Deputies of the Mexican Congress hopes to deepen exchanges with the NPC to promote Mexico-China relations and LAC-China relations. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese Foreign Minister Calls on China and Germany to Deepen Mutually Beneficial Cooperation, Jointly Oppose Unilateralism and Protectionism

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday called on China and Germany to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and jointly oppose unilateralism and protectionism.

    Wang Yi, also a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, made the statement during a telephone conversation with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.

    The Chinese diplomat congratulated his colleague on taking office, noting that Chinese-German relations go beyond bilateral relations in their significance and have an important impact on economic development and strategic stability throughout the world.

    Stressing that China and Germany enjoy a comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang Yi expressed hope that the new German government will remain committed to this status of bilateral relations and pursue a rational and pragmatic policy towards China.

    Wang Yi pointed out that the Taiwan issue is a matter of China’s fundamental interests. He expressed his belief that the German side will firmly adhere to the one-China principle, just as China once supported the reunification of Germany.

    Deepening mutually beneficial cooperation is a natural choice for China and Germany, whose economies are highly complementary, whose industries are deeply interconnected and whose interests are closely integrated, Wang said, stressing that both sides should not allow normal bilateral cooperation to be undermined in the interests of so-called risk reduction.

    As the Chinese Foreign Minister noted, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union, which is an important milestone connecting the past and the future. In this regard, Wang Yi expressed hope that Germany will play an active role as a key member state of the European Union and give new impetus to the development of relations between China and the EU through high-quality Sino-German cooperation.

    According to him, the Chinese side also expects the European Union to move towards China, promptly and properly resolve the anti-subsidy case against Chinese electric vehicles, and promote qualitative improvement of cooperation between China and the EU.

    Wang Yi added that China and Germany should shoulder their responsibilities as major countries, jointly advocate and adhere to free trade, oppose unilateralism and protectionism, ensure the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains, practice genuine multilateralism, and uphold the international system with the UN at its core. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Chinese Foreign Minister Calls on China and Germany to Deepen Mutually Beneficial Cooperation, Jointly Oppose Unilateralism and Protectionism /more details/

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –

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

    BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday called on China and Germany to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and jointly oppose unilateralism and protectionism.

    Wang Yi, also a member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, made the statement during a telephone conversation with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.

    The Chinese diplomat congratulated his colleague on taking office, noting that Chinese-German relations go beyond bilateral relations in their significance and have an important impact on economic development and strategic stability throughout the world.

    Stressing that China and Germany enjoy a comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang Yi expressed hope that the new German government will remain committed to this status of bilateral relations and pursue a rational and pragmatic policy towards China.

    Wang Yi pointed out that the Taiwan issue is a matter of China’s fundamental interests. He expressed his belief that the German side will firmly adhere to the one-China principle, just as China once supported the reunification of Germany.

    Deepening mutually beneficial cooperation is a natural choice for China and Germany, whose economies are highly complementary, whose industries are deeply interconnected and whose interests are closely integrated, Wang said, stressing that both sides should not allow normal bilateral cooperation to be undermined in the interests of so-called risk reduction.

    As the Chinese Foreign Minister noted, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union, which is an important milestone connecting the past and the future. In this regard, Wang Yi expressed hope that Germany will play an active role as a key member state of the European Union and give new impetus to the development of relations between China and the EU through high-quality Sino-German cooperation.

    According to him, the Chinese side also expects the European Union to move towards China, promptly and properly resolve the anti-subsidy case against Chinese electric vehicles, and promote qualitative improvement of cooperation between China and the EU.

    Wang added that China and Germany should shoulder their responsibilities as major countries, jointly advocate and adhere to free trade, oppose unilateralism and protectionism, ensure the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains, practice genuine multilateralism, and uphold the international system with the UN at its core.

    J. Wadephul, for his part, stated that German-Chinese relations are of great importance for the development of the world economy and for the future of the international community. He pointed out that the new German government pays close attention to relations with China and intends to pursue an active policy towards the PRC.

    As J. Wadephul emphasized, Germany has firmly adhered to the one-China policy in the past and will continue to do so in the future, wishing to be a reliable and predictable partner for the Chinese side.

    As a leading member of the European Union, Germany intends to make efforts to resolve differences through dialogue and consultation and supports the EU and China in resolving issues such as the anti-subsidy case against Chinese electric vehicles through negotiations, the German diplomat assured.

    The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukrainian crisis. Wang Yi said China has made continuous efforts to advance peace talks and supports achieving a fair, lasting and legally binding peace agreement through direct dialogue.

    J. Wadeful, in turn, expressed hope that China will use its influence to promote a ceasefire and a speedy end to the crisis in Ukraine. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cheers to New Adventures: Rip Shively’s Retirement Celebration!

    Source: US Geological Survey

    Cheers to New Adventures: Rip Shively’s Retirement Celebration!

    We are both excited and saddened to announce the retirement of Rip Shively, who has served as the Environmental Health Program Coordinator for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since 2022. 

                                

    Rip’s contributions to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) span an impressive career of over 35 years, during which he has significantly advanced our understanding of environmental health issues and fostered meaningful collaborations across various sectors.

    Throughout his distinguished career, Rip has exemplified dedication and passion as a civil servant. Rip began his career at the Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC) in Cook, WA in April of 1990.  In 1990, WFRC was a US Fish and Wildlife Service organization.  He was a temp employee until November of 1992 when he was hired as a term employee, but his leadership and can-do attitude soon garnered him a permanent position.  In 1993, WFRC was moved into the newly created National Biological Service (NBS).  He continued to lead field teams to collect data on the Columbia River, looking at a variety of issues in support of State and Federal Agencies.  The change continued, and in 1996 the NBS was swept up into the USGS.  Around 2000, Rip took a position in Klamath Falls, OR working on the Suckers in Klamath Lake.  His ability to navigate the highly charged political environment and bring in researchers from the Oregon Water Science Center to assist on the project was rewarded with a DOI Conservation Service Award in 2005.  Then in 2008, Rip’s wife’s job required the family to move, and he took a position as the Bureau Approving Official for Biology.  While it was not what he was accustomed to, he took away with him a greater knowledge of the outstanding science across all of USGS.  

    Years later, Rip’s leadership skills, were put to the test when he took on the Acting Center Director roll at Northern Prairie Research Center.  This detail led to the opportunity to apply for the Center Director position at Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC).  He was selected and served CERC as a strong advocate for the science conducted and opportunities for the staff.  In late 2022, Rip joined the Ecosystems Mission Area as Environmental Health (EH) Program Coordinator.  Within the EH Program, Rip has been leading from the front looking for all opportunities to support the science and the centers. 

    Rip has been a mentor and a source of inspiration for many within the USGS and beyond. His ability to unite teams, promote innovative research, and advocate for One Health has left a lasting legacy that will continue to shape our work long after his departure. He has always taken the time to support and empower his colleagues, fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment that encouraged professional growth.

    In addition to his professional achievements, Rip has also contributed greatly to the spirit and culture of our organization. His enthusiasm for teaching others, his unwavering support for his team, and his knack for bringing humor and camaraderie to our work gatherings make his retirement announcement hard to hear.

    As Rip embarks on this new chapter of his life, we hope he enjoys every moment of his well-deserved retirement. May it be filled with joy, adventure, family time, travel, and dogs. We know he will be missed both professionally and personally, but we look forward to hearing about the exciting new experiences he will pursue.

    Rip, thank you for your years of dedicated service, guidance, and friendship. Congratulations on your retirement!

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden Sounds Alarm on Harmful Impacts of SAVE Act, Trump’s Anti-Voter Executive Order, in Native Communities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)

    May 19, 2025

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said today he has written the Trump administration about the challenges Native communities will face under Trump’s “election integrity” executive order and the SAVE Act, including requirements documenting proof of citizenship and restricting mail-in voting.

    The SAVE Act passed by the Republican-controlled House and Trump’s executive order would require Native Americans to use a government issued state ID to register to vote instead of their Tribal IDs which are currently accepted in nearly every state and have been for decades. The SAVE Act also has an in-person requirement for voter-registration that would force Tribal voters in rural areas to travel significant distances to prove their citizenship and register to vote. 

    “Enactment of new voter registration policies under the Executive Order and the SAVE Act would lead to mass disenfranchisement of eligible Native voters and further depress the Native vote,” Wyden and colleagues wrote Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “Tribal IDs generally lack place of birth information required by the legislation, and the vast majority of these IDs lack the specific U.S. citizenship documentation required by the Executive Order. And the SAVE Act’s in-person requirement would exacerbate existing barriers, such as requiring IDs that list residential mailing addresses, by forcing many Native voters to travel great distances, including costly flights or multi-hour drives, to reach their local elections office or polling place.”

    Wyden and his colleagues  also highlighted that the vote-by-mail restrictions would disproportionately hurt Native Americans who rely on mail-in voting because of their lack of transportation and rural locations. Trump’s executive order penalizes states that accept absentee or mail-in ballots received after Election Day, harming Native voters in Oregon, especially as the State processes ballots for days as long as they were postmarked by Election day. 

    “As Secretary of the Interior, you have a special moral and legal responsibility to uphold our nation’s trust and treaty obligations,” continued the senators. “If implemented, the sweeping federal mandates included in the Executive Order and the SAVE Act would disenfranchise eligible Native voters who are following state laws. We encourage your active engagement with the White House and the Department of Justice to ensure that Native communities are able to exercise the franchise fully and have their voices heard at the ballot box.”

    In addition to Wyden, the letter was also led by U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawai’i, and signed by U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai’i, Tim Kaine, D-Va., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

    Text of the letter is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Shaheen, Hawley Introduce Bipartisan Bill to End Taxpayer-Funded Pharma Ads, Hold Drug Companies Accountable

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) last week introduced the No Handouts for Drug Advertisements Act—bipartisan legislation that would prohibit pharmaceutical companies from claiming tax deductions for expenses on drug advertisements to consumers. Under current law, pharmaceutical companies can deduct the costs of direct-to-consumer advertising, subsidizing their media campaigns at taxpayers’ expense. Shaheen’s and Hawley’s bipartisan legislation would end this practice that contributes to increased health care costs. 

    “It’s flat-out wrong that drug companies receive huge tax breaks for running ads directly to consumers, especially as taxpayers in my state pay more and more for life-saving drugs,” said Senator Shaheen. “It’s well past time for Congress to step in to end these tax breaks, lower costs for everyday Americans and hold pharmaceutical companies accountable. My bipartisan bill with Senator Hawley offers a practical solution to do just that.” 

    “For too long, Big Pharma has used our tax dollars to fund ads that push their products directly on patients. That needs to end,” Senator Hawley said. “HHS Secretary RFK, Jr. has made it clear that he wants to ban prescription drug commercials, and I’m proud to introduce legislation to do just that. Making America Healthy Again starts by ending handouts to these corporations and empowering consumers to make the health decision that is truly in their best interest.” 

    “This bipartisan bill seeks to eliminate a tax break that fuels the flood of prescription drug ads designed to boost profits and drive up prices for patients. The U.S. is one of just two countries that even allow direct-to-consumer drug advertising — there’s no reason taxpayers should be footing the bill for it. We’re proud to support Senators Shaheen and Hawley’s common-sense reform to put patients before pharma profits,” said Merith Basey, Executive Director of Patients for Affordable Drugs Now. 

    The No Handouts for Drug Advertisements Act would:  

    • Amend the Internal Revenue Code to disallow tax deductions for expenses related to direct-to-consumer advertising of both prescription drugs and compounded medications. 
    • Define “direct-to-consumer advertising” as advertisements primarily targeted to the general public through television, radio, direct mail, billboards, internet, social media, and other digital platforms. 

    Shaheen has spearheaded efforts to combat rising drug prices and make essential medications more affordable, including by supporting key provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that provide Medicare the ability to directly negotiate the prices of certain high-cost drugs with pharmaceutical manufacturers. As co-chair of the bipartisan U.S. Senate Diabetes Caucus, Shaheen has consistently pressed to hold insulin manufacturers, insurers and pharmacy benefit managers accountable for the skyrocketing cost of life-saving insulin. Her bipartisan legislation with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), the INSULIN Act, would comprehensively address the skyrocketing costs of insulin and remove barriers to care making it more accessible to millions of Americans.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Torres Leads 100 Colleagues in Supporting $400 Million in Funding for Immigrant Legal Representation

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)

    May 19, 2025

    Letter Calling for Robust Investment in Due Process for Immigrants and Asylum Seekers Facing Removal Proceedings

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Norma Torres (CA-35),  joined by 100 of her colleagues, led a letter to the  House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Chair urging $400 million in funding for legal representation, to ensure the right to due process enshrined in the Constitution. 

    The lawmakers’ letter calls attention to the lack of guaranteed legal counsel in immigration proceedings, noting that more than 40 percent of individuals—and a staggering 70 percent of those in detention—face removal proceedings without a lawyer.

    “Our immigration courts are overwhelmed and increasingly complex. Without legal representation, thousands of vulnerable individuals are left to face deportation alone, often in a language they do not speak,”  said The Members. “Legal representation is not just a safeguard for the individual, but a necessary component of an efficient and fair immigration system. This funding is about justice, dignity, and ensuring everyone has their fair day in court.”

    The $400 million request would build on the $50 million included in the House FY2022 Appropriations Bill (H.R. 4505) to expand access to legal services. In their letter, the Members cite clear data: individuals with legal counsel are five times more likely to obtain legal relief and are significantly more likely to appear in court, which increases court efficiency and reduces case backlogs.

    The letter also denounces the misuse of outdated laws such as the Alien Enemies Act and certain provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which have been exploited to detain and deport legal residents for engaging in constitutionally protected activities. Judges have warned that without due process for immigrants, there is no due process for citizens either, because authorities could simply claim someone isn’t a citizen, denying them the opportunity to prove their citizenship.

    “Weaponizing our legal system to punish lawful residents or silence dissent is un-American. This investment in legal representation is a direct step toward restoring due process and upholding our nation’s fundamental values,” the Members Continued.

    Full letter

    ###

    Carta pide una inversión significativa en el proceso para los inmigrantes y solicitantes de asilo que se enfrentan a un proceso de expulsión

    Washington, D.C. – Hoy, la Congresista Norma Torres (CA-35) unida a 100 de sus colegas, dirigió una carta al Presidente de la Subcomisión de Asignaciones para Comercio, Justicia, Ciencia y Agencias Relacionadas de la Cámara de Representantes, instando a destinar 400 millones de dólares a la financiación de la representación legal, para garantizar el derecho al debido proceso consagrado en la Constitución.

    La carta de los legisladores llama la atención sobre la falta de garantía de asesoramiento jurídico en los procedimientos de inmigración, señalando que más del 40 por ciento de las personas – y un asombroso 70 por ciento de los detenidos – enfrentan procedimientos de deportación sin un abogado.

    “Nuestros tribunales de inmigración están desbordados y son cada vez más complejos. Sin representación legal, miles de personas vulnerables se enfrentan solas a la deportación, a menudo en un idioma que no hablan,” dijeron los Miembros. “La representación legal no es sólo una salvaguarda para el individuo, sino un componente necesario de un sistema de inmigración eficiente y justo. Esta financiación tiene que ver con la justicia, la dignidad y la garantía de que todo el mundo tenga su día justo en los tribunales.”

    La solicitud de 400 millones de dólares se basaría en los 50 millones incluidos en el proyecto de ley de asignaciones para el año fiscal 2022 de la Cámara de Representantes (H.R. 4505) para ampliar el acceso a los servicios jurídicos. En su carta, los diputados citan datos claros: las personas con asistencia letrada tienen cinco veces más probabilidades de obtener ayuda legal y es mucho más probable que comparezcan ante los tribunales, lo que aumenta la eficiencia de los tribunales y reduce la acumulación de casos.

    La carta también denuncia el uso indebido de leyes obsoletas como la Ley de Enemigos Extranjeros y ciertas disposiciones de la Ley de Inmigración y Nacionalidad, que han sido explotadas para detener y deportar a residentes legales por participar en actividades constitucionalmente protegidas.

    “Armar nuestro sistema legal para castigar a los residentes legales o silenciar la disidencia es antiestadounidense. Esta inversión en representación legal es un paso directo hacia la restauración del debido proceso y la defensa de los valores fundamentales de nuestra nación,” Continuaron los Miembros.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: GraniteShares Announces Change in ETF Lineup

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, May 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — GraniteShares announced today that it will close and liquidate the following ETF:

    Ticker Fund Name Commencement of investment operations
    TSLI GraniteShares 1x Short AMD Daily ETF 08/23/2023

    On May 09, 2025, the board of GraniteShares ETF Trust approved the liquidation of the GraniteShares 1x Short AMD Daily ETF (the “ETF”). The last day of trading for the ETF on NASDAQ Stock Market will be June 20, 2025. The last day creation orders will be accepted for the ETF will be June 18, 2025. Investors may sell their shares of the ETF until market close on June 20, 2025. Shares of the ETF will no longer trade on NASDAQ Stock Market after market close on June 20, 2025, and will be subsequently delisted. The final distribution to shareholders of the ETF is expected to occur on or about June 23, 2025.

    When the ETF commences the liquidation of its portfolio, it may hold cash and securities that may not be consistent with the ETF’s investment objectives and strategies.

    At the time the liquidation of the ETF is complete, the ETF shares will be individually redeemed. For shareholders that still hold shares of the ETF as of June 20, 2025, shares will be automatically redeemed for cash at the net asset value as of close of business on that date, which will reflect the costs of closing the ETF. Shareholders will generally recognize a capital gain or loss on the redemptions. The ETF may or may not pay one or more dividends or other distributions prior to or along with the redemption payments.

    About GraniteShares

    GraniteShares is an independent ETF issuer headquartered in New York City. GraniteShares will continue to offer the following leveraged single stock ETFs:

    ETF NAME TICKER UNDERLYING STOCK MANAGEMENT FEE/TOTAL EXPENSES
           
    GraniteShares 2x Long AAPL Daily ETF AAPB Apple 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long AMD Daily ETF AMDL AMD 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long AMZN Daily ETF AMZZ Amazon.com 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long BABA Daily ETF BABX Alibaba 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long COIN Daily ETF CONL Coinbase 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Short COIN Daily ETF CONI Coinbase 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long CRWD Daily ETF CRWL CrowdStrike 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long DELL Daily ETF DLLL Dell Technologies 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long INTC Daily ETF INTW Intel 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long IONQ Daily ETF IONL IONQ 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long LCID Daily ETF LCDL Lucid 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long MARA Daily ETF MRAL MARA Holding 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long META Daily ETF FBL Meta Platform 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long MRVL Daily ETF MVLL Marvell Technology 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long MSFT Daily ETF MSFL Microsoft 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long MU Daily ETF MULL Micron Technology 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long NVDA Daily ETF NVDL NVIDIA 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Short NVDA Daily ETF NVD NVIDIA 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long PLTR Daily ETF PTIR Palantir 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long QCOM Daily ETF QCML Qualcomm 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long RDDT Daily ETF RDTL Reddit 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long RIVN Daily ETF RVNL Rivian 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long SMCI Daily ETF SMCL Super Micro Computer 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 1.25x Long TSLA Daily ETF TSL Tesla 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long TSLA Daily ETF TSLR Tesla 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Short TSLA Daily ETF TSDD Tesla 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long TSM Daily ETF TSML Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing 1.30%/1.50%
    GraniteShares 2x Long Uber Daily ETF UBRL Uber 0.99%/1.15%
    GraniteShares 2x Long VRT Daily ETF VRTL Vertiv 1.30%/1.50%
           

    In addition, GraniteShares’ ETF suite includes the following ETFs:

    Contact Information:
    William Rhind, CEO
    GraniteShares Inc
    +1 646 876 5049
    william.rhind@graniteshares.com

    Important Information

    Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the GraniteShares funds (the “Funds”) carefully before investing. For a prospectus or summary prospectus with this and other information about the Funds, please call (844) 476 8747, or visit the website at www.graniteshares.com. Read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing.

    To obtain a prospectus for BAR, please visit
    https://www.graniteshares.com/Documents/25/Prospectus-GraniteShares-Gold-Trust.pdf
    To obtain a prospectus for PLTM, please visit
    https://graniteshares.com/media/gwrbh3ah/pltm_prospectus.pdf
    To obtain a prospectus for COMB, please visit
    https://graniteshares.com/media/4crf2x4e/graniteshares-etf-trust-comb-summary-prospectus.pdf

    Except as described above regarding the liquidation of the ETFs, shares of the Funds may be sold during trading hours on the exchange through any brokerage account, shares are not individually redeemable, and shares may only be redeemed directly from a Fund by Authorized Participants. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for shares in a Fund will develop or be maintained. Shares may trade above or below NAV. Brokerage commissions will apply.

    Fund Risks

    Multiple funds have a limited operating history of less than a year and risks associated with a new fund. The Leveraged and Daily Inverse Funds are not suitable for all investors. The investment program of the funds is speculative, entails substantial risks and include asset classes and investment techniques not employed by most ETFs and mutual funds. Investments in the ETFs are not bank deposits and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Fund is designed to be utilized only by knowledgeable investors who understand the potential consequences of seeking daily leveraged (2X) or daily inverse (-1X and -2X) investment results, understand the risks associated with the use of leverage and are willing to monitor their portfolios frequently. For periods longer than a single day, the Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat, and it is possible that the Fund will lose money even if the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day. An investor could lose the full principal value of his/her investment within a single day. The funds do not directly invest in the underlying stock.

    The Funds seek daily inverse or leveraged investment results and are intended to be used as short-term trading vehicles. Each Fund with “Long” in its name attempts to provide daily investment results that correspond to the respective long leveraged multiple of the performance of an underlying stock (each a Leveraged Long Fund). Each Fund with “Short” in its name attempts to provide daily investment results that correspond to the inverse (or opposite) multiple of the performance of an underlying stock (each an Inverse Fund).

    Investors should note that the Long Leveraged Funds and the Daily Inverse Funds pursue daily leveraged investment objectives and daily inverse investment objectives (respectively), which means that the fund is riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage and inverse strategies because the fund magnifies the performance of their underlying security. The volatility of the underlying security may affect a Funds’ return as much as, or more than, the return of the underlying security.

    For the Leveraged Long Funds because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from 200% of the return of the Underlying Stock over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance increases over a period longer than a single day.

    For the Daily Inverse Funds because of daily rebalancing and the compounding of each day’s return over time, the return of the Fund for periods longer than a single day will be the result of each day’s returns compounded over the period, which will very likely differ from -100% and 200% of the return of the Underlying Stock over the same period. The Fund will lose money if the Underlying Stock’s performance is flat over time, and as a result of daily rebalancing, the Underlying Stock volatility and the effects of compounding, it is even possible that the Fund will lose money over time while the Underlying Stock’s performance decreases over a period longer than a single day.

    Shares are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the ETF. There can be no guarantee that an active trading market for ETF shares will develop or be maintained, or that their listing will continue or remain unchanged. Buying or selling ETF shares on an exchange may require the payment of brokerage commissions and frequent trading may incur brokerage costs that detract significantly from investment returns.

    An investment in the Fund involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The Fund is non-diversified and includes risks associated with the Fund concentrating its investments in a particular industry, sector, or geographic region which can result in increased volatility. The use of derivatives such as futures contracts and swaps are subject to market risks that may cause their price to fluctuate over time. Risks of the Fund include Effects of Compounding and Market Volatility Risk, Inverse Risk, Market Risk, Counterparty Risk, Rebalancing Risk, Intra-Day Investment Risk, Daily Index Correlation Risk, Other Investment Companies (including ETFs) Risk, and risks specific to the securities of the Underlying Stock and the sector in which it operates. These and other risks can be found in the prospectus.

    Investing in physical commodities, including through commodity-linked derivative instruments such as Commodity Futures, Commodity Swaps, as well as other commodity-linked instruments, is speculative and can be extremely volatile and may not be suitable for all investors. Market prices of commodities may fluctuate rapidly based on numerous factors, including: changes in supply and demand relationships (whether actual, perceived, anticipated, unanticipated or unrealized); weather; agriculture; trade; domestic and foreign political and economic events and policies; diseases; pestilence; technological developments; currency exchange rate fluctuations; and monetary and other governmental policies, action and inaction.

    A liquid secondary market may not exist for the types of commodity-linked derivative instruments the Fund buys, which may make it difficult for the Fund to sell them at an acceptable price. The Fund is new with no operating history. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case it could ultimately liquidate.

    Derivatives may be more sensitive to changes in market conditions and may amplify risks and losses.

    This information is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy shares of any Funds to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Please consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in Fund shares, including the possible application of foreign, state, and local tax laws. You could lose money by investing in the ETFs. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Funds will be achieved. None of the Funds should be relied upon as a complete investment program.

    The Fund is distributed by ALPS Distributors, Inc, which is not affiliated with GraniteShares or any of its affiliates ©2025 GraniteShares Inc. All rights reserved. GraniteShares, GraniteShares Trusts, and the GraniteShares logo are registered and unregistered trademarks of GraniteShares Inc., in the United States and elsewhere. All other marks are the property of their respective owners

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: From the Liver King to ultramarathons, fitness influencers are glorifying extreme masculinity where ‘pain is the point’

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Cornell, PhD Candidate in Public Health & Community Medicine, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney

    Netflix/Untold: The Liver King

    A new Netflix documentary about a shirtless supplement salesman who claimed to be “natural” and was exposed as a fraud might seem like a punchline.

    But Untold: The Liver King is more than just a character study of a well-known fitness influencer; it’s a case study of performative masculinity in the world of social media.

    Brian Johnson, better known as the Liver King, built a brand on extreme workouts, eating raw organ meat, and evangelising about masculinity. He preached “ancestral living” and radical self-control, all while secretly using steroids.

    And his rapid rise to popularity reveals how social media rewards the spectacle of hypermasculinity – especially when it leans into extreme behaviours.

    Extreme self-discipline, extreme exercise, extreme eating and extreme “wellness” have all become forms of public performance on social media.

    From influencers pushing steroids or “wellness” lifestyles, to the growing popularity of ultramarathons, a new model of masculinity is going viral: control your body, grit through pain, workout hard, and make sure everyone hears about it.

    The rise of ‘discipline content’

    Social media apps and websites such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, are flooded with content that frames pain and extreme physical effort as markers of masculine worth.

    One analysis of male fitness YouTubers found they established authority and discipline through a mix of visible physical strength and affiliations with commercial fitness brands. In some cases, the influencers explicitly listed their personal records or showcased their physique post-training as proof of their “masculinity” and discipline.



    Read more:
    Why banning gym selfies could do us all a lot of good

    Influencers also often frame extreme leanness and muscularity as indicators of moral virtue and discipline, even when achieving it has taken a negative physical or mental toll on them. The look of discipline has become more valuable than the outcome of it.

    Posts are often wrapped in the language of “resilience”, “discipline” and militaristic rhetoric. Men are told to “go to war” in the gym, to “stay hard”, and to generally treat life like a battlefield.

    What’s being sold isn’t stoicism: it’s pseudo-stoicism – a term researchers have coined to describe emotional suppression masquerading as strength and discipline.

    Pain is the point

    Strava’s 2023 Year in Sport report found Gen Z athletes are 31% less likely to exercise for health reasons compared to older generations. Instead, they are more likely to train with a focus on athletic performance – that is, to push their physical limits, improve metrics such as speed or distance, and outperform others.

    The same report shows a surge in extreme endurance activity. Compared to 2023 data, uploads (activities shared with others) of gravel bike rides grew 55%, trail runs grew 16%, and ultramarathon-style workouts grew by 9%.

    Take Nedd Brockmann, who ran across Australia in 2022, and last year ran 1,600 kilometres in ten days to raise money for charity – all while sharing his self-imposed physical torture.

    Or take the countless fitness content creators pushing themselves through punishing routines for the camera.

    These cases reflect a deeper shift of fitness being turned into spectacle, wherein suffering becomes a sign of legitimacy, and pain is “proof” that you’re serious.

    Such extreme content, which is often visually striking, can also be pushed by social media algorithms. Research shows how social media platforms systematically boost content that is intense, emotionally charged, and morally loaded.



    Read more:
    Get big or die trying: social media is driving men’s use of steroids. Here’s how to mitigate the risks

    In other words, posts that provoke a reaction are more likely to get promoted. And
    content relating to “wellness” extremism is designed to provoke, as it is visceral, performative, and packed with motivational and self-help anecdotes.

    Why this matters

    This is a potential public health issue.

    Social media platforms amplify and monetise these performances, often pushing the most extreme content to the top. And influencers make money, above the money made from directly these platforms, from selling supplements, gear and coaching plans. At the same time, they act in more and more extreme ways to get further amplified by algorithms.

    The risks of this dynamic, for both the viewers and creators, are very real. They range from hormone damage, to mental and physical decline, to injury, and even death.

    But there is also a deeper ideological harm, as young men are fed a narrow and punishing idea of what it means to be a man. They are taught pain equals purpose, and that if you’re not suffering, you’re not trying.

    Where to from here?

    Public health agencies need to reckon with this form of digital hypermasculinity.

    Extreme fitness influencers aren’t just poor role models; they’re the product of a system that profits from insecurity and spectacle. The goal shouldn’t be to ban or censor this content. But we do need to challenge its dominance, and offer alternatives.

    That means engaging young men in offline spaces, such as the Tomorrow Man project, where they have an outlet for community and relationship building.

    It means creating counter-narratives that don’t mock, but model, healthier versions of ambition and masculinity. For instance, the Movember campaign’s podcast Dad in Progress explores the various challenges and experiences faced by new dads.

    It also means holding platforms accountable for the way they amplify extreme content.

    In the absence of healthier narratives, self-flagellation is the only thing young men will have to aspire to.

    Samuel Cornell has received funding from Meta Platforms, Inc. His research is supported by a University of New South Wales Sydney, University Postgraduate Award.

    – ref. From the Liver King to ultramarathons, fitness influencers are glorifying extreme masculinity where ‘pain is the point’ – https://theconversation.com/from-the-liver-king-to-ultramarathons-fitness-influencers-are-glorifying-extreme-masculinity-where-pain-is-the-point-256817

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: NZ Budget 2025: anything less than a 5% increase in health funding amounts to merely standing still

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Professor of Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

    Health Minister Simeon Brown. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

    Minister of Health Simeon Brown claimed earlier this year that health funding in New Zealand has never been higher and that suggestions of underfunding are “fake news”.

    On the bare statistics, Brown isn’t wrong. The allocation to Vote Health has indeed increased from NZ$18.2 billion in 2018-19 to $29.6 billion in the 2024-25 budget.

    Yet for many working in the publicly-funded health system things have never seemed so bad, with daily stories of under-staffing and increasing levels of stress.

    So, how much should the government be spending on health? Any answer needs to factor in the broader context of the health system, and where we sit historically and comparatively.

    The health system is subject to significant cost pressures, few of which are unique to New Zealand. People are generally living longer, but more of that longer life span is spent in ill health.

    At the same time, New Zealand’s population profile has changed significantly over the past 40 years. There is a lower proportion of working-age people paying income tax to support those who are older.

    Technological advances, on balance, drive up health expenditure – more is possible, so more is expected. And compared with other parts of the economy, health services are labour-intensive.

    Around two thirds of health expenditure is on staff, and health workforce shortages are a global problem (again, driven by demographic change). All these factors mean health costs rise faster than inflation.

    Taking all of this into account, a recent health economics analysis calculated that to continue to deliver the same level of service in the United Kingdom (which has very similar health system characteristics to New Zealand), public spending on health would need to increase by 2.8% in real terms (above inflation) each year.

    Then we need to factor in population growth, which has recently been between 1.5% and 2% per year in New Zealand. In this context, a 4-5% increase in Vote Health amounts to merely standing still.

    People are living longer, but more of that longer life is spent in ill health.
    Getty Images

    Long-term deterioration

    We also need to put our current situation in historical and international context.

    The most appropriate indicator for international comparison is “publicly mandated health expenditure” (PMHE) as a percentage of GDP, as this excludes private expenditure (private health insurance and “out of pocket” payments).

    Total health spending typically constitutes 10-12% of GDP in high-income countries, and PMHE is typically around 8%. In the 2010s, however, New Zealand’s PMHE dropped from 7.8% (2012) to 7% of GDP (2017). Meanwhile, Australia, Canada and the UK all remained at or above 8% during that time.

    This represents a significant long-term deterioration which heightened the stress on our health system before and after the COVID pandemic.

    Even when our PMHE as a percentage of GDP is comparable to Australia and other countries, our per-capita health expenditure is significantly less because our GDP per-capita is lower.

    The most significant budget boost in recent years was in 2022. But this was largely soaked up by pay rises for health professionals that resulted from underfunding during the 2010s.

    The current government finds itself in a very tight spot. This is partly because of international economic conditions and demographic trends, but also due to self-imposed constraints.

    Even in such a large budget, there’ll be little room for major initiatives in health unless savings are found from existing areas. That is rarely feasible in health. As is true in most years, there could be up to three big-ticket items. If so, what should they be?

    What Budget 2025 should include

    First, the government needs to boost capital expenditure in health. A recent analysis by the UK Institute for Government shows that public service productivity, including in the health sector, fell sharply during and after the COVID pandemic. The New Zealand treasury reported similar productivity declines.

    The UK report concluded these declines were primarily due to physical capacity constraints – clinical staff can’t be more productive when there is not enough physical space and diagnostic equipment.

    Earlier this month, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced a $400 million increase in the annual capital allowance across all of government. Let’s see how much of the total $4 billion capital allowance is channelled into health.

    A second priority should be primary healthcare. Here, the health minister has already announced a range of initiatives, headlined by $285 million of additional performance-based funding over three years. This is a welcome commitment, and the most significant boost in primary care funding since the mid-2000s.

    However, it’s unlikely this will redress erosion over the past 20 years of primary care “capitation” funding (the amount a GP practice receives per enrolled patient).

    This funding formula also needs to be modernised to better reflect where needs are highest and account for rising acuity and complexity of conditions in primary healthcare. This would relieve some pressures on hospital emergency departments and medical wards.

    Third, investment to retain and attract health workers across the whole sector is vital. Given the demographic and epidemiological changes, proactively preparing for a mid-21st-century health workforce will require funding to support emerging models of health services, particularly in primary and community settings, including programmes such as Access and Choice and comprehensive primary and community care teams.

    These priorities, and any government commitment to them in Budget 2025, must be understood against the backdrop of sustained historical underfunding.

    The government is likely to claim health is a big winner in Budget 2025. Unless increases are significantly greater than 5%, such a claim will bring little respite to the health sector.

    In any case, the race that counts is a marathon, not a sprint. New Zealand is well back in the field, struggling not to lose further ground.

    Tim Tenbensel receives funding from the New Zealand Health Research Council.

    – ref. NZ Budget 2025: anything less than a 5% increase in health funding amounts to merely standing still – https://theconversation.com/nz-budget-2025-anything-less-than-a-5-increase-in-health-funding-amounts-to-merely-standing-still-255593

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Surviving swamps on South Australia’s parched Fleurieu Peninsula are a lifeline to wildlife – and farmers

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Auricht, Visiting Research Fellow in Natural Resources Management, University of Adelaide

    Yundi Nature Conservancy, CC BY-NC-ND

    South Australia is famously the driest state on the driest inhabited continent.

    But even for South Australia, the current drought is extreme. Rainfall has been the lowest on record across large areas.

    When drought strikes and water sources dry up, life becomes hard for wildlife. In these conditions, perennial water sources become enormously valuable.

    Dotted across the drought-stricken Fleurieu Peninsula south of Adelaide are more than 850 swampy wetlands. When the landscape dries out, these swamps act as refuges. Animals, birds, insects and reptiles come from far and wide, drawn by permanent spring-fed water, good habitat, diverse plant species and cooler, more humid micro-climates. These swamps are vital habitat for the critically endangered Mount Lofty Ranges southern emu-wren.

    Drainage channels were cut through many of these swamps in the early days of settlement, in an effort to turn them into pasture. The Fleurieu swamps are now considered an endangered ecological community. More than 90% of the remaining swamps are located on private property.

    Keeping these swamps intact and restoring dried out wetlands comes with real benefits for farmers. Birds and insects seek refuge in the swamps, but feed on pest species on nearby farmland.

    As drought tightens its grip on South Australia, these swamps will only become more important to wildlife. Restoring these swamps by bringing back the water and restoring plants and pollinators could go some way to help.

    Important for nature – and humans

    The swamps of the Fleurieu are some of the most diverse and productive habitats on Earth. Many species of plants, birds, frogs, fish, insects, mammals and reptiles rely on them to survive.

    Before colonisation, swamps and wetlands covered large areas of the Fleurieu Peninsula. Three First Nations language groups lived in these areas on the central and eastern peninsula. The importance of these wetlands is recorded in the shared story of Tjilbruki, a Kaurna ancestor whose tears at the death of his nephew gave rise to six freshwater springs.

    Over the last 200 years, most of this region has been cleared for pasture, crops and vineyards. Only 4% of the swamps are conserved. They are now listed as a critically endangered ecological community. These swamps are still declining due to threats such as more human settlement, land clearance, water extraction and invasive species such as blackberries.

    Many were drained to make way for agriculture. We don’t fully know how many remain, as many are not well captured in current maps.

    But we know these wetlands are vital, not just for nature but for farmers too. Farmers would miss them if they were gone.

    We can see this most clearly during droughts. As the land gets drier and ephemeral water sources evaporate, ibises, eastern great egrets, white-faced herons and masked lapwings move into these swamps, seeking water. During the days, though, they spread out and feed on pasture pests such as grasshoppers and cockchafer beetle grubs.

    Similarly, these wetlands act as a haven for important insect pollinators and predators. Hoverflies and native bees help farmers by pollinating pasture legumes such as clover, while predators keep down the numbers of pest species.

    As adults, parasitic wasps rely on the nectar from swamp plants such as woolly teatree. But they lay their eggs on common pasture pests such as caterpillars and grubs. When their larvae hatch, they eat these pests. Carnivorous insects such as ladybirds and assassin bugs eat other insects which can trouble farmers.

    Ibises and other bird species base themselves in the swamps during drought, but fan out to eat insects which can trouble farmers.
    Yundi Nature Conservancy, CC BY-NC-ND

    Restoration is possible

    Swamps don’t have a great reputation. Throughout human history, they have been seen as sources of foul air and a haven for insects and disease. A common response was to dig channels to drain them.

    We now know much more about how important swamps and other wetlands for the natural world – and for humans. Wetlands naturally store water and carbon, tame floods and offer refuges during drought. Correcting these historic mistakes will take time.

    Wetlands are home to many species of plants, insects and animals.
    Yundi Nature Conservancy, CC BY-NC-ND

    Peatlands like these store huge volumes of carbon in their waterlogged soils. Our research estimated the carbon storage of a peat swamp at Yundi at more than 2,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per hectare. The depth of carbon-rich organic peat was up to three metres in places. By contrast, a healthy woodland stores around 650 tonnes per hectare.

    This natural carbon sink will remain as long as the peat remains moist and annual increments from plant growth and decay add to the stock.

    When an agricultural drain is cut through a swamp, water gradually leaches out of the peat profile. Over time, enough water leaves to dry out the peat, beginning with the surface layer. This means long-stored carbon and methane can be released back to the atmosphere.

    Conserving remaining peatlands and restoring those already drained is essential if the climate goals of the Paris Agreement are to be achieved, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.

    On the Fleurieu Peninsula, there’s huge potential to return water to the soils and expand these once-thriving wetlands.

    The good news? Community groups and farmers have already embarked on several restoration projects. Around 50 farmers in the region have formed the Fleurieu Swamp Restoration Network. To date, in cooperation with Yundi Nature Conservancy, 25 swamp restoration plans have been developed and 15 are under way. If successful, these will restore more than 100 hectares of swamp.

    Christopher Auricht is a director of environmental consultancy Auricht Projects Pty Ltd. He receives funding from both state and federal governments for wetland related consulting and research.

    – ref. Surviving swamps on South Australia’s parched Fleurieu Peninsula are a lifeline to wildlife – and farmers – https://theconversation.com/surviving-swamps-on-south-australias-parched-fleurieu-peninsula-are-a-lifeline-to-wildlife-and-farmers-256238

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Fish driving cars and chimps doing maths: what teaching animals ‘irrelevant’ skills reveals about our own minds

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Scarlett Howard, Research Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University

    VixtorPhoto / Shutterstock

    Did you know goldfish can learn to drive cars? Have you heard bumblebees can learn to pull on a string? Would you believe some primates can perform calculations with Arabic numerals?

    These tasks seem completely irrelevant to these animals in their natural environment, so why are researchers interested in them?

    As someone who studies the intelligence of insects, much of my own research has been labelled as “ecologically irrelevant”.

    However, as I have argued in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, there are plenty of reasons to study this kind of animal intelligence.

    Finding relevance in irrelevance

    The study of animal intelligence often seeks to form a better understanding of the animal’s ecology. However, there are also many studies that aim to push the limits of animal cognition beyond what we would expect in their everyday life.

    This honeybee has been trained to find sugar water where there are an even number of shapes.

    Ecologically irrelevant research can help us understand the limits of animal intelligence and develop bio-inspired technology. It can also help us explore behavioural responses to environmental change, and advance our understanding of the evolution of intelligence.

    Understanding how animals respond to ecologically irrelevant tasks sheds light on how our own intelligence has evolved. We frequently use comparisons between humans and non-human primates to understand whether a cognitive capacity has evolved in modern humans, or if we observe similar abilities in other primates and animals.

    For example, children as young as 24 months old can find a hidden object in a room when its location is pointed out to them in a photograph. This ability is known as representational insight.

    Some chimpanzees can also pass this test. Do these results mean a chimpanzee has the same level of intelligence as a two-year-old child?

    Furthermore, this test may allow us to estimate when representational insight evolved. It may have been before humans and chimpanzees split into different lineages.

    Researchers trained goldfish to steer a tank on wheels.

    Imitating nature, comparing species

    Biologically inspired (bio-inspired) solutions to modern computing problems use technology based on biology. Some bio-inspired technologies can cope well with uncertainty by using brain-like computations to process and solve real-world problems. Many animals are considered models for bio-inspired technologies based on their vision, behaviour and movement.

    For example, the flight mechanics of dragonflies have been studied to build micro aerial vehicles. Since bio-inspired technology will undoubtedly be used in unnatural situations, it is useful to know how animals would respond in these same scenarios to build more accurate technology.

    Comparing the behaviour and intelligence of different species can pose a huge challenge to scientists. To enable accurate comparisons we need to have a task of equal difficulty for both species.

    If we use a task that animals perform regularly in their natural environments, we run the risk that one species may have an advantage from performing the task more frequently. However, if we use a task that neither animal is likely to ever need to perform, we can “level the playing field” for an accurate comparison.

    Animals must often adapt to new and unfamiliar situations. Environmental changes such as urbanisation, climate change, habitat loss and invasive species introductions cause animals to encounter new challenges that may have previously been ecologically irrelevant.

    A puzzle box may be seem irrelevant to many animals. However, cockatoos in Australia have learned how to open rubbish bins to forage. The cockatoos have then adapted to solve new puzzles as humans attempt to make bins harder to open.

    This “innovation arms race” between humans and cockatoos shows how an initially ecologically irrelevant task may become relevant to an animal.

    Does a true test of ecologically irrelevant intelligence exist?

    One major question is whether we have been able to create a truly ecologically irrelevant task for animals to complete.

    For example, bees have been trained to recognise images of human faces. This task may appear ecologically irrelevant to a bee.

    However, to the bee, an image of a human face may actually represent an unfamiliar but rewarding flower, particularly when the correct option is paired with a reward of sugar water, which imitates a flower’s nectar. Is this task relevant or irrelevant to a bee? The answer is: it depends.

    Many experiments provide food rewards. Therefore, animals may interpret these experiments as a foraging task, thus making even the most complex and arbitrary tasks during tests of intelligence still somewhat ecologically relevant to the animal. Other rewards for animals participating in experiments include shelter, social interactions, and play.

    While the task itself may appear ecologically irrelevant, the reward may be highly relevant to animals looking for food, mating opportunities, safety, or fun. This leads us to question if any task we give animals is completely bereft of ecological relevance.

    Scarlett Howard currently has funding from the Australian Research Council and the Hermon Slade Foundation.

    – ref. Fish driving cars and chimps doing maths: what teaching animals ‘irrelevant’ skills reveals about our own minds – https://theconversation.com/fish-driving-cars-and-chimps-doing-maths-what-teaching-animals-irrelevant-skills-reveals-about-our-own-minds-253938

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin Challenges Trump to Close Tax Loophole for Wall Street

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) led a group of their colleagues in challenging President Donald Trump to end a tax loophole, the carried interest loophole, that benefits wealthy money managers on Wall Street. Senator Baldwin leads legislation to close this loophole and, in February, she pushed for a vote on her amendment to end the tax break during the Senate’s budget resolution debate. While he failed to enact it in his first term, President Trump has been supportive of closing this loophole and has advocated for closing it as recently as this year.

    “During your first campaign, you claimed that the carried interest loophole was ‘ridiculous’ and ‘unfair to American workers’ and that the individuals reaping the benefits from the loophole were ‘getting away with murder.’ We agree,” wrote Baldwin and the lawmakers in a letter to President Trump. “We write to ask that you follow through on your promise to eliminate the carried interest loophole and demand that Congressional Republicans eliminate it in any tax bill they send to your desk.”

    When private equity managers oversee an investment fund, they receive a 20% share of the profits earned from the funds’ investments, called “carried interest.” This interest is not subject to the ordinary income tax rate of 37%, and is instead taxed at the 20% capital gains rate as long as the investments are held for at least three years. As a result, private equity fund managers who routinely make hundreds of millions of dollars are subject to a tax rate lower than that of an average blue-collar worker.

    “Despite the extraordinary profits that private equity funds are raking in each year, the carried interest loophole allows private equity managers to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, often paying tax rates that are lower than middle-class workers,” continued Baldwin and the lawmakers.

    The massive loophole costs the federal government tens of billions of dollars in tax revenue, and the private equity industry regularly donates significant sums to politicians sympathetic to their cause in order to make sure the loophole remains open for their profit. The industry has donated almost $600 million to political campaigns over the last decade to maintain a loophole worth upwards of $63 billion over the next 10 years.

    In addition to Senators Baldwin and Warren, this letter is co-signed by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

    The full letter is available here and below.

    Dear Mr. President:

    We write to ask that you follow through on your promise to eliminate the carried interest loophole and demand that Congressional Republicans eliminate it in any tax bill they send to your desk. 

    During your first campaign, you claimed that the carried interest loophole was “ridiculous” and “unfair to American workers” and that the individuals reaping the benefits from the loophole were “getting away with murder.” We agree. Despite the extraordinary profits that private equity funds are raking in each year, the carried interest loophole allows private equity managers to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, often paying tax rates that are lower than middle-class workers.

    When private equity managers oversee an investment fund, they receive a 20% share of the profits earned from the funds’ investments. This portion of future profits is known as “carried interest.” Although carried interest is essentially salary for private equity managers, it is not subject to the ordinary income tax rate of 37% and instead is taxed at the 20% capital gains rate as long as the investments are held for at least three years. The result? Private equity fund managers who routinely make hundreds of millions of dollars are subject to a tax rate lower than that of an average blue-collar worker making $85,000 a year.

    Though this massive loophole costs the federal government billions of dollars in revenue, efforts to constrain it have consistently fallen short. In a desperate attempt to retain Wall Street’s favorite loophole, the private equity industry doles out eye-popping amounts of campaign cash to curry favor with politicians sympathetic to their cause. And it works. In fact, economists have credited the hedge-fund-led lobbying blitz to the survival of the loophole. Overall, the industry doled out almost $600 million to political campaigns over the last decade, a cheap price tag for a loophole worth upwards of $63 billion over the next ten years.

    It is clear that the private equity industry has fought hard to retain these extraordinary tax giveaways. What is less clear is whether you will allow your party to deviate from your commitments, bow to industry demands, and fail to close the loophole for a second time. You were an avid supporter of closing the carried interest loophole throughout your first campaign and during the first few months of your first administration.  Your chief economic adviser even publicly confirmed in September 2017 that you “remain[ed] committed to ending the carried interest deduction.” Yet, only a few months later, your signature legislative package, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, did virtually nothing to change the loophole.

    Now, you have another opportunity to get the job done. You have once again confirmed your desire to end the loophole, and we understand that last week you asked Speaker Johnson to close the carried interest loophole. Notably, the House Ways and Means Committee defied your wishes and chose to advance legislation that does not eliminate the carried interest loophole.

    So, Mr. President, will you get it done?

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Beyer Commends Federal Court Ruling Affirming DOGE Power Grab at USIP Was Illegal

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

    Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) today issued the following statement welcoming a decision by Judge Beryl A. Howell protecting the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) from executive overreach. Judge Howell’s decision found that the Trump Administration and the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) acted unlawfully in removing USIP Board members, thereby nullifying subsequent actions, including the Board members’ replacement by officials affiliated with DOGE, the mass firing of USIP staff, and the transfer of USIP property to the General Services Administration (GSA):

    “The Court rightly concluded the Trump Administration and DOGE’s hostile takeover of the Institute was executed without legal authority and in direct violation of congressional statute. This ruling is a decisive victory for the United States Institute of Peace, its dedicated staff, and the rule of law.

    “Congress established the Institute of Peace with the support of Ronald Reagan to advance a safer, more peaceful world. In doing so, it defined the Institute as an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit and placed clear restrictions on presidential authority to remove Board members. Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s brazen attempts to disregard these legal protections and dismantle this organization inflicted unnecessary trauma on the Institute’s committed leadership and employees, threatened the independence of more than 232,000 other 501(c)(3) non-profits across the country, and undermined American diplomacy.

    “This decision restores the rule of law and protects the Institute’s ability to fulfill its mission of resolving conflict, training peacemakers, and advancing America’s interests through global stability. I will continue to support the United States Institute of Peace and the dedicated professionals who carry out this essential work.”

    Beyer served as a U.S. Ambassador during the Obama Administration. He went to the United States Institute of Peace to conduct congressional oversight amid DOGE’s illegal power grab. He has been an outspoken defender of the United States Institute of Peace, and critic of illegal attempts by the Trump Administration and “DOGE” to dismantle it.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover to Take Bite Out of ‘Krokodillen’

    Source: NASA

    Scientists expect the new area of interest on the lower slope of Jezero Crater’s rim to offer up some of the oldest rocks on the Red Planet.
    NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is exploring a new region of interest the team is calling “Krokodillen” that may contain some of the oldest rocks on Mars. The area has been on the Perseverance science team’s wish list because it marks an important boundary between the oldest rocks of Jezero Crater’s rim and those of the plains beyond the crater.
    “The last five months have been a geologic whirlwind,” said Ken Farley, deputy project scientist for Perseverance from Caltech in Pasadena. “As successful as our exploration of “Witch Hazel Hill” has been, our investigation of Krokodillen promises to be just as compelling.”
    Named by Perseverance mission scientists after a mountain ridge on the island of Prins Karls Forland, Norway, Krokodillen (which means “the crocodile” in Norwegian) is a 73-acre (about 30-hectare) plateau of rocky outcrops located downslope to the west and south of Witch Hazel Hill.
    A quick earlier investigation into the region revealed the presence of clays in this ancient bedrock. Because clays require liquid water to form, they provide important clues about the environment and habitability of early Mars. The detection of clays elsewhere within the Krokodillen region would reinforce the idea that abundant liquid water was present sometime in the distant past, likely before Jezero Crater was formed by the impact of an asteroid. Clay minerals are also known on Earth for preserving organic compounds, the building blocks of life.
    “If we find a potential biosignature here, it would most likely be from an entirely different and much earlier epoch of Mars evolution than the one we found last year in the crater with ‘Cheyava Falls,’” said Farley, referring to a rock sampled in July 2024 with chemical signatures and structures that could have been formed by life long ago. “The Krokodillen rocks formed before Jezero Crater was created, during Mars’ earliest geologic period, the Noachian, and are among the oldest rocks on Mars
    Data collected from NASA’s Mars orbiters suggest that the outer edges of Krokodillen may also have areas rich in olivine and carbonate. While olivine forms from magma, carbonate minerals on Earth typically form during a reaction in liquid water between rock and dissolved carbon dioxide. Carbonate minerals on Earth are known to be excellent preservers of fossilized ancient microbial life and recorders of ancient climate.
    The rover, which celebrated its 1,500th day of surface operations on May 9, is currently analyzing a rocky outcrop in Krokodillen called “Copper Cove” that may contain Noachian rocks.
    Ranking Mars Rocks
    The rover’s arrival at Krokodillen comes with a new sampling strategy for the nuclear-powered rover that allows for leaving some cored samples unsealed in case the mission finds a more scientifically compelling geologic feature down the road.
    To date, Perseverance has collected and sealed two regolith (crushed rock and dust) samples, three witness tubes, and one atmospheric sample. It has also collected 26 rock cores and sealed 25 of them. The rover’s one unsealed sample is its most recent, a rock core taken on April 28 that the team named “Bell Island,” which contains small round stones called spherules. If at some point the science team decides a new sample should take its place, the rover could be commanded to remove the tube from its bin in storage and dump the previous sample.
    “We have been exploring Mars for over four years, and every single filled sample tube we have on board has its own unique and compelling story to tell,” said Perseverance acting project scientist Katie Stack Morgan of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “There are seven empty sample tubes remaining and a lot of open road in front of us, so we’re going to keep a few tubes — including the one containing the Bell Island core — unsealed for now. This strategy allows us maximum flexibility as we continue our collection of diverse and compelling rock samples.”
    Before the mission adopted its new strategy, the engineering sample team assessed whether leaving a tube unsealed could diminish the quality of a sample. The answer was no.
    “The environment inside the rover met very strict standards for cleanliness when the rover was built. The tube is also oriented in such a way within its individual storage bin that the likelihood of extraneous material entering the tube during future activities, including sampling and drives, is very low,” said Stack Morgan.   
    In addition, the team assessed whether remnants of a sample that was dumped could “contaminate” a later sample. “Although there is a chance that any material remaining in the tube from the previous sample could come in contact with the outside of a new sample,” said Stack Morgan, “it is a very minor concern — and a worthwhile exchange for the opportunity to collect the best and most compelling samples when we find them.”
    News Media Contact
    DC AgleJet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.818-393-9011agle@jpl.nasa.gov
    Karen Fox / Molly WasserNASA Headquarters, Washington202-358-1600karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov  
    2025-071

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: A Defining Era: NASA Stennis and Space Shuttle Main Engine Testing

    Source: NASA

    The numbers are notable – 34 years of testing space shuttle main engines at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, 3,244 individual tests, more than 820,000 seconds (totaling more than nine days) of cumulative hot fire.
    The story behind the numbers is unforgettable.
    “It is hard to describe the full impact of the space shuttle main engine test campaign on NASA Stennis,” Center Director John Bailey said. “It is hundreds of stories, affecting all areas of center life, within one great story of team achievement and accomplishment.”
    NASA Stennis tested space shuttle main engines from May 19, 1975, to July 29, 2009. The testing made history, enabling 135 shuttle missions and notable space milestones, like deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope and construction of the International Space Station.
    The testing also:

    Established NASA Stennis as the center of excellence for large propulsion testing.
    Broadened and deepened the expertise of the NASA Stennis test team.
    Demonstrated and expanded the propulsion test capabilities of NASA Stennis.
    Ensured the future of the Mississippi site.

    NASA Stennis was not the immediate choice to test space shuttle main engines. Two other sites also sought the assignment – NASA’s Marshall Flight Center in Alabama and Edwards Air Force Base in California. However, following presentations and evaluations, NASA announced March 1, 1971, that the test campaign would take place in south Mississippi.
    “(NASA Stennis) was now assured of a future in propulsion testing for decades,” summarized Way Station to Space, a history of the center’s first decades.
    Testing did not begin immediately. First, NASA Stennis had to complete an ambitious project to convert stands built the previous decade for rocket stage testing to facilities supporting single-engine hot fire.
    Propellant run tanks were installed and calibrated. A system was fashioned to measure and verify engine thrust. A gimbaling capability was developed on the Fred Haise Test Stand to allow operators to move engines as they must pivot in flight to control rocket trajectory. Likewise, engineers designed a diffuser capability for the A-2 Test Stand to allow operators to test at simulated altitudes up to 60,000 feet.
    NASA Stennis teams also had to learn how to handle cryogenic propellants in a new way. For Apollo testing, propellants were loaded into stage tanks to support hot fires. For space shuttle, propellants had to be provided by the stand to the engine. New stand run tanks were not large enough to support a full-duration (500 seconds) hot fire, so teams had to provide real-time transfer of propellants from barges, to the run tanks, to the engine.
    The process required careful engineering and calibration. “There was a lot to learn to manage real-time operations,” said Maury Vander, chief of NASA Stennis test operations. “Teams had to develop a way to accurately measure propellant levels in the tanks and to control the flow from barges to the tanks and from the tanks to the engine. It is a very precise process.”

    The biggest challenge was operation of the engine itself. Not only was it the most sophisticated ever developed, but teams would be testing a full engine from the outset. Typically, individual components are developed and tested prior to assembling a full engine. Shuttle testing began on full-scale engines, although several initial tests did feature a trimmed down thrust chamber assembly.
    The initial test on May 19, 1975, provided an evaluation of team and engine. The so-called “burp” test did not feature full ignition, but it set the stage for moving forward.
    “The first test was a monstrous milestone,” Vander said. “Teams had to overcome all sorts of challenges, and I can only imagine what it must have felt like to go from a mostly theoretical engine to seeing it almost light. It is the kind of moment engineers love – fruits-of-all-your-hard-labor moment.”
    NASA Stennis teams conducted another five tests in quick succession. On June 23/24, with a complete engine thrust chamber assembly in place, teams achieved full ignition. By year’s end, teams had conducted 27 tests. In the next five years, they recorded more than 100 annual hot fires, a challenging pace. By the close of 1980, NASA Stennis had accumulated over 28 hours of hot fire.
    The learning curve remained steep as teams developed a defined engine start, power up, power down, and shutdown sequences. They also identified anomalies and experienced various engine failures.
    “Each test is a semi-controlled explosion,” Vander said. “And every test is like a work of art because of all that goes on behind the scenes to make it happen, and no two tests are exactly the same. There were a lot of knowledge and lessons learned that we continue to build on today.”

    Teams took a giant step forward in 1978 to 1981 with testing of the Main Propulsion Test Article, which involved installing three engines (configured as during an actual launch), with a space shuttle external tank and a mock orbiter, on the B-2 side of the Thad Cochran Test Stand.
    Teams conducted 18 tests of the article, proving conclusively that the shuttle configuration would fly as needed. On April 12, 1981, shuttle Columbia launched on the maiden STS-1 mission of the new era. Unlike previous vehicles, this one had no uncrewed test flight. The first launch of shuttle carried astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen.
    “The effort that you contributed made it possible for us to sit back and ride,” Crippen told NASA Stennis employees during a post-test visit to the site. “We couldn’t even make it look hard.”
    Testing proceeded steadily for the next 28 years. Engine anomalies, upgrades, system changes – all were tested at NASA Stennis. Limits of the engine were tested and proven. Site teams gained tremendous testing experience and expertise. NASA Stennis personnel became experts in handling cryogenics.
    Following the loss of shuttles Challenger and Columbia, NASA Stennis teams completed rigorous test campaigns to ensure future mission safety. The space shuttle main engine arguably became the most tested, and best understood, large rocket engine in the world – and NASA Stennis teams were among those at the forefront of knowledge.

    NASA recognized the effort of the NASA Stennis team, establishing the site as the center of excellence for large propulsion test work. In the meanwhile, NASA Stennis moved to solidify its future, growing as a federal city, home to more than 50 resident agencies, organizations, and companies.
    Shuttle testing opened the door for the variety of commercial aerospace test projects the site now supports. It also established and solidified the test team’s unique capabilities and gave all of Mississippi a sense of prideful ownership in the Space Shuttle Program – and its defining missions.
    No one can say what would have happened to NASA Stennis without the space shuttle main engine test campaign. However, everything NASA Stennis now is rests squarely on the record and work of that history-making campaign.
    “Everyone knows NASA Stennis as the site that tested the Apollo rockets that took humans to the Moon – but space shuttle main engine testing really built this site,” said Joe Schuyler, director of NASA Stennis engineering and test operations. “We are what we are because of that test campaign – and all that we become is built on that foundation.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Jefferson County

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Jefferson County

    Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Jefferson County

    FRANKFORT, Ky

    –A Disaster Recovery Center has opened in Jefferson County to offer in-person support to Kentucky survivors who experienced loss as the result of the April severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides

    The new Disaster Recovery Center in Jefferson County is located at: Council Chambers, 10416 Watterson Trail, Jeffersontown, KY 40299 Working hours are 9 a

    m

    to 7 p

    m

    Eastern Time, Monday through Saturday and 1 – 7 p

    m

    Eastern Time, Sunday

    FEMA representatives can explain available assistance programs, how to apply to FEMA and help connect survivors with resources for their recovery needs

     FEMA is encouraging Kentuckians affected by the April storms to apply for federal disaster assistance as soon as possible

    The deadline to apply is June 25

    You can visit any Disaster Recovery Center to get in-person assistance

    No appointment is needed

    To find all other center locations, including those in other states, go to fema

    gov/drc or text “DRC” and a Zip Code to 43362

     You don’t have to visit a center to apply for FEMA assistance

    There are other ways to apply: online at DisasterAssistance

    gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call 800-621-3362

    If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service

    When you apply, you will need to provide:A current phone number where you can be contacted

    Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying

    Your Social Security Number

    A general list of damage and losses

    Banking information if you choose direct deposit

    If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name

    For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4860 and www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4864

    Follow the FEMA Region 4 X account at x

    com/femaregion4

    martyce

    allenjr
    Mon, 05/19/2025 – 13:32

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: First Partner joins conversation on expanding access to capital for female founders

    Source: US State of California 2

    May 19, 2025

    SACRAMENTO — First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom joined Marcie Frost (CEO, CalPERS) and Cassandra Lichnock (CEO, CalSTRS) at the annual Catalyst event for a candid conversation on the role California’s public institutions can play in opening access to funding for women and diverse entrepreneurs.

    California is now the fourth largest economy in the world and the center of the world’s investment-backed innovation economy, with Bay Area venture capitalists alone raising more than $151 billion in funds over the past five years— more than the rest of the U.S. combined. Yet, women and underrepresented voices are systematically overlooked: 

    • In 2023, women-founded companies raised $3.2 billion from VCs, just 2.8% of all U.S. VC activity. In comparison, all-male-founded companies raised $114 billion. (Pitchbook and Deloitte, Carta)
    • Women of color received just 0.39% of VC funding in 2023 and 0.13% of funding in 2022. (Fearless Fund)
    • Although the percentage of female VC check writers has grown from 9% to 15.5% in the U.S, 64% of venture firms still don’t have any female partners (female investors who are able to write checks). (All Raise)

    “California is the global center of the innovation economy because we embrace new ways of thinking and fresh ideas. But if we’re missing out on more than half of the population’s entrepreneurial breakthroughs, we’re leaving a lot on the table. The current system doesn’t reflect a lack of talent. It reflects a lack of access and that’s something we must change. And it’s something we’re uniquely positioned to do here in California. Because we know that when women and diverse founders lead, they deliver results —not just for investors—but for entire communities.”

    First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom

    At the event, Siebel Newsom, Frost, and Lichnock also discussed how California is making strides to shift the structural conditions that limit economic opportunity for all: 

    • CalPERS has shifted private equity focus away from just large-scale managers to include mid-market, growth, and venture—segments viewed as “undercapitalized.” 33% of CalPERS-backed managers now qualify as “diverse,” compared to an industry average of 21% across eight peer public pension funds. 
    • SB 54, California’s Venture Capital Diversity Disclosure Law, which will require VC firms operating in California to disclose demographic data on funded founders to boost transparency.
    • SB 826, California’s first-in-the-nation “women on boards” law, although later challenged by the courts, this law helped boost the seats women held on California’s public company board to 30% — up from 15.5% in 2018.  
    • AB 2927, requires all high school students to take a personal finance course. It helps to ensure the next generation—especially girls from underserved communities—have the knowledge to build financial independence early.

    Through the First Partner’s work with California for all Women and her nonprofit the California Partners Project, she has championed efforts to help increase representation of women and close the gender wealth gap–including a board playbook series, co-created with Stanford’s VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab and Stanford Graduate School of Business, to help companies boost talent and representation on boards. 

    “Women are the innovators and entrepreneurs that are helping solve societal issues yet remain significantly underrepresented in getting the capital they need to turn ideas into reality,” said Marcie Frost, CEO of CalPERS. Data shows businesses that are majority-owned by women only get 2-percent of venture capital investments in the United States. This gap highlights persistent systemic barriers and biases within the venture capital ecosystem, underscoring the need for more inclusive investment practices and equitable access to funding opportunities that align with our fiduciary duty and requirement to diversify assets.”

    Marcie Frost, CEO of CalPERS

    Research shows that women and diverse leaders deliver outsized results: 

    • Research from Boston Consulting Group indicates that women-owned startups can generate significantly more revenue per dollar invested, potentially leading to greater wealth for investors. 
    • Venture capital firms with more women investing partners outperform their peers—seeing 1.5% higher fund returns and nearly 10% more profitable exits. 

    First Partner, Press releases

    Recent news

    May 19, 2025

    News What you need to know: California’s battery storage capacity now exceeds 15,700 megawatts, an unprecedented milestone that reflects the Newsom administration’s continued leadership in building the grid of the future. SACRAMENTO — California continues to rapidly…

    May 16, 2025

    News What you need to know: The state is investing almost $1.7 billion for improvements to California’s highway system, including $86.5 million for improvements to infrastructure damaged during the Los Angeles firestorms earlier this year. SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin…

    May 16, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom kicked off #WorldTradeMonth with a round of key international interviews with journalists from major broadcast networks in Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. In the interviews, Governor Newsom addressed…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Since Governor Newsom took office, California’s battery storage has increased 1,944% – and just achieved a major milestone

    Source: US State of California 2

    May 19, 2025

    What you need to know: California’s battery storage capacity now exceeds 15,700 megawatts, an unprecedented milestone that reflects the Newsom administration’s continued leadership in building the grid of the future.

    SACRAMENTO — California continues to rapidly expand its energy storage statewide, adding 2,300 megawatts (MW) since last September for a total of 15,763 MW of battery storage capacity, according to new data released today. This reflects a 1,944% increase since the start of the Newsom Administration – up from 770 MW in 2019. 

    Energy storage – particularly battery storage – has become a key resource in the state’s energy transformation. Battery systems capture power produced by wind and solar resources and discharge the energy back to the electric grid during times of peak demand – creating a safer and more reliable power grid.

    California is adding battery storage at a pace never seen before as we continue our work to build the grid of the future. The key to a cleaner, more reliable power grid is batteries – and no other jurisdiction on the planet, save China, comes even close to our rapid deployment.

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    On a smaller scale, tens of thousands of residential and commercial battery systems provide backup power and flexibility to homes, schools and businesses. They make up about 2,500 MW of total storage statewide, or about 16% of the battery storage total.

    The state projects that more than 48,000 MW of battery storage and 4,000 MW of long duration storage will be needed by 2045. Long duration energy storage systems are especially important, as they can provide up to 10 hours of power–more than double the four hours of power provided by traditional battery storage technology. 

    As California builds out the grid of the future, it is focusing efforts on proactively addressing safety for utility-scale battery storage systems through comprehensive state level collaborations and regulatory updates. Building battery storage is a critical part of the Governor’s build more, faster agenda delivering infrastructure upgrades and creating thousands of jobs across the state. 

    Governor Gavin Newsom recently convened a state-level collaborative to find opportunities to improve safety as the technology continues to evolve. Last month, the California Public Utilities Commission implemented new safety standards for battery storage facilities. Other key initiatives include an update to the California Fire Code happening this year, expected to include enhanced BESS safety standards. 

    California’s climate leadership

    Pollution is down and the economy is up. Greenhouse gas emissions in California are down 20% since 2000 – even as the state’s GDP increased 78% in that same time period.

    The state continues to set clean energy records. Last year, California ran on 100% clean electricity for the equivalent of 51 days – with the grid running on 100% clean energy for some period three out of every five days. 

    Press releases, Recent news

    Recent news

    May 16, 2025

    News What you need to know: The state is investing almost $1.7 billion for improvements to California’s highway system, including $86.5 million for improvements to infrastructure damaged during the Los Angeles firestorms earlier this year. SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin…

    May 16, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom kicked off #WorldTradeMonth with a round of key international interviews with journalists from major broadcast networks in Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. In the interviews, Governor Newsom addressed…

    May 15, 2025

    News Sacramento, California – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring May 2025 as “Small Business Month.”The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below: PROCLAMATIONCalifornia’s more than 4.2 million small businesses – the most of any…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Marshals Arrest Teen Charged with Reckless Endangerment Who Was on Bond for Previous Attempted Murder, Reckless Endangerment Charges

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Henderson County, TN – On May 19, 2025, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) arrested Dawson Maness for Felony Reckless Endangerment against a law enforcement officer.

    On May 16, 2025, a State Trooper with the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) met a white Chevrolet truck traveling left of center of the roadway in Henderson County, TN. The Trooper was forced to run off the road to avoid a collision with the truck. When the Trooper activated his emergency equipment, the truck fled the scene in a reckless manner, endangering the lives of others. An investigation by the THP determined that Dawson Maness was the driver.

    The USMS Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force in Jackson was asked to assist in finding and apprehending Maness. This morning, deputy marshals and task force officers went to Maness’ residence on Bargerton Road in Lexington, TN and took him into custody.

    This was not the task force’s first encounter with Maness. He was released from jail on bond for a December 2024, incident where he is alleged to have shot and struck a FedEx delivery truck during a road rage incident in Jackson, TN. The Jackson Police Department charged him with Attempted First-Degree Murder and Felony Reckless Endangerment. The USMS subsequently arrested him at his home on January 22, 2025, for those charges.

    The U.S. Marshals Service Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force is a multi-agency task force within Western Tennessee. The TRVFTF has offices in Memphis and Jackson, and its membership is primarily composed of Deputy U.S. Marshals, Shelby, Fayette, Tipton, and Gibson County Sheriff’s Deputies, Memphis and Jackson Police Officers, Tennessee Department of Correction Special Agents and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Since 2021, the TRVFTF has captured over 3,000 violent offenders and sexual predators.

    MIL Security OSI –