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  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey, Health, Labor Leaders, Educators, Climate Advocates Host Virtual Teach-In on Trump Administration’s Cuts to Critical Funding

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Health Care and Food Justice Cuts | Climate and Education Cuts

    Washington (June 12, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee, yesterday hosted virtual teach-ins on Republicans’ proposed cuts to health care, food security, education, and climate initiatives as part of their Big Billionaire Bill (also called budget reconciliation). Senator Markey, Representative Summer Lee (PA-12), and advocates discussed how these cuts would mean people lose their jobs, their health care, their ability to feed their families, and put the future of our country at risk—all to guarantee tax breaks for billionaires. The budget bill is currently being debated by Senate Republicans after House Republicans passed the Big Billionaire Bill in May.

    “It’s simple: Republicans want to rip health care from 16 million people, tear food away from hungry families, cut off access to education for working class Americans, kill jobs, raise energy bills, and slash efforts to make our air and water cleaner– all to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. They want to do this through hard-to-understand processes, back-room negotiations, and by lying to the American public about what these cuts will do,” said Senator Markey. “I am using every opportunity I can to guarantee people know Republicans are voting against their livelihoods, their lives, and their future if they support this bill. We have the power to stop these cuts. We cannot agonize – we must organize to end this big billionaire boondoggle once and for all. Our future depends on it.”

    “There’s nothing beautiful about forcing families to choose between taking their kids to the doctor or feeding them—but that’s exactly what this budget bill would do if it lands on Trump’s desk. Drastic cuts to healthcare like Medicaid and food assistance like SNAP will hurt millions of people in Western Pennsylvania and across the country,” said Representative Lee. “The power of the people is always greater than the people in power, and in this moment, we must all use our power to pressure Republicans to vote no and put the people first—not the billionaires, not the corporate profiteers, and not the oligarchs in the White House. Lives literally depend on it.”

    “The Republican agenda is clear: raise costs on hardworking families and rip coverage away from millions. If they are successful in making the largest cuts to health care in history, 16 million Americans will lose coverage, all to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. These Republican attacks on Americans’ health care are as extreme as they are unpopular, and we must do everything we can to stop them from wreaking havoc on this country’s health care system. No one should lose access to life-saving care and coverage just so the ultra-rich can pay less in taxes,” said Anne Shoup, Senior Advisor, Protect Our Care.

    “The Senate must vote ‘NO’ on any budget bill that cuts or weakens SNAP and takes food away from millions of children, older adults, and people with disabilities. Period,” said Salaam Bhatti, SNAP director at the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC). “SNAP is one of the most effective programs out there, fueling the health and well-being of families, as well as our economy. Simply put, a strong and productive country is only possible when everyone has access to food. We urge Senators to oppose any cut to SNAP and instead work towards building a nation free from hunger.”

    “I’ve seen the faces of the people this bill will hurt. I think about the mothers trying to stretch every dollar to keep the lights on, the laid-off workers who need help to get back on their feet, the kids who will go without health care, and the retirees who will go to bed hungry because they can’t afford groceries,” said Zab Martinez, an AFSCME member and Medicaid and SNAP eligibility specialist from Dane County, Wisconsin. “We cannot let this bill pass. I urge you to speak up, write your senators, and demand that they stand with working families, not for billionaire tax giveaways.”

    “Republicans’ Billionaire Tax Scam will take health care away from millions, food out of the mouths of children, and raise costs for everyday families all to give trillions in tax breaks to the wealthy and large corporations. This is a dangerous and irresponsible piece of legislation designed to benefit the richest Americans, while everyday families suffer – and we are going to continue to uplift the voices of the bipartisan majority of Americans who overwhelmingly oppose this harmful bill,” said Michael Linden, Director of Families Over Billionaires.

    “Why would Republicans in Washington gut the basic needs kids and disabled Americans rely on to get by when the cost of groceries and housing are going up? To give the wealthy a tax break. It’s an outrage, which is why over 60% of Americans who hear anything about congressional Republican’s Big Beautiful Betrayal hate it. Now is the time for citizens to learn the consequences of the congressional Republican plan and spread the word so we can stop this Medicaid massacre dead in its tracks,” said Joe Radosevich, Counselor at the Center for American Progress (CAP).

    “Rather than protect Medicare and Medicaid, this bill cuts them, denying healthcare to 14 million people. Rather than strengthen public education, it weakens it. Rather than feeding poor families, it rips food out of their mouths. Education is an opportunity agent, and federal supports should not be used as a piggy bank to defund our already underfunded public schools. The bill includes $20 billion for a reckless school voucher program in the guise of a tax shelter for the well-off. Vouchers syphon crucial funds away from public schools into private hands. They are directly responsible for some of the largest student achievement drops ever recorded and mostly go to parents with kids already in private school,” said Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).

    “We have 1,600 workers at Ultium and their jobs are going to be at risk. These are good UAW jobs making $30 an hour, and this bill is going to threaten that. It could have a dramatic impact on the auto industry, on dozens of investments across the entire country,” said David Green, Director of United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 2B. “If we don’t use our voices, they’re going to continue to take them away from us. And we have to fight for what’s right. And I am always going to be on the front line fighting for good union jobs with benefits because that’s how we move this country forward and that’s how we build the middle class.”

    “The energy tax credits on the chopping block during this budget reconciliation process have been utilized by school districts all over the country to install renewable energy projects from roof-top solar arrays to ground-source heat pumps, saving millions of tax-payer dollars on utility bills. These savings can be used to increase teacher salaries and build resilience in communities as schools produce their own power and lighten the load on the energy grid, all while moving us toward a more equitable future powered by clean, renewable energy. In Nevada alone, Washoe County School District is set to receive a $1.7 million check for just one school and Clark County School District, the nation’s 5th largest, has at least five solar eligible projects, including an array on Northeast Career and Technical Academy that is also training future solar installers.  Please urge your Senators to save energy tax credits in their version of the budget reconciliation bill,” said Liz Becker, IRA Campaign Coordinator of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN).

    “The big bad boondoggle bill puts West Virginian communities, especially those most vulnerable to pollution, at risk. With cuts to programs that would facilitate a fair economic transition in Appalachia, such as a grant program to replace gas vehicles with electric vehicles and clean energy tax credits, West Virginians are losing out on the chance for safe and good-paying jobs. Furthermore, cuts to air monitoring, greenhouse gas emission data collection, and environmental review resources make our communities less safe and informed about the air we breathe and the water we drink. West Virginians have suffered with generations of corporate pollution and economic exploitation, and this bill would roll back a critical chance to escape the cycle of environmental injustice on which this country was built,” said Dani Parent, Co-executive Director of West Virginia Citizen Action.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: East Granby Woman Admits $1.1 Million Pandemic Relief Program Scheme

    Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)

    David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Harry Chavis, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, announced that KAREN GASTON, 44, of East Granby, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sarah F. Russell in New Haven to offenses stemming from a scheme to defraud COVID-19 pandemic relief programs of more than $1.1 million.

    In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act provided emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”).  The PPP was overseen by the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”), and individual PPP loans were issued by private lenders, which received and processed PPP applications and supporting documentation, and then made loans using the lenders’ own funds, which were guaranteed by the SBA.  The CARES Act also authorized SBA to distribute Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDLs”), which provided working capital to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietors, to meet operating expenses.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2020, Gaston controlled certain entities including LNK, Elegant Clinical, Ruby Red LLC, and Diamond Shine LLC.  LNK and Diamond Shine LLC were operational, but shared resources and employees.  Ruby Red LLC had only one client and Gaston was its sole employee.   Elegant Clinical was no longer operational.  Beginning in approximately April 2020, Gaston submitted loan applications to the PPP and EIDL programs that falsely represented the status of the operations, resources, and employees of these entities.  She also filed loan applications at separate financial institutions in order to disguise the true nature of her criminal activity.

    Specifically, Gaston’s loan applications falsely represented that her businesses were all active and operating concerns; falsely represented the number of employees and the amount of wages purportedly paid by the businesses; included copies of fraudulent tax returns and tax related documents; and falsely represented that a family member, used as an applicant on an application, was a part owner of one of her entities.

    Gaston received $1,163,910 in PPP and EIDL loan funds through this scheme.  Instead of using the funds for payroll or other operating expenses, she spent the money on personal expenditures, including travel, food, luxury home goods, expensive jewelry, cars, and paying off her home mortgage.

    Gaston pleaded guilty to wire fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and making illegal monetary transactions, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

    Gaston has agreed to make full restitution.  She also has agreed to the forfeiture of a ring she purchased in July 2020 from the jeweler Harry Winston for $39,521.63.

    Gaston is released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing, which is not scheduled.

    This investigation has been conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. McGarry.

    Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairwoman McClain’s Statement on President Trump Signing into Law Legislation That Repeals Burdensome Biden Emissions Rules

    Source: US House of Representatives Republicans

    The following text contains opinion that is not, or not necessarily, that of MIL-OSI –

    Chairwoman McClain’s Statement on President Trump Signing into Law Legislation That Repeals Burdensome Biden Emissions Rules

    Washington, June 12, 2025

    WASHINGTON—Today, House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) praised President Trump’s signing of three Congressional Review Act resolutions that repeal emissions regulations implemented under the Biden administration, granting California biased waivers. The regulations sought to force a nationwide shift to electric vehicles—posing a direct threat to Michigan’s auto industry, its workers, and the future of American manufacturing.

    “These resolutions represent a major victory for American workers, consumers, and small businesses,” Chairwoman McClain said. “The emissions rules were rushed, unworkable, and out of touch with our nation’s economic realities. Signing them into law means restoring Congressional oversight and protecting industries that drive innovation and opportunity nationwide.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Brown joins lawsuit challenging Trump administration attack on California’s Clean Vehicles Program

    Source: Washington State News

    SEATTLE – Attorney General Nick Brown today joined coalition of 11 attorneys general in challenging the federal government’s unprecedented and unlawful use of the Congressional Review Act to disapprove California’s waivers for its various clean vehicle standards, which Washington subsequently adopted.

    Waivers have never been subject to the Congressional Review Act nor have any other agency orders that adjudicate requests for permission —such as oil and gas leases or mining permits. The actions taken here contradict the non-partisan Government Accountability Office and Senate parliamentarian, who both determined that the law’s process to disapprove federal regulations does not apply to these waivers.

    “Transportation is the single greatest contributor to greenhouse gas pollution in Washington, and our residents understand the transition to zero-emission vehicles is critical in the fight against climate change,” Brown said. “This is the Trump administration’s latest unlawful attempt to derail Washington’s and the nation’s transition to a clean future.”

    Motor vehicle emissions contribute to the formation of smog, as well as fine particle pollution and toxic air pollution, all of which are linked to premature death, respiratory illness, cardiovascular problems, and cancer, among other serious health impacts. Transportation is also the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the country, and cars and trucks account for 80% of those transportation emissions.  

    The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to set federal emission standards for air pollutants from new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines that cause or contribute to air pollution that endangers public health or welfare. The Clean Air Act allows only California to adopt more stringent emission requirements independent from EPA’s regulations, because only California had vehicle emissions standards before the passage of the federal Clean Air Act.  California can enforce these standards with an EPA preemption waiver. The act requires EPA to approve waivers for California’s rules absent certain, limited circumstances not present here.

    Once EPA grants California a waiver, Washington may adopt California’s standards and does not need a waiver of its own. Since 2023, the EPA granted California three waivers, allowing it to enforce the most recent standards for passenger vehicles, Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II), as well as standards for heavier duty vehicles under the Omnibus and Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) standards. Historically, EPA, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, has granted California more than seventy-five preemption waivers for updates to the State’s new motor vehicle emissions control program. As Congress intended, these waivers have allowed California, and those states that adopted California’s standards, to improve on their vehicle emissions programs.

    Under ACCII, which Washington adopted in 2022, automakers must continue to sell an increasing number of zero-emission vehicles—as they have been for decades. By model year 2035, 80% of the passenger vehicles sold in Washington must be zero-emission, while the remaining 20% may be plug-in hybrids. The Advanced Clean Truck regulations aim to accelerate the widespread adoption of zero emission vehicles in the medium and heavy-duty truck sector, and are similarly critical for Washington’s efforts to meet air quality standards and protect public health. The Omnibus regulation requires internal combustion heavy-duty trucks sold in Washington to meet strict standards for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions, which are major contributors to smog formation.

    Under the direction of President Trump, the EPA transmitted these California waivers to Congress as “rules” in an attempt to invoke CRA procedures, even though all three waivers state EPA’s consistent and longstanding position, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, that waiver decisions are not “rules.” The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate illegally used the CRA to target California’s Clean Air Act waivers.

    The complaint filed today alleges that the attempt to invalidate California’s waivers violated constitutional principles of federalism and separation of powers, the Take Care Clause, and multiple federal statutes including the Congressional Review Act and Administrative Procedure Act.  The complaint asks the court to declare the resolutions to be unlawful and to require the Administration to implement the Clean Air Act consistent with the granted waivers.

    Attorney General Brown joins California Attorney General Bonta and the attorneys general of Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont in filing the lawsuit.

    A copy of the complaint is available here.

    -30-

    Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties.

    Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

    Media Contact:

    Email: press@atg.wa.gov

    Phone: (360) 753-2727

    General contacts: Click here

    Media Resource Guide & Attorney General’s Office FAQ

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Honduran man sentenced on illegal reentry charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    GREAT FALLS – A Honduran man who entered the U.S. illegally after two prior removals and corresponding convictions was sentenced today to 99 days in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    Carlos Alexis Ponce-Lopez, 33, pleaded guilty in April 2025 to one of illegal reentry.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that Ponce-Lopez was originally ordered removed by an Immigration Judge on November 11, 2011, in San Antonio, Texas and was removed on December 23, 2011. Ponce-Lopez illegally entered again on March 31, 2014. Ponce-Lopez’s original order of removal was reinstated and he was removed on August 18, 2014. On each of those occasions, Ponce-Lopez was also convicted in federal court for illegal entry prior to being removed.

    On February 21, 2025, the Montana Highway Patrol conducted a traffic stop on I-90 near Billings, Montana. Ponce-Lopez was a passenger in the vehicle. The driver was cited and all three subjects were released, including Ponce-Lopez.

    On March 4, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents found Ponce-Lopez at a house in Shelby, Montana. As they walked towards the home, Ponce-Lopez walked outside. One of the agents called out to Ponce-Lopez, “Carlos Ponce?” Ponce-Lopez responded in Spanish, “Si, es mi (Yes, that’s me).” The agents then conducted an immigration inspection. Ponce-Lopez said he was removed before and reentered illegally. He admitted he had no documents to enter, live, or stay in the United States legally and was not pending any immigration hearings. He was arrested and transported to the Sweetgrass Border Patrol Station for further processing.

    There are no records within the Department of Homeland Security that Ponce-Lopez ever applied for readmission into the United States.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol, Montana Highway Patrol, and Toole County Sheriff’s Office.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Good Police work coughs up the dough

    Source: New Zealand Police

    A nocturnal thief has lost his crust after Police busted his alleged nighttime crime spree.

    Beginning in early April the alleged offender has targeted a range of different South Auckland locations in the early hours of the morning.

    “Police will allege the man carried out a spree of opportunistic thefts,” Counties Manukau West Area Prevention Manager Inspector Mohammed Atiq says.

    “Some of this offending including taking items left outside or allegedly breaking in.

    “He has acquired a large haul including multiple 20 litre cans of soyabean oils, dozens of water slabs, 150 loaves of bread, and even a wallet and phone from a car parked at a residential property.”

    After piecing together reports and identifying a vehicle of interest in all the thefts, Ōtāhuhu Tactical Crime Unit set about identifying the offender.

    Soon after enquiries began, the vehicle was seen travelling on Roscommon Road, Manurewa and was signalled to stop.

    Inspector Atiq says the vehicle tried to evade Police before returning to an address of interest nearby.

    Ōtāhuhu TCU arrived at the address and could clearly see loaves of bread, and the crate they were delivered on, in the back of the vehicle.

    The alleged offender was taken into custody.

    “We are always pleased to apprehend those who think this kind of brazen offending is acceptable,” Inspector Atiq says.

    A 53-year-old male appeared in the Manukau District Court charged with burglary. He was remanded in custody to reappear on 25 June.

    ENDS

    Amanda Wieneke/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Action Taken by Governor Phil Scott on Legislation – June 12, 2025

    Source: US State of Vermont

    Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott announced action on the following bills, passed by the General Assembly.

    On June 12, Governor Scott signed bills of the following titles:

    • S.12, An act relating to sealing criminal history records
    • S.45, An act relating to protection from nuisance suits for agricultural activities
    • S.63, An act relating to modifying the regulatory duties of the Green Mountain Care Board
    • S.69, An act relating to an age-appropriate design code
    • S.109, An act relating to miscellaneous judiciary procedures
    • S.122, An act relating to economic and workforce development
    • S.123, An act relating to miscellaneous changes to laws related to motor vehicles
    • S.124, An act relating to miscellaneous agricultural subjects
    • S.126, An act relating to health care payment and delivery system reform
    • S.127, An act relating to housing and housing development

    When signing S.69, An act relating to an age-appropriate design code, Governor Scott issued the following statement:

    “As we see more and more kids using technology, I believe most would agree we need to take steps to protect them in a reasonable and responsible way when they’re online. With ongoing lawsuits in other states, I recognize this new law will likely face a legal challenge. But I’m hopeful with the enactment of this law delayed until January 1, 2027, it will allow enough time to provide clarity and change the law if necessary.”

    To view a complete list of action on bills passed during the 2025 legislative session, click here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Labrador Backs Federal Response to the Violence in California

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Home Newsroom AG Labrador Backs Federal Response to the Violence in California

    BOISE — Attorney General Raúl Labrador and 24 other Republican Attorneys General issued a joint statement supporting President Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard in response to violent rioting in California.
    “We will always defend the right to peacefully protest, but there’s nothing peaceful about arson, assault, and anarchy. If you set police cars on fire, throw Molotov cocktails at law enforcement, and loo businesses, you must be held accountable.
    “In California, we’re seeing the results of leadership that excuses lawlessness and undermines law enforcement. When local and state officials won’t act, the federal government must.
    “We stand with law enforcement, we support President Trump’s action, and we will not let chaos take hold in our states.”
    Republican Attorneys General across the country stand united in condemning:

    Violent attacks on law enforcement
    The normalization of mob violence as ‘activism’
    Any attempt to delegitimize efforts to restore order
    Leaders who put politics above public safety

    Attorney General Labrador joined the coalition which includes the Attorneys General of Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
    Read the letter here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Thompson Announces National Science Foundation Award to Jackson State University

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Bennie G Thompson (D-MS)

    June 12, 2025

    BOLTON, MS – Today, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) announced that Jackson State University has been awarded a $199,755 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support cutting-edge research in traffic signal control systems. The project, entitled “ERI: Advancement of Max Pressure Traffic Signal Control in Partially Connected and Automated Transportation Systems,” is under the direction of Dr. Hao Liu and will begin on August 1, 2025.

    This award, made through NSF’s Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) program, supports research that aims to enhance traffic network efficiency during the transition from human-driven vehicles (HDVs) to connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs). Research will focus on redefining Max Pressure (MP)-based traffic control systems to address the unique challenges and opportunities presented by this evolving transportation environment.

    The project will support the formation of a sustainable research group at JSU and provide valuable training for students pursuing careers in transportation engineering. Findings from this study are expected to contribute to national progress in transportation science and operational efficiency.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: South and Central Asia Subcommittee Chairman Huizenga Delivers Opening Statement at Hearing on the Bureau of Industry and Security FY26 Budget

    Source: US House Committee on Foreign Affairs

    Media Contact 202-321-9747

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs South and Central Asia Subcommittee Chairman Bill Huizenga delivered opening remarks at a subcommittee hearing titled, “Bureau of Industry and Security FY26 Budget: Export Controls and the AI Arms Race.”

    Watch Here
    -Remarks-

    Today’s hearing will examine the fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Bureau of Industry and Security, an agency whose mission is critical to ensuring America wins the AI arms race against the Communist Party of China.

    We are at a historic inflection point. Technologies that will define the 21st century, such as AI, biotechnology, and quantum computing are achieving breakthroughs that increasingly sound more like science fiction, than the reality that we’re used to. These technologies have a potential to unlock tremendous economic prosperity, medical innovations, and human flourishing.

    However, they are not just drivers of economic growth. They are instruments of military power and security as well. Advanced AI models could coordinate fleets of self-driving cars in Michigan. They could also direct autonomous drone swarms over the Taiwan Strait. The nation that leads in developing and deploying these technologies has an opportunity to gain geopolitical advantages for decades to come.

    The CCP understands this. That’s why it’s trying to dominate these critical technologies by any means necessary through state subsidies, forced tech transfers, economic espionage, chip smuggling, and exploiting access to the West’s most innovative AI labs and universities.

    AI dominance is central to the CCP’s goals. Its military modernization efforts, surveillance state, and human rights abuses are amplified by AI. Export controls play a crucial role in ensuring that US and allied technologies are not used to fuel the CCP’s pursuit of global dominance. Amongst its many important roles, BIS serves as a guardian of one of the world’s most valuable and powerful supply chains. The ecosystem of advanced chips, tools, components, and design software that underpins the development of cutting-edge artificial intelligence.

    China’s leading AI companies have made it clear just how dependent their future is on US technology. In response to a question on what their biggest obstacle to AI development is Deepeek’s CEO put it bluntly, “bans on shipments of advanced chips are the problem.”

    The CCP understands the importance of these AI choke points. That’s why it’s working around the clock to steal chips and exploit export control loopholes to internalize its production. That’s why this hearing today is so important.

    BIS’ fiscal 26 budget request includes a 133% increase in enforcement funding. A bold and necessary step. As the deep CEO made evident, it’s not a lack of talent holding back China’s AI development. It’s the lack of access to US technology. That’s what this budget supports. It allows BIS to better disrupt covert efforts to funnel US innovation to the CCP’s military and surveillance state.

    So, let’s be very clear, enforcement is not about punishing innovation. It’s about protecting it. It’s about making sure that the technologies that define the future are not weaponized against our values, our alliances or our own people.

    We also recognize that BIS operates in a dynamic and challenging environment. The technologies we’re discussing are evolving rapid rapidly. BIS must become faster, more adaptive and uh and more technologically capable than ever before.

    This subcommittee is committed to giving the bureau the tools and resources it needs to meet that challenge head on. The geopolitical struggle between America and China defines the technologies of our time. Global AI development shaped by democratic values or authoritarian control will depend on the decisions we make right now about licensing, enforcement, and strategic technology protection.

    I’m pleased that we are joined by Undersecretary Jeffrey Kessler, who leads BIS during this decisive period in history. Mr. Kessler, thank you for your service and your appearance here at the subcommittee. The window for preserving America’s technology edge is narrow, but it does remain open. BIS with the support of Congress, must ensure America wins the AI arms race.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: President Signs Into Law Fischer’s Resolution to Overturn California’s Unrealistic EV Mandate, Protect Truckers and Consumers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer

    Today, President Donald Trump signed into law U.S. Senator Deb Fischer’s (R-Neb.) resolution of disapproval to repeal California’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT). Fischer’s resolution nullifies California’s unrealistic and stringent emissions requirements for heavy-duty trucks and heavy-duty diesel engines, which would have dictated emission policies for the entire country. 

    “I’ve been clear from the start—one state should not dictate emission policies for the entire country. California’s ACT regulation would have increased costs on American consumers and crippled the truck manufacturing industry nationwide by overloading companies and truckers with expensive, heavy-handed requirements. My commonsense resolution keeps government overreach at bay, protects consumers, and supports America’s free markets. I’m grateful President Trump signed it into law,”     Fischer said.  

    Background:

    Fischer 

    introduced the resolution of disapproval in April, and the U.S. Senate passed the resolution last month. Fischer also spoke on the Senate Floor to highlight the necessity in overturning the waiver and stopping one state from dictating emission policies for the entire country.

    California’s ACT would have required manufacturers of trucks, from class 2b to class 8, to meet zero-emission regulations by 2025. Under the regulation, manufacturers would have to sell an increasingly larger percentage of zero-emission vehicles between 2024 to 2035. Additionally, the ACT would require fleet owners with more than 50 vehicles to submit a one-time report on their existing operations.

    Fischer’s now signed-into law resolution nullifies California’s ACT rule that requires manufacturers to increase the sales of zero-emission trucks. The rule was part of California and the Biden administration’s continued effort to ban gas-powered vehicles and mandate more expensive zero-emission vehicles.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trahan Delivers Opening Statement at Legislative Hearing on GOP College Sports Bill

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)

    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), a former Division I volleyball player, delivered the following opening statement at the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s hearing on partisan legislation that would roll back the rights of college athletes and hand massive giveaways to the NCAA and powerful conferences.
    “The SCORE Act uses the approval of the House settlement as justification to slam the door on future progress for college athletes. Proponents claim the system is broken, but the fact that three separate antitrust cases are being settled proves otherwise. We have a system where the NCAA, conferences, and their member institutions set rules. Athletes can challenge them. And if the rules are unfair, courts can intervene, or a deal can be struck. This bill rewrites that process to guarantee the people in power always win, and the athletes who fuel this multibillion-dollar industry always lose,” Congresswoman Trahan said.
    CLICK HERE or the image below to watch Trahan’s opening statement. A transcript is embedded below.

    —————————————-
    Congresswoman Lori Trahan
    Remarks as Delivered
    House Energy and Commerce Hearing on “Winning Off the Field: Legislative Proposal to Stabilize NIL and College Athletics”
    June 12, 2025
    I’m deeply disappointed for the second year in a row, Republicans on this Committee are advancing a partisan college sports bill that protects the power brokers of college athletics at the expense of the athletes themselves. This legislation was crafted behind closed doors, with no input from Democratic members of the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Judiciary Committee, or the Education and Workforce Committee.
    In fact, we didn’t see a draft of the bill until late last week – not because our Republican colleagues shared it with us, but because lobbyists and members of the media got it first. I’m a former D1 athlete, and I’m deeply, I care deeply about the future of college sports. So that when I asked the Chairman about the rumored hearing today, he said he’d be happy to discuss the proposal with me beforehand. Sadly, that meeting never happened.
    What makes this all the more frustrating is that there is bipartisan agreement on serious problems in college sports that deserve congressional action. International athletes are being denied the same NIL rights as their teammates. Women are being left out of roster spots due to Title IX loopholes.
    We could be working together on solutions. Instead, the SCORE Act uses the approval of the House settlement as justification to slam the door on future progress for college athletes.
    Proponents claim the system is broken, but the fact that three separate antitrust cases are being settled proves otherwise. We have a system where the NCAA, conferences, and their member institutions set rules. Athletes can challenge them. And if the rules are unfair, courts can intervene, or a deal can be struck.
    This bill rewrites that process to guarantee the people in power always win, and the athletes who fuel this multibillion-dollar industry always lose.
    I oppose the legislation as written, and I look forward to hearing from our witnesses, and I yield to Congresswoman Clark.
    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Florida Men Convicted after Cleaning Crew Locates More Than $30K of Cocaine in Hotel Room

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — A federal jury convicted Vincent Ellis Wilson, 54, and Ervin Lee Smith, 50, both of Fort Pierce, Florida, of conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and a quantity of crack cocaine after a two-day trial in Florence.

    Evidence introduced at trial showed that during the evening hours of Feb. 25, 2021, Wilson and Smith checked in to an oceanfront hotel in Myrtle Beach.  Wilson and Smith are both from Florida and they would later tell police that they were simply “passing through” Myrtle Beach when they had car trouble that required them to put their truck in a shop in Myrtle Beach.  That night, however, they met with a local individual who agreed to serve as a middleman to help Wilson and Smith sell more than a half kilogram of cocaine and a small quantity of crack cocaine they had brought with them to South Carolina.  The next morning, before the drug deal could be done, Wilson and Smith left their room to go to breakfast at a nearby restaurant.  While they were gone, hotel staff, believing the room had been vacated, went in to clean the room and stumbled upon a grocery bag containing more than $30,000 worth of drugs in a dresser drawer.  The hotel contacted Myrtle Beach Police who responded and collected the illicit substances.  Later that morning, Wilson and Smith returned to the hotel to attempt to collect their belongs, including the drugs.  Police interviewed them and they were released pending further investigation.

    Through an ongoing partnership between the Myrtle Beach Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration, authorities were later able to connect this drug seizure to a much larger drug trafficking organization that was already under federal investigation.  Once that connection was made, Wilson and Smith were charged by a federal grand jury with being suppliers to the drug trafficking organization.  All the other defendants in the federal case pled guilty. Wilson and Smith denied their involvement, but were convicted after the jury heard the evidence of their involvement. 

    Court records show that Wilson has a prior state conviction for possession with intent to distribute narcotics in Maryland from 2003, and Smith has a prior federal conviction for possession with intent to distribute cocaine from 2004.  U.S. District Judge Sherri A. Lydon presided over their trial and will sentence the two after reviewing a presentence report from the U.S. Probation Office.  They each face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and may be sentenced up to the 40-year maximum. 

    “These defendants brought a significant quantity of cocaine and crack cocaine into South Carolina, intending to profit from its distribution,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “Thanks to the diligent work of the Myrtle Beach Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration, what started as a hotel cleaning led to the dismantling of a larger drug trafficking operation. This conviction underscores our unwavering commitment to prosecuting individuals who bring dangerous narcotics into our communities.”

    “This case represents the continued commitment of the DEA to identify and hold accountable those who engage in the distribution of dangerous drugs,” said Jae W. Chung, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “Keeping our communities safe is our highest priority.”

    “The Myrtle Beach Police Department is fortunate to work with partners and community members to assist us holding those accountable who bring poison into our community,” said Myrtle Beach Police Chief Amy Prock. “Our mission has not and will not change, the safety of our community will always be our priority.”

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Myrtle Beach Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Everett McMillian and Department of Justice Trial Attorney Jasmin Salehi Fashami prosecuted the case in close coordination with the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.     

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: New investigations begin for long-term solution on Taylor Bridge

    As part of the development of a long-term solution for the future of Taylor Bridge on Highway 97, the Ministry of Transportation and Transit is conducting geotechnical investigations on the north and south banks of Peace River near the bridge.

    The work involves drilling cylindrical, steel piles into the ground and installing specialized monitoring instrumentation to gather critical geotechnical data. This information will inform the engineering requirements for the load capacity of future piles.

    The contract for the delivery of pile-load tests is awarded to Hanna Infrastructure Ltd. at $3.6 million. Equipment is mobilizing to the sites, with the pile-load tests to be completed by August 2025.

    Minimal traffic impacts are expected during the work. Some visual and noise impacts can be expected, with works occurring during daylight hours.

    Taylor Bridge serves approximately 7,500 crossings of Peace River every day, with 30% being commercial-vehicle traffic. The bridge is an important connection in the provincial and national economies, with 20% of the province’s over-weight and over-width traffic travelling through the Peace region. The bridge is maintained for safety with ongoing maintenance throughout the year.

    Learn More:

    Updates about the project are available here: https://gov.bc.ca/taylorbridgecrossing

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LaMalfa Celebrates Signing of Resolutions to Repeal California’s Extreme Vehicle Mandates Into Law

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Doug LaMalfa 1st District of California

    Washington, D.C.—Today, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) joined President Trump at the White House for the signing of three Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions that block California’s sweeping vehicle emissions mandates from taking effect nationwide. The signing marks the successful conclusion of a major legislative effort backed by LaMalfa in the House.

    “I was honored to be at the White House today as President Trump signed these critical resolutions I helped lead into law,” said Rep. LaMalfa. “California’s extreme vehicle mandates would have made it harder and more expensive for Americans to buy the cars and trucks they need, whether they live in California or not. These rules were designed to go national and force consumers, truckers, and most industries into costly electric vehicles with fewer options. These new laws are a major win for anyone who relies on a vehicle to get to work, run a business, or support their family.  With his signature President Trump permanently stopped some of California’s most ridiculous rules.”

    Congressman LaMalfa co-led the resolutions with Representatives John Joyce (R-PA), John James (R-MI), and Jay Obernolte (R-CA). The Senate passed the resolutions earlier this month, sending them to the president’s desk.

    Background

    Under the Clean Air Act, states are generally prohibited from setting their own tailpipe emission standards for cars and trucks. However, California has a unique exemption, which allows the state to establish its own emissions regulations if it submits a waiver to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and receives approval. Once granted, these California standards can also be adopted by other states. Currently, about a dozen states follow California’s emissions policies, effectively turning the state’s regulations into a nationwide mandate.

    The Biden administration approved several controversial waivers requested by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), allowing the state to impose extreme emissions rules that impact car and truck costs and availability across the country. These include:

    • Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC2) – Approved in December 2024, this regulation mandates that 35% of new car sales be zero-emission by 2026, increasing to 100% by 2035. At least 12 states have already adopted ACC2. Failure to meet this goal means a maximum penalty of up to $25,000 per non-compliant gas-powered vehicle sold to consumers.
    • Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) – Approved in March 2023, this regulation forces truck manufacturers and retailers to meet strict zero-emission quotas by 2035, including 55% of Class 2B-3 truck sales, 75% of Class 4-8 straight truck sales, and 40% of truck tractor sales. At least 11 states have adopted ACT.
    • Omnibus Low-NOx Emissions Rule – Approved in December 2024, this regulation imposes aggressive emissions reductions on medium- and heavy-duty truck and other engines, requiring NOx emissions to be cut by 75% below current standards for Model Year 2024-2026 compared to 2010 levels and particulate matter emissions to be cut by 50%.

    Congressman Doug LaMalfa is Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus and a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba Counties.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: High-ranking U.S. military officials agree: Trump’s takeover of Los Angeles is illegal

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Jun 12, 2025

    What you need to know: Former secretaries of the Army and Navy and retired four-star admirals and generals filed an amicus brief in support of the Governor’s motion to block the Trump administration’s illegal militarization of downtown Los Angeles.

    SACRAMENTO – Veterans of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy, who collectively served under each president from John F. Kennedy to Barack H. Obama,  recently filed an amicus brief in support of Governor Gavin Newsom’s motion to stop President Trump’s illegal takeover of California National Guard units and deployment of the Marines to downtown Los Angeles. 

    “Veterans of our military agree that President Trump’s takeover of Los Angeles is not only illegal – it poses a dangerous and serious risk to Americans who may find themselves in the crosshairs of troops ordered to act against their fellow Americans.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    Recently, several veterans and veteran rights’ groups came together to decry Trump’s militarization of California. 

    Illegal militarization 

    On June 7, one day after the protests began, President Trump issued a memorandum purporting to authorize the DOD to call up 2,000 National Guard personnel into federal service for a period of 60 days, and declaring a “form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States” and directing the Secretary of Defense to coordinate with state governors and the National Guard to commandeer state militias. 

    The action puts state sovereignty in danger, as his order was not specific to California and suggests that the President could assume control of any state militia. 

    The U.S. Constitution and the Title 10 authority the President invoked in the memo require that the Governor consent to federalization of the National Guard, which Governor Newsom was not given the opportunity to do prior to their deployment and which he confirmed he had not given shortly after their deployment. The President’s unlawful order infringes on Governor Newsom’s role as Commander-in-Chief of the California National Guard and violates the state’s sovereign right to control and have available its National Guard in the absence of a lawful invocation of federal power.

    Additionally, DOD is now expanding the duties of these federal soldiers, ordering them to assist ICE agents in civilian law enforcement activities — including arresting and detaining immigrants and others who may be suspected or accused of interfering with ICE — a direct violation of the U.S. Constitution and the rights of American citizens. 

    Cleaning up Trump’s mess

    On Saturday, there were 250+ protesters pre-National Guard deployment. On Sunday, the protesters grew to 3,000+ after the federal government commandeered the National Guard. Their presence is inviting and incentivizing demonstrations.

    Since President Trump’s impulsive memo and actions to send the military to the Los Angeles region, the state continued to work with local partners to surge additional state and local law enforcement officers into Los Angeles to clean up President Trump’s mess.  Local and state law enforcement has had to intervene to protect public safety. Federal soldiers are currently standing sentry outside federal buildings, with local and state law enforcement doing all of the work. 

    The President’s actions have not only caused widespread panic and chaos, but have unnecessarily created an additional diversion of resources as the state tries to calm a community terrorized by this reckless federal action

    Hypocrisy on full display

    President Trump agrees he’s breaking the law in California — here’s the evidence.

    In 2020, Trump said he wouldn’t federalize National Guard members without the approval of the state’s Governor first. His own Department of Homeland Security leader said just last year that federalizing the National Guard would be a direct attack on state rights. The federal administration is adding more National Guard soldiers and Marines to an already charged situation when they are unneeded. Read more about the lawsuit here.

    Press releases, Recent news

    Recent news

    Jun 12, 2025

    News What you need to know: Governor Newsom signed an executive order further advancing California’s clean vehicle transition by kickstarting development of next-generation policy to spur innovation, updating state vehicle purchasing requirements, and directing the…

    Jun 12, 2025

    News LOS ANGELES –  President Trump continues efforts to turn the military into his own personal police force against American citizens in Los Angeles.  Prior to this week, President Trump and members of his administration have repeatedly and publicly declared that a…

    Jun 12, 2025

    News What you need to know: U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed all members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — a politically motivated move that will jeopardize public health and undermine proven scientific…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Thales invests €55 million euros to anchor next-generation resilient navigation in France

    Source: Thales Group

    Headline: Thales invests €55 million euros to anchor next-generation resilient navigation in France

    • Thales strengthens its European leadership in resilient navigation, for air, land and sea, by enhancing its Châtellerault and Valence industrial sites in France.
    • The Group will invest €55 million in order to meet growing demand for secure navigation solutions for both the civil and military sectors.
    • This industrial ramp-up will quadruple the production capacity of the Châtellerault site, while in Valence, the serial production of TopStar-M GNSS receivers and the TopShield anti-jamming solution will be launched, and a new sovereign production line for inertial micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) will be established.

    Thales, the European leader in resilient navigation, today announces a major €55 million investment to strengthen its industrial sites in Châtellerault and Valence, France. This investment, which will be made between 2025 and 2028, will meet the growing demand for high-performance navigation solutions, both civilian and military, and will strengthen its sovereign and cutting-edge industrial base.

    A comprehensive range of solutions for resilient navigation

    In a context of increasing jamming and spoofing of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals, Thales is deploying a complete range of resilient navigation solutions that combine precision, autonomy, and security. These technologies are essential to ensure operational continuity, whether for critical military missions or civil aviation safety.

    By integrating two technological pillars combining inertial systems and GNSS signal reception, Thales enables reliable navigation even in contested environments. Autonomous navigation capability is maintained at all times due to the high performance of the TopAxyz inertial navigation systems. Signal reception integrity is ensured by combining the encrypted, multi-constellation TopStar-M receiver with the TopShield anti-jamming solution. These innovations are supported by France’s Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) under the OMEGA (Operation for the Modernization of GNSS Equipment of the Armed Forces) programme. The performance and unique combination of these solutions make Thales the European leader in resilient navigation.

    A strengthened, sustainable, and sovereign industrial base

    At Châtellerault, the production capacity of inertial navigation systems will be increased fourfold, with a gradual ramp-up through 2028. This site, with sixty years of expertise in laser gyroscopes, and as the only European supplier equipping civil aircraft, will thus be able to meet growing demand and to provide solutions for aircraft, land vehicles, ships, and munitions.

    In Valence, mass production of TopStar-M receivers and TopShield systems will begin in 2026. A new production line dedicated to inertial MEMS sensors—a breakthrough technology combining compactness and high performance—will be created, establishing the site as the spearhead of France’s sovereign MEMS technology sector for defense. The launch of this new production line will be accelerated with the support of Tronics Microsystems for certain industrial expertise.

    A strong human and regional commitment

    More than 800 employees are currently working at the two sites, and 150 new hires are planned by 2028. These investments strengthen Thales’ regional footprint and actively contribute to positioning France at the forefront of the navigation industry.

    “Thales, a leader in resilient navigation, is reinforcing its industrial base in France, and thanks to this investment, it will have a sovereign and sustainable industrial capability, delivering the most advanced and competitive solutions to meet growing needs across both civil and military customers” said Yannick Assouad, Executive Vice-President, Avionics, Thales.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the Clean Industrial Deal – B10-0278/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Paolo Borchia, Isabella Tovaglieri, Julie Rechagneux, Jorge Buxadé Villalba, Ondřej Knotek, Filip Turek, Auke Zijlstra, Barbara Bonte, Jana Nagyová, Aleksandar Nikolic, Silvia Sardone, Raffaele Stancanelli
    on behalf of the PfE Group

    B10‑0278/2025

    European Parliament resolution on the Clean Industrial Deal

    (2025/2656(RSP))

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to the Commission communication of 26 February 2025 entitled ‘The Clean Industrial Deal: A joint roadmap for competitiveness and decarbonisation’ (COM(2025)0085),

    – having regard to the Commission communication of 26 February 2025 entitled ‘Action Plan for Affordable Energy’ (COM(2025)0079),

    – having regard to the Commission communication of 29 January 2025 entitled ‘A Competitiveness Compass for the EU’ (COM(2025)0030),

    – having regard to the Commission communication of 5 March 2025 entitled ‘Industrial Action Plan for the European automotive sector’ (COM(2025)0095),

    – having regard to the Commission communication of 11 December 2019 on the European Green Deal (COM(2019)0640),

    – having regard to the questions to the Commission [XXXXX],

    – having regard to Rules 142(5) and 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

    – having regard to the motion for a resolution of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy,

    A. whereas the Clean Industrial Deal was presented at a time of a serious competitiveness crisis; whereas it was supposed to represent the first step towards a decisive shift in pace and approach in EU policies, in order to safeguard businesses and industrial capacity across the EU;

    B. whereas European industry is facing fierce competition from global players, with competitors benefiting from public investment, lower energy prices and a favourable regulatory environment, which are factors that provide significant advantages and encourage the relocation of EU enterprises to non-EU countries; whereas in recent decades, the policies pursued by the Commission, causing overregulation in industrial matters and setting unreasonable and unattainable environmental targets, have contributed to the massive relocation of EU production to non-EU countries, resulting in significant job losses, desertification and deterioration of living conditions in certain regions, as well as a transfer of knowledge and increased dependencies in strategic sectors;

    C. whereas the implementation of the Fit for 55 package and other legislation under the Green Deal imposes stringent targets for the reduction of CO2 emissions, which undermine European industrial competitiveness; whereas the policies related to the Green Deal have shown serious drawbacks, especially in the current competitiveness crisis, such that a change of approach, including by revising the targets set and comprehensively reviewing the current legislation, appears to be crucial;

    1. Notes the publication of the Clean Industrial Deal and the announcement of upcoming initiatives by the Commission; expresses concern about their potential ineffectiveness and the risk of further harming the competitiveness of EU businesses; believes that forcing market change through legislative measures, rather than allowing it to be driven by business-led innovation, is a fundamentally flawed approach; calls for a decisive change of pace from the previous legislative term, including a thorough revision and repeal of pieces of legislation adopted under the framework of the Green Deal;

    2. Calls, in any case, for the implementation of the economically harmful policies of the Green Deal to be suspended, to enable a re-evaluation of their objectives and application; urges the Commission, moreover, to refrain from proposing a legislative initiative for an intermediate target of 90 % reductions in net greenhouse gas emissions by 2040;

    3. Expresses concern about the way in which the Commission drafts its legislative proposals and conducts impact assessments, which reveals a lack of full stakeholder involvement and in-depth analysis of the effects, including long-term, on competitiveness; stresses the importance of ensuring effective consultation with all stakeholders, including local and regional entities, in order to improve the accuracy of impact assessments, thus avoiding the need to revise regulations shortly after their adoption and reducing uncertainty in an environment already marked by the crisis;

    4. Urges the Commission to engage in structured sectoral dialogue with industry representatives, academia, social partners and relevant stakeholders from energy-intensive sectors, as well as cross-border regional industrial clusters, to ensure that policies are aligned with real industrial needs and challenges; affirms that well-targeted industrial policy, starting from a review of the EU decarbonisation objectives, is crucial to ensure a strong industrial base and to create and maintain high-quality jobs in the EU; affirms its commitment to fostering stable and predictable industrial policies that take into account the impact on the competitiveness of EU companies, and commits to upholding the principle of technology neutrality when adopting such policies, as a cornerstone for building competitive European industry;

    5. Notes the affordable energy action plan; strongly stresses the need for action aimed at reducing volatility and lowering the high energy prices that impact heavily on businesses and consumers; urges the Commission and the Member States, following adequate impact assessments and consultation with the stakeholders, to put forward ways to decouple electricity prices from fossil fuel prices; warns against Commission initiatives that could circumvent Treaty provisions assigning competence over the energy mix to the Member States;

    6. Expresses concern about the overly excessive focus of EU policies on electrification and renewables, which has been reaffirmed with the Clean Industrial Deal; states the need to promote a diversified energy mix that includes clean and low-carbon energy, in order to ensure security of energy supply and competitiveness; emphasises that relying solely on electrification will be extremely challenging for energy-intensive industries; stresses the indispensable role that natural gas will continue to play in the energy mix; reiterates the need to develop measures to ensure gas supply at a mitigated cost and calls on the Commission to ensure an improved, stable and certain regulatory framework; deplores the proposal to eliminate all subsidies for fossil fuels;

    7. Acknowledges that the electricity grid infrastructure plays an essential role in achieving the EU’s strategic autonomy; calls on the Member States to fully explore, optimise, modernise and expand their electricity grid capacities, including transmission and distribution, with technological neutrality as a core principle; considers electricity grids to be a central element in the transition to a competitive economy;

    8. Recalls the large-scale blackout that affected the Iberian Peninsula on 28 April 2025, leaving over 50 million people without electricity for several hours and causing severe disruption to transport, telecommunications and essential services; underlines that, at the time of the incident, renewable energy accounted for approximately 70 % of Spain’s electricity mix, and that only a few days earlier, on 16 April, the Spanish grid had operated entirely on renewable energy; highlights the fact that the blackout was caused by multiple factors, including the excessively high share of variable renewables, which contribute less to grid inertia compared to conventional power plants, making it more difficult to manage sudden frequency changes; strongly affirms, as a consequence, the need to adopt a technologically neutral approach in the planning, development and strengthening of electricity networks, in order to enable the safe integration of all technologies that support grid stability, especially in the context of growing energy demand; calls on the Member States to strengthen risk assessments related to systemic electricity shocks and to promote resilient, secure and technologically diversified grid models;

    9. Stresses the fundamental role that low-carbon hydrogen can play; calls for the swift adoption and implementation of a simple, technology-neutral and investment-friendly definition of low-carbon hydrogen in the upcoming delegated act[1], while ensuring that such a definition is robust and science-based, and incentivises hydrogen production; recognises that carbon management, including capture, storage, transport and utilisation, can play a role for hard-to-abate sectors;

    10. Supports the proposal to strengthen a European preference in public procurement processes, in the context of the revision of the public procurement framework in 2026, to the benefit of European businesses; considers this to be essential for enhancing supply chain security and fostering a resilient EU industrial base; remains strongly sceptical about the announced industrial decarbonisation accelerator act and about the extension of new sustainability criteria to the EU budget and national support programmes, as well as to public and private procurement benefiting energy-intensive industries; remains critical of the proposal to introduce new environmental criteria in addition to the many that are already in place, as well as the introduction of environmental labelling for industrial products, which risks creating additional administrative burdens for companies;

    11. Affirms the need to create a favourable environment for investment that is capable of discouraging the relocation of industrial activities outside the EU; recognises the importance of increasing and encouraging both public and private investment in the energy, industry and transport sectors; takes note of the announced creation of a competitiveness fund and calls for this to be an instrument of genuine support for businesses; calls for an EU State aid framework in support of industrial transformation and modernisation, in line with the principle of technology neutrality, also enabling existing plants to access funding for technology upgrades, thereby safeguarding employment and economic stability; expects the new framework to address these needs; expresses its firm opposition to any new own resources and EU-level taxes;

    12. Notes the plan for the automotive sector and the measure for additional flexibility for the calculation of manufacturers’ compliance with CO2 emissions performance standards; considers this insufficient and largely inadequate to address the challenges faced by the sector; urges the Commission to promptly review Regulation (EU) 2019/631[2], particularly by lifting the ban on combustion engine vehicles and removing the sanctions regime; strongly emphasises that technological neutrality is crucial for ensuring sustainable and competitive industry, and calls, therefore, on the Commission to revise the regulation accordingly by fully considering all relevant technological developments, including biofuels;

    13. Notes that raw materials supply remains a strategic vulnerability, with the EU heavily dependent on non-EU suppliers for critical raw materials, requiring an urgent scaling-up of domestic mining, refining and battery recycling capabilities in a technology neutral, publicly accepted way; recalls the need to implement the Critical Raw Materials Act[3] and the Net Zero Industry Act[4] properly and to significantly strengthen industrial and raw materials diplomacy to access new markets via trade and partnership agreements, as well as special critical raw materials access agreements; stresses the crucial importance of catalysing investment to develop a domestic supply chain, ensuring its competitiveness and strategic autonomy;

    14. Stresses that the European Court of Auditors has highlighted[5] the Commission’s inability to achieve the target of capturing 20 % of the global semiconductor market by 2030 through the Chips Act[6]; calls, therefore, on the Commission to confront reality and revise its strategy accordingly, by setting clearer and more measurable objectives, ensuring proportionate and secured funding and promoting the integration of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) throughout the entire semiconductor value chain;

    15. Stresses that EU industry is struggling not only a result of European environmental policies but also because of the overregulation that characterised the previous legislative term; urges the Commission to launch a broad process of genuine simplification and, where appropriate, deregulation; endorses simplification and digitalisation for speeding up administrative procedures; notes the omnibus simplification packages recently presented by the Commission; observes that these highlight flawed or missing impact assessments in the adoption of a number of major legislative measures during the previous term, such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive[7] and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive[8]; affirms the need, in the current context of overregulation and excessive administrative burdens, as well as heavy obligations on businesses, to repeal this legislation; underlines, in any event, the importance of safeguarding smaller enterprises;

    16. Affirms the need to create a truly enabling environment for SMEs, which have been particularly affected by the crisis and represent 99 % of all European businesses; recalls the importance of avoiding any form of discrimination against small businesses that choose to remain small, while continuing to contribute to the economic and social prosperity of the territories in which they operate; calls for accessible funding for SMEs and small mid-caps and further improvements and harmonisation to simplify funding applications, reduce reporting obligations and fast-track small projects; stresses that the new EU-level statute for small mid-caps must not compromise or alter the current classification of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises; underlines that the establishment of the small mid-caps category should not divert attention or resources away from micro and small enterprises, which have distinct needs and priorities; calls, therefore, on the Commission to adopt the necessary measures and safeguards, and to establish thresholds that reflect the actual conditions regarding turnover and number of employees in the Member States;

    17. Notes the proposed simplification of the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) in the first omnibus package; recalls that the CBAM was introduced to compensate for the effect of the EU emissions trading system (ETS) in order to tackle carbon leakage; underlines that the CBAM, as currently designed, in parallel with the phasing out of the ETS free allowances, will not ensure a level playing field and will undermine competitiveness by increasing production costs and the administrative burden for EU companies; calls for the ETS and the CBAM to be entirely reassessed in the upcoming revision;

    18. Expresses concern about the ongoing negotiations on the reform of Regulation (EU) 2019/452[9], which establishes a framework for the screening of foreign direct investment into the Union; is particularly concerned about the excessive centralisation of control in the hands of the Commission at the expense of the authority of Member States, including those that already have effective national measures in place to protect strategic sectors that are crucial to national interest; underlines that national security and maintenance of public order are, in fact. exclusive Member State competences;

    19. Stresses the critical importance of preserving industrial activity and employment in the EU; warns that misguided industrial policies can have severe repercussions on jobs; underlines the urgent need to equip the European workforce with the necessary skills to adapt to the ongoing digital and industrial transformations, especially in remote and rural areas; calls for increased investment and a comprehensive industrial skills strategy; calls for the adoption of effective measures to address the alarming phenomenon of brain drain;

    20. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Presses Attorney General On Ed Martin’s Planned Partisan Weaponization Of Justice Department

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    June 12, 2025
    After his failed nomination to be U.S. Attorney for DC, Ed Martin was installed in various Justice Department roles and has publicly vowed to target Trump’s enemies
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi on Ed Martin’s stated plans to abuse his positions at the Department of Justice (DOJ) to help President Trump’s friends and punish his perceived enemies.
    After Mr. Martin’s failed nomination to be U.S. Attorney for D.C. was withdrawn, President Trump appointed him to serve in non-Senate-confirmed positions like Pardon Attorney and Director of the Weaponization Working Group. He is the first political appointee to ever hold the role of Pardon Attorney.
    Durbin began by citing concerning comments by Mr. Martin at a DOJ press conference on May 13 and subsequent interview with Tucker Carlson, writing: “Following his disgraceful tenure as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Mr. Martin apparently plans to continue his misconduct in his new roles at DOJ… These statements are a brazen admission that Mr. Martin plans to systemically violate the Justice Manual’s prohibition on extrajudicial statements by shaming uncharged parties for nakedly partisan reasons.  This plan clearly violates Mr. Martin’s obligations under the D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct, which prohibit prosecutors from ‘mak[ing] extrajudicial comments which serve to heighten condemnation of the accused.’ Weaponizing DOJ in this manner will further undermine the public’s trust in the department in irreparable ways.”
    Durbin continued by highlighting several abuses of power by Mr. Martin since becoming Pardon Attorney, writing: “As the first political appointee to ever hold this position, Mr. Martin has overseen pardons of numerous Trump supporters and donors. Last month President Trump pardoned nursing home executive Paul Walczak for tax fraud just three weeks after Walczak’s mother paid $1 million to attend a Trump fundraiser. He pardoned Todd and Julie Chrisley, conservative reality television stars and ‘vocal supporters of President Trump,’ for bank fraud and tax evasion. The President pardoned Trevor Milton, founder of Nikola electric vehicle company, after Milton donated nearly $2 million to the Trump campaign last year. He also pardoned former Republican Congressmen Michael Grimm for tax fraud and former Republican Governor John Rowland for public corruption. In the aftermath of these scandalous pardons, Mr. Martin tweeted: ‘No MAGA left behind.’”
    Durbin then cited Mr. Martin’s personal advocacy for pardoning violent insurrectionists, writing: “Mr. Martin has also personally advocated pardoning Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and others who were convicted of seditious conspiracy for their role in planning and instigating the violence against law enforcement on January 6, 2021. These 11 individuals already received commutations of their sentences from President Trump on January 20, 2025, despite showing no remorse for their crimes. No developments in the four months since their commutations justify any consideration of their pardon applications, yet Mr. Martin has fast-tracked them for consideration by the White House immediately after their submission.”
    Durbin then renewed two delinquent oversight requests from letters sent to Attorney General Bondi regarding the pardons of January 6th insurrectionists and the presidential pardon power.
    Durbin concluded with a request for memoranda, correspondence, and other records authorizing Mr. Martin to pursue these plans and their legal justification.
    For a PDF copy of the letter to Attorney General Bondi, click here.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: President Trump Signs James’ Legislation Into Law Rolling Back California’s Harmful Green New Deal Mandates

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John James (Michigan 10th District)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Donald J. Trump signed into law legislation authored by U.S. Congressman John James (MI-10) marking a major victory for America’s trucking industry, small business owners, and working families. The Clean Truck Congressional Review Act (CRA) overturns extreme Biden-Era Green New Deal mandates that threaten to crush America’s trucking industry, kill good-paying jobs, and hike prices for America’s families.

    Rep. James’ Clean Truck CRA strikes down the Environmental Protection Agency’s heavy-handed emissions rule that would have added up to $42,000 to the cost of a single diesel truck — a price tag that would have bankrupted independent truckers and driven mom-and-pop businesses off the road. The settling of the Advanced Clean Trucks rule with the state of California was part of the Biden Administration’s broader attempt to push Green New Deal-style mandates through the back door of federal regulation.

    “This is what leadership looks like,” Congressman James stated. “Washington Elites said it couldn’t be done, but with President Trump’s signature we’ve made good on our promise to protect our jobs, lower prices, defend our supply chains, and keep Democrats’ radical Green New Deal agenda out of the driver’s seat.”

    The CRA passed the House on April 30th and cleared the Senate on May 22nd, despite intense pressure from radical, far-left environmental groups and D.C. bureaucrats desperate to preserve the mandate. Passage of the CRA marks the first successful Republican reversals of Biden-era policy, underscoring the growing momentum under Republican leadership in Congress to codify President Trump’s agenda.

    “My father got his start fighting harmful government regulation on trucking. Now, his son has defeated harmful government regulation on trucking. This is a huge win for the men and women who don’t get days off, who get behind the wheel before sunrise and keep this country running,” James continued. “America’s workers don’t need coastal elites from California to Washington, D.C. telling them how to do their jobs — they need the freedom to compete, the infrastructure to deliver, and the respect they’ve earned. I’m proud that my legislation can deliver just that.”

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Energy Office Announces Launch of Funding Opportunity to Support Local Policy Adoption to Advance Climate Goals

    Source: US State of Colorado

    Statewide – Thursday, Jun. 12, 2025 – Today, Governor Polis and the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) announced the launch of its Local Implementation, Mitigation, and Policy Action (IMPACT) Accelerator grant program Thursday. This opportunity will provide funding to support local policy adoption that enhances resilience, reduces emissions, and advances other state priorities such as cleaner air, lower energy costs, and more affordable housing. The $50 million available through this program comes from a $129 million federal Climate Pollution Reduction Implementation Grant (CPRG) that Colorado received last summer. 

    “In Colorado we are continuing to invest in bold climate initiatives that boost local communities capacity to implement clean energy policy, like reducing emissions and lowering energy costs to overall save people money, and help Colorado achieve our climate goals,” said Governor Polis. 

    “Local actions will play a major role in helping us achieve net-zero emissions in Colorado by 2050,” said CEO Executive Director Will Toor. “Local and Tribal governments are uniquely situated to implement a number of policies that reduce emissions in key economic sectors, but often lack capacity to do this important work. The Accelerator provides the support these communities need to pursue policies that will have a longstanding IMPACT locally and across the State.” 

    The Accelerator represents a key step in meeting the vision outlined in the state’s second comprehensive Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Pollution Reduction Roadmap (“Roadmap 2.0”), which CEO released in February 2024. The Accelerator fulfills a Near Term Action, which called for the creation of a “local Climate Action Accelerator.” 

    This program is designed to maximize emissions reductions by promoting policies that extend beyond state requirements in four categories: buildings, land use, transportation, and waste. Examples of eligible policies in each sector include: 

    • Buildings: Adopting building energy codes that exceed Colorado’s Model codes, establishing energy performance standards, or creating energy efficiency incentives, which could include projects related to developing geothermal systems;
    • Land use: Adopting policies that promote housing, parking management, EV charging, or clean energy development;
    • Transportation: Adopting policies that encourage multimodal transportation infrastructure, prioritize transit options, or create registration incentives for clean vehicles;
    • Waste: Adopting policies to increase waste diversion, promote reuse, or transition refuse and recycling trucks to zero-emission vehicles. 

    Local governments — including cities, counties, and cohorts led by cities/counties — and Tribal governments are eligible to apply for IMPACT Accelerator funding. Applicants may apply for funding to support policy adoption-only or policy adoption and project implementation. Funding may not cover project implementation alone. 

    CEO expects to award approximately $2 million per award to develop new policies and implement related projects, though award amounts may vary depending on the project. A 5% local match is required; however, to ensure equitable access to this funding, low-income communities and Tribal Governments may qualify for a 0% match. CEO will also prioritize awards for projects that target benefits toward primarily low-income populations. 

    The first round of applications for the Local IMPACT Accelerator grant program will open June 16 and close August 1, 2025. Applicants will first submit a Letter of Intent to CEO and will receive feedback on the proposal as well as an “encouraged” or “discouraged” designation before submitting a full application in the fall. CEO will host an informational webinar about the grant and the application process on June 17 at 11:00 AM MT, followed by a Question & Answer webinar on July 1 at 10:00 AM MT. CEO plans to open a second funding round for this program later this year. More information about the program, including timelines for each funding round and the complete program guidance, is available on the Local IMPACT Accelerator webpage. 

    The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) also received a CPRG implementation grant. Jurisdictions in DRCOG territory may apply for both DRCOG and CEO funding. Details about how to apply to both programs are available in the program guidance on the Accelerator webpage. Learn more about DRCOG funding. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Marshals Arrest West Tennessee Attempted Murder Suspect

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Henderson, TN – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) arrested Branden Walker, 26, who was wanted for a shooting in Henderson.

    Around 1 a.m. on June 1, 2025, Henderson police responded to a shooting call on Sanford Street. Officers determined that an occupied apartment had been struck multiple times by gunfire. Investigators identified a suspect as Branden Walker, of Union City, TN.

    On June 4, a warrant was issued through Chester County General Sessions Court charging Walker with Attempted First-Degree Murder and Reckless Endangerment.

    The USMS Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force in Jackson was requested to assist in locating and arresting Walker.

    On June 11, the task force tracked Walker to a location in the 5000 block of Ken Tenn Highway in South Fulton, TN. Deputy marshals and task force officers took Walker into custody without incident. The Obion County Sheriff’s Office transported him to the Obion County Jail.

    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.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Arizona Residents Charged in Felony Indictments with Assaulting FBI Agents During Immigration Operation

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PHOENIX Ariz. – On June 10, 2025, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a three-count indictment against Jose Sarinana, 42, and Abran Villa, Jr., 40, both of Chandler, Arizona for Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding Federal Officers. 

    The indictment alleges that on June 1, 2025, FBI agents were assisting ICE/ERO with immigration enforcement operations. As part of those operations, FBI and ICE/ERO pulled over Villa’s vehicle and arrested the passenger, who was illegally present in the United States. After the passenger was arrested, Villa returned to the passenger’s residence and told Sariana, at which point both men got into their vehicles and returned to the scene of the arrest.

    As one of the FBI agents involved in the immigration enforcement action was leaving the scene, Sarinana followed the agent and made several attempts to run the agent off the road with his vehicle. The agent called for backup and multiple FBI agents responded to the scene to stop Sarinana.

    While agents were pursuing Sarinana, Villa used his truck to block one of their cars, revving his engine as he obstructed the agent’s exit from a parking lot. Villa eventually left after the agent called for assistance.

    After agents successfully pulled Sarinana over and detained him, Villa appeared again, driving up to the group at a high rate of speed in his truck. Villa stopped shortly before reaching the agents, but pointed the truck directly at them and revved his engine. Villa eventually complied with commands from the FBI agents after several of them unholstered their firearms, and he was taken into custody without further incident.

    A conviction for Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding Federal Officers carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, up to five years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

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

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

    The FBI is conducting the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Addison Owen, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

    CASE NUMBER:           CR-25-00865-PHX-DWL-JZB
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-092_Sarinana, et al.

    # # #

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Little Water Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges in Navajo Nation Shooting and Homicide

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Little Water man pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from his involvement in a violent April 2024 shooting and subsequent homicide on the Navajo Nation.

    According to court records, on April 24, 2024, Dewayne George, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, accompanied Brittania Navaho to a pawn shop in Gallup where she purchased a .22 caliber revolver and ammunition for Rydell Happy, who is a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms. Later that day, the group, joined by John Doe, drove through the Gallup area and encountered a vehicle on U.S. Highway 491 within the Navajo Nation.

    Happy initially fired a shot into the air, then, after a pursuit, multiple shots were fired at the vehicle by Happy, George, and John Doe. George admitted to reloading and discharging the firearm several times at the fleeing vehicle, which was struck by multiple bullets. Fortunately, the occupants were not injured.

    After the shooting, the group drove near Shiprock, New Mexico, where a confrontation led to Happy fatally shooting John Doe. George helped Happy drag John Doe’s body over a cliff in an attempt to conceal the body and avoid arrest and prosecution.

    Brittania Navaho pled guilty to federal charges related to the straw purchase of the firearm and faces up to 15 years in prison.

    Rydell Happy is charged with first degree murder, two counts of using and carrying a firearm during and relation to a crime of violence and discharging said firearm, assault with a dangerous weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He remains in custody pending trial, which is currently scheduled for July 14, 2025.

    George pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact, assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm, and using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and discharging said firearm. At sentencing, George faces not less than 10 years and up to life in prison. Upon his release from prison, George will be subject to up to three years of supervised release.

    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 FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from Navajo Nation Police Department, the Navajo Nation Department of Criminal Investigations and the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney R. Eliot Neal is prosecuting the case.

    This case is being prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program, which aims to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people through the resolution of MMIP cases and communication, coordination, and collaboration with federal, Tribal, state, and local partners.

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Markey Lead Delegation in Pressing For Investigation Into ICE’s Excessive Use of Force, Aggressive Arrest Tactics

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    June 12, 2025

    Immigration agents have escalated arrest tactics, including hiding identities, targeting schools and churches, arresting bystanders

    “ICE’s escalating aggression is not making us safer.” 

    “In light of these reports of ICE’s potential violations of agency policy and constitutional rights, we ask that [Homeland Security watchdogs] review these matters.”

    Text of Letter (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) led Massachusetts’ Congressional delegation in pressing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials on Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) increasingly aggressive and intimidating tactics used during enforcement actions. The lawmakers requested an immediate investigation by DHS’s Office of Inspector General and Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) and necessary corrective action.

    “ICE’s conduct has gone beyond simply enforcing the law against people convicted of violent crimes and has subjected community members who pose no threat, including parents and children, to seemingly needless harm,” wrote the lawmakers. 

    Over the past month, ICE arrested nearly 1,500 Massachusetts residents during a series of large-scale immigration raids. During these raids, ICE agents have used increasingly aggressive tactics, including psychological and physical coercion, hiding agents’ identities and refusing to provide identification, targeting sensitive locations like schools and churches, and arresting people who are not the targets of raids, including U.S. citizens. 

    Officers recently used a sledgehammer to break the window of a parked car in New Bedford, Massachusetts, raining shards of glass on a couple waiting for their attorney. Similarly, in Chelsea, Massachusetts, ICE agents stopped a family leaving church, reportedly held a gun up to the car, then broke the car window and threw the father to the ground to handcuff him. In Worcester, Massachusetts, local law enforcement reportedly forced a teenager to the ground and held her face to the pavement during an ICE arrest. 

    The agency’s tactics have also caused psychological terror. Agents have covered their faces with masks, worn plain clothes, and driven unmarked vehicles — including in the case of the Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk, whose arrest at first appeared to be a kidnapping. Agents have intentionally conveyed false identities, such as a recent case in which agents reportedly posed as utility workers. 

    “This obfuscation not only stokes fear but makes it more difficult for community members to distinguish real agents from impersonators, and kidnappings by civilians posing as ICE officers are on the rise,” wrote the lawmakers. 

    As ICE attempts to ramp up arrest numbers to an unprecedented 3,000 per day, agents have encountered the wrong person and nevertheless proceeded with the arrest. ICE agents recently arrested an 18-year-old high school student, Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, who has been a resident of Milford, Massachusetts since age six. Though ICE intended to arrest his father, agents proceeded to detain the teenager, who had no pending criminal charges — horrifying his town and communities around the country.  

    Almost half of the individuals recently arrested by ICE in Massachusetts have no criminal record whatsoever, according to ICE’s own data. 

    “These seemingly indiscriminate arrests sweep in long-time community members, including young people who have spent almost their entire lives in the United States,” wrote the lawmakers. “Some law enforcement agencies are sounding the alarm that ICE’s tactics actually make their jobs harder by eroding community trust in law enforcement.”

    As a result of these potential violations of agency policy and constitutional rights, the Massachusetts congressional delegation urged the Homeland Security Inspector General and head of CRCL to investigate ICE’s conduct, including its excessive force and rationale for using military gear; the agency’s plan to prevent the use of immigration enforcement as a tool for retaliation against critics, dissenters, or political opponents; and CRCL’s capacity to conduct this oversight given recent reductions to the watchdog office.

    “The human toll of these tactics is immense. Families are being separated, and citizen and noncitizen community members alike are left living in fear,” wrote the lawmakers. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra Applauds President Trump for Signing Legislation Ending California EV Mandates

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

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) issued the following statement thanking President Donald J. Trump for signing legislation overturning California’s electric-vehicle mandates:

    “I thank President Trump for signing legislation ending California’s radical EV mandates and restoring consumer choice. This decisive action will lower costs for American families, protect homegrown liquid fuels, support our farmers, and reduce our reliance on China and foreign supply chains. President Trump is keeping his promises to the American people by overturning egregious EV mandates and preventing liberal California policies from spreading nationwide.”

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Sues Trump Administration for Unlawfully Stripping New York of Clean Vehicle Protections 

    Source: US State of New York

    EW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James and 10 other attorneys general today filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s unprecedented and illegal attempt to dismantle clean vehicle standards. With this lawsuit, Attorney General James and the coalition seek to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) attempt to rescind three key Clean Air Act waivers that New York relies on to enforce its clean vehicle programs. The attorneys general argue the administration is misusing the Congressional Review Act (CRA), a federal law designed to allow Congress to review agency rules, to revoke EPA waivers previously granted to California. New York then adopted these same standards under federal law, which allows states to follow California’s more protective emission rules. Attorney General James is asking the court to protect these critical waivers, which safeguard public health and combat dangerous pollution.

    “Every New Yorker deserves to breathe clean air and live in a healthy environment,” said Attorney General James. “This administration is using a sneaky backdoor to gut clean air standards that have been in place for decades, threatening our ability to fight pollution, protect families from toxic emissions, and build a safer future. We are suing to keep our communities healthy and defend our state’s lifesaving clean air protections.”

    In the lawsuit, Attorney General James and the coalition write that when Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1963, it gave California the unique right to set its own, stricter standards for EPA approval because the state had already been regulating emissions for around a decade. This approval is granted via “preemption waiver,” and once EPA grants California a waiver, New York may adopt California’s standards and does not need a waiver of its own. Since passage of the Clean Air Act, EPA has granted more than 75 of these waivers under both Democratic and Republican administrations. In recent years, EPA granted three waivers allowing standards that are instrumental for New York’s climate goals, including:

    • Advanced Clean Cars II regulations, requiring automakers to sell an increasing number of zero-emission vehicles in New York, as they have been for decades;
    • Advanced Clean Trucks regulations, which aim to accelerate the widespread adoption of zero-emission vehicles for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and are critical for New York’s efforts to address climate change and protect public health; and
    • Omnibus regulations, which require heavy-duty trucks sold in New York to meet strict standards for oxides of nitrogen emissions, which are major contributors to smog. 

    Last month, the administration transmitted these three waivers to Congress as “rules” subject to CRA procedures, even though all three waivers state EPA’s consistent and longstanding position under both Republican and Democratic administrations that waiver decisions are not “rules.” Until now, no administration has ever tried to use the CRA to block state environmental regulations. Both the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the Senate Parliamentarian have confirmed that these types of EPA decisions are not subject to the CRA. Nonetheless, the administration elected to push forward with this effort, and last month, Congress – overriding its own procedural rules – passed resolutions disapproving the waivers. Today, the president signed the resolutions of disapproval into law, officially revoking the waivers.

    Attorney General James and the coalition argue the EPA’s decision to transmit the California, and therefore, New York waivers to Congress for disapproval under the CRA is unprecedented and unlawful. The attorneys general assert waiver decisions are not federal “rules,” they are formal judgment orders granting states permission to enforce their own standards, a distinction recognized for decades by both EPA and Congress’ own legal experts under multiple administrations. Attorney General James and the coalition argue that these actions violate several federal laws, including the Clean Air Act, which grants California, and by extension, states like New York, the authority to adopt stricter emission rules than the federal baseline.

    Joining Attorney General James in the lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Officer-involved shooting causing injury in Calgary

    Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Palm Beach County Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Illegal Firearm Possession

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

    MIAMI – Tyreek J. Clermont, 24, of Boynton Beach, was sentenced yesterday to 90 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Clermont pled guilty to charge earlier this year.

    According to the court record, on October 22, 2023, a Martin County Sheriff’s Office Deputy initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by the defendant on South Kanner Highway. The defendant was smoking a marijuana cigarette when the deputy approached the vehicle. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic handgun, approximately 31.59 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, and 1.58 grams of dimethylpentylone – a dangerous designer drug.

    At the time he possessed the 9mm, Clermont had prior Florida felony convictions for robbery, gun, and drug crimes. It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge Gordon Mallory of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Miami Field Division and Sheriff John M. Budensick of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon.

    ATF Miami Field Office and MCSO investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Porter prosecuted it.

    This case stems from Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  In 2017, PSN was reinvigorated as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-14042.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Washington man sentenced to 14 years in prison for possessing meth, fentanyl and heroin

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    GREAT FALLS – A Tacoma, Washington man who possessed and distributed drugs that impacted Butte and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 14 years in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    Scott Trent Miller, 42, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that on September 11, 2024, law enforcement in Butte was informed by a source that Miller was routinely traveling from Washington to Montana to sell drugs. Law enforcement surveilled Miller at a hotel in Butte. They saw him leave and get into a car with another person. A traffic stop was conducted, and Miller denied a request to search the vehicle. During a pat search of Miller, officers found a marijuana pipe and $1,583 in cash. Drug paraphernalia was also found on the other person in the car.

    An officer with a K9 dog was called to the scene and the K9 alerted to the scent of illegal drugs. A search warrant was issued, and officers seized a trash bag containing a large amount of methamphetamine, fentanyl powder, 100 fentanyl pills, and heroin.

    Law enforcement reviewed Facebook records for Miller’s account, which showed him messaging individuals for the purpose of distributing drugs.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the DEA, State of Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, and Blackfeet Tribes Department of Law and Justice.

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

    XXX

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