Category: Vehicles

MIL-Evening Report: Dingoes are being culled in Victoria. How much harm to the species is needed to protect commercial profits?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Ireland-Piper, Associate Professor, ANU National Security College, Australian National University

A Victorian government decision to allow dingo culling in the state’s east until 2028 has reignited debate over what has been dubbed Australia’s most controversial animal.

Animals Australia, an animal welfare group, has filed proceedings in the Supreme Court of Victoria, challenging the decision. The case is due to be heard this year.

Announcing the legal action, the group said the eradication program targeted a unique native animal at risk of extinction, and ignored pleas from Traditional Owners who “treasure the dingo as a totem species”.

The controversy raises a few thorny questions. Are dingoes an important native species or an agricultural pest? And what is the right balance between protecting the species, and protecting the interests of farmers?

What’s this all about?

Dingoes are listed as vulnerable in Victoria. This means the species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term.

Dingoes are also protected under Victoria’s Wildlife Act – unless a special order is made to declare them “unprotected”. To date, these unprotection orders have been made when authorities deem it necessary to prevent dingoes from killing livestock.

An unprotection order means a person can legally kill dingoes in certain areas of private and public land, by trapping, poisoning or shooting.

Since around 2010, a succession of unprotection orders have allowed dingoes to be killed in various parts of Victoria. The unprotection order now being challenged came into effect on October 1 last year and will continue until January 1, 2028.

Announcing the decision, Victoria’s Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos says the government was:

striking the right balance between protecting our vulnerable dingo populations while giving farmers the ability to protect their livestock, and we will regularly engage to ensure settings continue to achieve this balance.

Dingoes are not ‘wild dogs’

DNA studies suggest dingoes have been in Australia for between 4,600 and 18,000 years. Often wrongly described as “wild dogs”, they are [actually descended from south Asian wolves](https://environment.desi.qld.gov.au/wildlife/animals/living-with/dingoes#:~:text=The%20dingo—Australia’s%20only%20native,role%20in%20the%20natural%20environment.Sustainable dingo management (and public sympathies either way).

Adding to the complications, it can be hard to distinguish between a wild dog and a dingo without DNA testing.

Dingoes were once widespread across Victoria but are now extinct across most of the state, save for two populations in the state’s north and east.

Conservationists and scientists fear the extended order in eastern Victoria may push dingoes to local extinction

The experience in north-west Victoria offers a cautionary tale. There, under a dingo unprotection order, the population dropped to as few as 40 individuals. The local dingo population was deemed “critically low and at risk of extinction”, prompting the government to reinstate dingo protections.

In eastern Victoria, the dingo population is estimated at between 2,640 and 8,800.

However in September last year, before the unprotection order in eastern Victoria came into effect, Nationals Member for Gippsland, Tim Bull, claimed 1,500 dingoes were already being killed in the region each year by farmers and others.

If those figures are correct, it suggests extending the unprotection order until 2028 will devastate the dingo population in eastern Victoria.

A decline in dingo populations is not just a concern for the species itself – it will have knock-on effects.

Dingoes are apex predators and research shows they are central to how ecosystems function. They can help control introduced predators such as foxes, feral cats and rabbits. This benefits native animals and plants.

Is the balance right?

Given the risks to dingo populations and the broader environment, it’s pertinent to ask if the government decision swings too far towards protecting agricultural production.

One report suggests within Victoria’s 16 “wild dog management zones” in the 2022–23 financial year, there were more than 1.7 million head of livestock. Of these, 1,455 were confirmed killed by dingoes. While understandably of concern to farmers, this nonetheless represents a tiny proportion of total stock numbers.

The number of sheep killed by dingoes is also only a fraction of the 14.6 million currently farmed in Victoria. Sheep are not at risk of extinction.

These numbers suggest the government has not struck the right balance between protecting livestock and ensuing dingo populations survive.

Considering the rights of Traditional Owners

When weighing up an unprotection order, a minister must consider how it affects the rights of Traditional Owners.

In 2023, when deliberating over whether to make an unprotection order in eastern Victoria, the Victorian government stated that for Aboriginal people:
- dingoes are part of their living cultural heritage
- the loss of a dingo is akin to the loss of a family member
- the dingo helps maintain connection to Country
- some have a totemic and kinship relationship with the dingo.
The government said while the order would limit Aboriginal people’s rights, this was justified when taking other factors into account.

The court will decide

Animal protection group Animals Australia has filed proceedings in the Supreme Court of Victoria, challenging the lawfulness and validity of the unprotection order. Court documents are not yet publicly available.

Australia does not have a single and consistent animal welfare and protection regime. Instead, protections are fractured between the states. That is why the current challenge to dingo culling is limited to Victoria, even though culling takes place in other states. This illustrates the difficulty in using the law to protect animals at a national level.

This challenge is part of a broader push to redefine the relationship between humans and animals through what’s known as animal law. In recent years, animal advocates have used various aspects of the law to challenge the gassing of pigs before they are slaughtered, and recreational duck shooting.

The current case is an important test for how the law balances the needs of humans and animals – and in particular, how much harm is deemed “necessary” at law to protect commercial profit and livelihood.

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

– ref. Dingoes are being culled in Victoria. How much harm to the species is needed to protect commercial profits? – https://theconversation.com/dingoes-are-being-culled-in-victoria-how-much-harm-to-the-species-is-needed-to-protect-commercial-profits-245759
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
February 14, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Bracing for a monster: Tropical Cyclone Zelia is bearing down on WA. Here’s what to expect

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steve Turton, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography, CQUniversity Australia

Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia is bearing down on the northwest coast of Australia and is likely to make landfall early Friday evening.

It’s a monster storm of great concern to Western Australia. Port Hedland is the largest town in the firing line and also our busiest iron ore export port. Strong winds may extend to other areas along the coast, and inland to areas such as Marble Bar, Tom Price and Paraburdoo.

Even if Zelia doesn’t hit towns directly, it’s likely to cause a lot of damage. The Bureau of Meteorology predicts extremely dangerous sustained winds of around 205 kilometers an hour and wind gusts higher still, at 290km/h. That’s strong enough to flatten homes, trees, power lines and other infrastructure.

This is a category five cyclone, which is the most severe possible under the current scale. But as climate change worsens, authorities may need to add another category to the scale.

Bureau of Meteorology video explaining the threat of Tropical Cyclone Zeila.

Do we need a category 6?

Elsewhere in the world, tropical cyclones are called hurricanes or typhoons.

The severity of a tropical cyclone (or hurricane or typhoon) is ranked in categories from 1 (weakest) to 5 (strongest).

Category one involves maximum average wind speed of up to 88km/h, and strongest gusts up to 125 km/h. It typically causes negligible damage to homes but may damage crops, trees and caravans.

Category five, the most severe, is defined as “extremely dangerous”, causing widespread destruction of buildings and vegetation. These cyclones bring maximum average wind speeds greater than 200km/h and gusts greater than 279km/h.

However, on a warming planet, cyclones are expected to become more intense. It’s also making tropical cyclones and hurricanes intensify more quickly.

Some scientists have called for a category six for hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones with sustained wind speeds greater than 309km/h. They argue a new category is needed to communicate the risks associated with tropical cyclones fuelled by climate change.

Bureau of Meteorology video explaining the threat of Tropical Cyclone Zeila.

Climate change is feeding storms

It’s too early to say if Cyclone Zelia is directly caused, or fuelled, by climate change. However, research over the last 30 years has found a link between global warming and more intense tropical cyclones.

Globally, 2024 was Earth’s warmest year on record. Ocean heat content is increasing around most tropical seas, and other places where tropical cyclones are forming.
Warmer oceans, and a warmer atmosphere, both feed energy into tropical cyclones, making them more intense and fast-forming when conditions are favourable.

Zelia intensified from a category one into a five in just over 24 hours.

Australia is currently experiencing record-breaking sea surface temperatures. The area off the northwest coast has been up to 4-5°C above normal this summer.

Hurricane Milton, which struck the United States in October last year, also shows how climate change is making tropical cyclones worse. Amid very warm ocean temperatures, it intensified rapidly over the Gulf of Mexico to a category five hurricane.

We can expect more of these severe cyclones in future, if humanity keeps warming up the oceans and the atmosphere.

Slow is not good

Climate change is slowing the forward motion of tropical cyclones over the ocean and land. That means they take longer to cross the coast and pass through an area – inflicting more damage from wind and storm surge, and dumping more rain.

The Bureau of Meteorology says Cyclone Zelia’s “forward speed” is quite slow, at 11km/h. So, heavy rain and the strong winds will persist for quite a few hours before and after it crosses the coast.

The strongest winds of a tropical cyclone are usually near the eye, but can extend for hundreds of kilometres. Sometimes, winds on opposite sides of the eye blow in different directions, causing destruction on the ground which damages buildings, infrastructure, farmland and the environment.

Conditions on the ground

At the moment around Port Hedland, winds are about 70-100km/h and rising. That’s gale force but not too alarming. Conditions will rapidly deteriorate into this afternoon, particularly to the east of Port Hedland.

The storm has already dropped a lot of rain. This has caused local flooding and cut rail lines. But there’s more to come.

The Bureau of Meteorology is also warning of a significant storm tide – when sea levels rise well above a typical high tide. This may lead to flooding and inundate coastal roads and properties.

The cyclone will continue to trek inland over the weekend, gradually weakening as it goes. People in mining and Indigenous communities hundreds of kilometres inland could experience strong winds, heavy rain and flooding.

The bureau is providing regular updates online. For those in the path of the cyclone visit www.emergency.wa.gov.au or download the Emergency WA app for the latest community alerts and warnings.

Steve Turton has received funding from the Australian government.

– ref. Bracing for a monster: Tropical Cyclone Zelia is bearing down on WA. Here’s what to expect – https://theconversation.com/bracing-for-a-monster-tropical-cyclone-zelia-is-bearing-down-on-wa-heres-what-to-expect-249947

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Drugs and cash seized in traffic stop – Salisbury Downs

Source: South Australia Police

A man has been arrested after cash and drugs were found during a traffic stop at Salisbury Downs overnight.

About 12.30am on Friday 14 February, police conducted a routine traffic stop on a Toyota Hiace van on Kings Road.

Police had cause to search the man and located approximately 55 grams of methamphetamine inside his pocket. A further search of the vehicle uncovered an amount of 1-4 Butanediol, cocaine and other prescription drugs as well as more than $24,000 in cash and hydroponic equipment.

A 30-year-old man from Walker Flat was arrested for three counts of trafficking a controlled drug, possessing prescribed equipment, unlawful possession and possessing prescription drugs. The man has been refused bail and will appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court today.

CO2500006481, CO2500006579

MIL OSI News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Honda, Nissan call off merger talks amid disagreements

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

This photo taken on Dec. 23, 2024 shows a Honda dealer in Tokyo, Japan. [Photo/Xinhua]

Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. on Thursday announced the decision to terminate discussions on a potential merger, bringing an end to the restructuring attempt that could have created one of the world’s largest automotive group.

Both companies held board meetings on Thursday, where they agreed to withdraw the basic agreement signed in December 2024 and officially end merger discussions.

In the rapidly changing market environment in the age of electrification, prioritizing decision-making speed and the execution of management measures would make it more appropriate to forgo the merger at this time, Nissan said in a statement on its website.

Despite the end of merger talks, the companies will continue to collaborate within the framework of the strategic partnership memorandum, the two companies said in separate statements.

This photo taken on Dec. 23, 2024 shows a Nissan dealer in Tokyo, Japan. [Photo/Xinhua]

The two automakers initially focused on forming a holding company that would oversee both brands, but negotiations stalled over the shareholding structure as tensions escalated when Honda proposed making Nissan its subsidiary, an idea Nissan strongly opposed.

According to local media, Honda has been pushing Nissan to accelerate its restructuring efforts. In November 2024, Nissan announced plans to cut 9,000 jobs worldwide and reduce its global production capacity by 20 percent after reporting a more than 90 percent drop in net profit for the April-September period.

The integration, if materialized, was expected to enhance development capabilities for electric vehicles (EVs) and software while reducing costs through cooperation. However, with the negotiations terminated, both companies must now reassess their strategic direction.

On Thursday, Nissan revised its financial outlook for the fiscal year, estimating a net loss of 80 billion yen (about 520 million U.S. dollars). The company cited rising costs for restructuring its struggling U.S. operations, along with expenses related to workforce reductions.

Revenue projections were also lowered, while operating income, which indicates profit from core business, is expected to be 120 billion yen, 30 billion yen less than the previous forecast.

At a press conference, Nissan’s CEO Makoto Uchida acknowledged the challenges of continuing as an independent entity but ultimately believed that a holding company structure, rather than full acquisition, would have been the best way for Nissan to compete globally.

He also signaled Nissan’s intention to seek partnerships in various fields to ensure future sustainability.

Honda’s CEO Toshihiro Mibe expressed deep regret that both companies could not reach a consensus and take a step forward toward the merger.

However, through these discussions, Honda and Nissan recognized the potential synergy effects of collaboration, he noted. Honda stated that they would leverage this understanding in their ongoing strategic partnership with Mitsubishi Motors, which was announced in August last year.

The focus moving forward will be on intelligent and electrified mobility solutions, with plans to put these ideas into practice, Honda stressed.

Honda said Thursday that it booked a net profit of 805.26 billion yen in the nine months through December, down 7.4 percent from the previous year.

MIL OSI China News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Press conference – Fairfield Connect

Source: Australian Ministers for Education

JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Thanks to the mighty Western Sydney University. When I was a little kid growing up in Cabramatta, just down the road from here, decades ago, I remember lots of KFC logos, lots of Macca’s logos, Westfield logos, but not a lot of university logos. Lots of Big W shops but not enough of that big W. And I want to see more of it. I want more young people to think in Western Sydney, that, “Hey, uni can be for me too.” I want more young people to be on Smart Street in Fairfield. And that’s what this is all about.

As a kid growing up in Western Sydney – and you guys know this too – for a lot of our mates, university just seemed like it was too far away and that it was somewhere else for someone else. This is about bringing university closer to us, to our communities, to where people live in the western suburbs of Sydney. But not just that. Also the western suburbs of Brisbane and Melbourne as well. Bringing university closer so more people get that life-changing chance that education can provide.

Alphia, you mentioned this to me when we came in a little bit ago – it was about a year ago that we were here and that we cut the ribbon and opened this launchpad. And it really is a launchpad. And it reminded me that, all those years ago, I got my first job working right here. It wasn’t a university launchpad then, it wasn’t a Study Hub, it was the Woolies car park. I was collecting shopping trolleys for Woolies. And it’s not lost on me that now this is a Study Hub for our local community, where young people out of school can get a chance to do a law degree, or a business degree, or an engineering degree, or maybe medical science. A place that can change your life and a place that can change our community.

About one in two people in their 30s today have a university degree, but not everywhere. Not in the outer suburbs of our big cities, not in the regions and not in the bush. You know, in a place like Fairfield, it’s only 12 per cent of the community that has a uni degree today. Mount Druitt, it’s about 19 per cent. In Inala, in the western suburbs of Brissie, it’s about 12 per cent as well. In Beenleigh, it’s about 9 per cent. That’s why what we’re doing here is important because when you bring university closer to where people live, it makes it a little bit easier to make that decision that, “Hey, I can do this too.”

I used to get on the train at Cabramatta and catch it all the way to the city and then get on a bus from Central out to Randwick, it took an hour and a half each way. It was only about 10 minutes to get to Fairfield. As I went past here, I still had another hour and 15 minutes to go. Now, if we can bring university closer to our local communities, then we can change lives and we can change communities. We can help build communities where more people have the qualifications they need to get the jobs that they dream of and build the lives that they want. So, that’s what this is about – life-changing stuff.

So, this funding helps to expand this centre, turn a launchpad into a real University Hub. But not just that. As you can see, funding to set up a hub like this in Liverpool as well. We announced one for Macquarie Fields just late last year and then a hub at Mount Druitt and Everton as well. And as I mentioned, Inala and Beenleigh in Queensland. All up, what we’re now doing is funding more than 70 of these hubs across the country. About 56 in the regions and the bush, and now, for the first time, 15 in the outer suburbs of our big cities.

But it’s not just about the buildings, it’s about the lives that we will build and the lives that will change because of this. And I’ve got to say, the reason this launchpad exists, a big part of the credit goes to Western Sydney University. But, Maryanne, as you pointed out before, it also, a lot of the credit goes to the local representation in this community who fought for it for a very, very long time. And at the head of that is one of my best mates, we’ve known each other since before we ever had wrinkles or grey hair and we’ll be mates forever. He fought for it, he helped make it happen, and I’m so glad that we’re able to expand this centre today and turn it into a real University Hub. Can I introduce my friend Chris Bowen.

CHRIS BOWEN, MINISTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY: Thanks very much, Jason. Well, when Jason and David and I were here launching Fairfield Connect almost exactly a year ago, since then 7,000 young people have used this facility. Uni students, Western Sydney Uni students, other universities, school students dreaming, wondering whether they could go to university have come through here. And I’ve got absolutely no doubt, as a result, have thought, “Yes, I can. Yes, I can. I can do this.”

And today, Jason has locked in the future of this – I like to call it a campus – this campus of Western Sydney University, made sure it’s going to be permanent with this funding and made sure that we can increase the services available here. Mentoring, wrap-around services, wonderful fellow university students, academics talking to young people about how they’re going at university or at school, what more they can do, what help, and assistance is there, so they know that on that journey they are not alone. Their family is with them, but their community is with them too, their village is with them. And that’s so important. There’s always been a gap, in my view, in that wonderful institution of Western Sydney University. Great presences in Parramatta and Campbelltown and elsewhere. Always been a gap at Fairfield, a home to 200,000 people, didn’t have a Western Sydney University presence. I decided a little while ago that if we ever got the chance and got back to government, we’d fix that. And with the support of David as the state MP, we made complete pains of ourselves. And I was helped by the fact that Jason and I are Canberra flatmates. So, when he’d finish a hard day in Parliament and he’d get home to our place, he’d open the door and there’s me – perhaps with a glass of whisky – saying, “How’s that Fairfield Western Sydney Hub going, Jason?” And the last thing he needed after a busy day was hearing from me, so eventually we got there, with Jason’s leadership and passion as a fellow Western Sydney kid who got to university and then got to Parliament and then got to Cabinet. That makes a difference.

So, today is a very special day for our community. As has been said, you can’t be what you can’t see. And it’s not just the 7,000 people who have been through. It’s the many thousands more who will walk past, maybe six years old, first they’ve heard of a university, out shopping with Mum and Dad, who think, “Oh, maybe that’s for me one day.” That’s what we’re doing here today.

So, I’m just absolutely delighted. Obviously, I welcome as well the Mount Druitt and Liverpool Hubs because Western Sydney is one community. But this Fairfield Hub is the one in Smart Street, which has driven us for a long time and will drive us for a long time to come as we make it bigger and better and it continues to expand and grow. It’s become, I think, now an essential part of our community and will continue to be and will grow even more.

So, I want to thank Jason for your leadership and commitment in delivering this $3 million for our community and the money for the other communities as well – $3.5 million, I think – which will see us grow, thrive, and continue to educate and make sure that every Australian child – whether the son of a brain surgeon on Sydney’s North Shore or the daughter of a single parent in Cabramatta or Fairfield – can grow to their full potential for themselves and for their country. And that’s what we’re doing today. So, thank you everyone who works here who has made it a reality. Thank you to everyone who’s going to make it a bigger reality. And thank you to Jason and the university for making this a special day for Fairfield. I’m going to hand over to Senator Sheldon, then I think we’re going to take a few questions.

TONY SHELDON, SENATOR FOR NSW: Thank you, Chris. And I think that glass of whisky is now two glasses of whisky waiting for him. So, thank you for that announcement for Western Sydney. My previous life to being in the Senate was representing truck drivers and I did that for over 30 years. And most of that work took me throughout Western Sydney, many days and long hours because that’s what truck drivers do. They do 12- and 14-hour days. Many of them own their own trucks. And why are they doing that? Because they want to make sure there’s something for their kids, for their families, and they’re earning an income that will give an opportunity for their families to do good as well and to work hard as they have. But the big disadvantage for anyone in Western Sydney was that there was a lack of university connect. And congratulations to Western Sydney University and to Chris and to Jason.

And Tu Le, for the years I’ve known Tu Le, is also our candidate for Fowler. Tu has been saying to me as well that we need to make sure that those communities we represent, we work with, have an opportunity for their kids, but also for them, for themselves. Now, for all those truck drivers out there and all those kids of truck drivers, and all those mums and dads out there that have stood by whilst those long hours have been worked, this is what pays off. This is what pays off when community comes together. When governments make decisions and make a real difference for people in a local community. And I can see Barry and [indistinct] and a whole series of people I’ve worked with for many, many years in my previous life, and I work with now, that are so privileged and so happy to see that Western Sydney is again on the map because of the hard work you’ve all been doing to deliver this. And for all those families that now have those opportunities, congratulations. And a significant, a significant opportunity for everybody here in the West. So, thanks, Chris. Thanks, Jason. And thanks to Western Sydney University. Thank you.

JOURNALIST: I just wanted to start with education, Jason, if that’s alright. When it comes to the final two states, there’s hope that a deal would be reached. Well, I guess that’s hoped to be done imminently. Are you much closer and is there any chance that they’ll be done before the election, whenever that may be?

CLARE: I’m not going to negotiate through the media. But already we’ve formed agreements, we’ve signed agreements with Western Australia, with South Australia, with Victoria, with the ACT, with Tasmania and the Northern Territory to fix the funding of public schools. And just as importantly, to tie that funding to real and practical reforms to help kids who fall behind at school, to catch up and to keep up and finish school.

You know, if you don’t know already what drives me – and I think you got an idea of it from my comments a moment ago about helping more young people from communities like ours to get to university – it’s this. The number of kids finishing high school at the moment is going backwards. And it’s not happening everywhere, it’s not happening in private schools, it’s happening in public schools. It’s dropped from 83 per cent to 73 per cent in the last 10 years. And you can draw a connection between that and the billions of dollars that were ripped out of public schools by the last Liberal government.

I want to fix the funding of our schools and I want to tie it to the sort of reforms that are going to help children who fall behind when they’re little to catch up and to keep up and to finish high school, and so they get a crack at a place like this, they get a chance to go to TAFE or to go to university. That’s what those reforms are about. That’s what the reforms that we passed through the Parliament yesterday are also about. That’s about making sure that disadvantaged kids who are currently missing out on going to child care, to early education and care, don’t miss out.

At the moment, some of the most disadvantaged kids in this country aren’t just not finishing school, they’re not getting a chance to go to child care. Because of what the Liberal Party put in place when they were in power – something called the Activity Test – it meant that their mum and dads couldn’t get access to government-supported child care for their kids. These are the sort of kids who maybe don’t see a book until they start kindergarten, all because of changes the Liberal Party made.

Well, we swept that away through the Parliament yesterday. It’s designed to make sure that more kids – as Chris said, whether they come from Mosman or whether they come from Fairfield – get the early education they need to start school ready to learn. The funding agreements that we want to strike with the states are about making sure that the same kids finish school. And hubs like this are about making sure that that same young person gets a chance to go to university closer to where they live.

JOURNALIST: Can I just clarify, sorry, on that Activity Test, I heard two conflicting things. Is the entire test scrapped, like, across the board, or is it just those kind of three days?

CLARE: The test as it stands at the moment means that, for some of the most disadvantaged kids in this country, they were only entitled, their parents were only entitled to one day a week of government-supported care. The legislation that passed through the Parliament yesterday strikes that out and provides a three-day guarantee a week for their parents in early education and care. Why three days? Because the Productivity Commission report that we got in the middle of last year, that provides us with a blueprint for how do we build a universal early education and care system for this country, says that’s the amount that kids need. Three days a week, or 30 hours a week, of early education and care. That’s what’s needed to help make sure that all Australia’s children get the early education they need to start school ready to learn, to make sure that they all get off to a great start in life.

JOURNALIST: And then the final topic for me was just going back to deepfakes at school. So, we’ve seen some examples when it comes to – what’s it called? – in terms of, like, sexualising classmates with deepfakes. I’m just wondering if there’s been any development in that area? I know it’s also a state issue, to an extent, but is there anything you’re working on through that consent course that you’ve set up or in terms of Commonwealth legislation that might further capture this? We kind of have patchy legislation in the Commonwealth level and state levels.

CLARE: This is terrifying. I can’t think of anything worse for a young student, in particular young Australian women, than if AI was used to do this to you. It’s just simply terrifying. There are three things that we’re doing, Dom. First is the legislation that passed through the Parliament in August last year that criminalises this, that sets serious criminal penalties for this sort of behaviour. Up to seven years in jail.

The second is the extra funding that we’re providing to the eSafety Commissioner to make sure that she has the resources that she needs to crack down and stamp this out. And then the third is education, what we do in our schools and making sure that we provide the resources to the states and to schools to educate young people, in particular boys and young men, to make it very clear to them what this is and the fact that this is not on.

We’ve provided about $70-odd million to the states. That consent and respectful relationships education funding is now there and those programs are rolling out in schools right across the country. And one part of that is exactly this.

JOURNALIST: Thanks for that, mate. That’s all from me.

CLARE: No worries. I think that might be it. Great. Thanks, guys.

MIL OSI News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Police aware of social media posts, west Auckland

Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

Please attribute to Inspector Jason Edwards, Waitematā West Area Commander:

Police are aware of social media posts across multiple west Auckland community pages concerning some suspicious activity reported this week.

Some of these posts relate to an assault near the Sturges Road train station on Monday morning, in which a man was charged with assault.

We are also aware of posts outlining suspicious activity allegedly involving the same specific vehicle and individual.

To the community, we are aware of this matter and we are dealing with this.

We strongly urge the community to cease posting photos or personal details of this individual on social media.

If anyone has concerns or information relating to offending that is occurring, this should be reported to Police immediately so it can be dealt with appropriately.

The public should not be taking matters into their own hands.

Police have attended an assault at a Massey property this afternoon, where a person has been arrested and is being spoken to.

The last thing anyone needs right now is people putting themselves at risk of harm or in a situation where they may be potentially committing an offence.

Please report any matters to Police as they happen by calling 111.

Any further information can be reported by reporting online, calling 105, or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

ENDS.

Jared Williamson/NZ Police

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Wellington drug suppliers ordered to forfeit assets

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Please attribute to Detective Sergeant Sam Buckley, Central Asset Recovery Unit Wellington.

A Wellington-based drug supplier has had nearly $340,000 in assets seized, including a 42-foot yacht and high-end art, and could stand to lose more than $2.5 million more.

This is the result of a long-running investigation by Police’s Asset Recovery Unit into the activities of Kenny Leslie McMillan, which were brought to a halt in 2019. The forfeiture orders were issued by the High Court at Wellington on 12 February this year.

In 2019, an investigation led by the Wellington Organised Crime Unit – dubbed Operation Superdry – was launched into the drug supply activity of McMillan.

While he pleaded guilty to some charges shortly before a hearing, he continued to deny other charges. He was subsequently subject to a jury trial, where he was found guilty, and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment in 2021.

The assets ordered to be forfeited on 12 February include cash and bank accounts totalling nearly $168,000, three motor vehicles, a 42-foot Silverton 330 sport launch, jewellery – including a Hubolt watch estimated to be worth $50,000 – and a Ralph Hotere lithograph.

The profit forfeiture order issued against McMillan totals $2.758 million – this order encompasses the profits made from his offending. It can potentially lead to future assets identified as belonging to McMillan also being seized.

Operation Superdry targeted a drug dealing syndicate led by McMillan, who would arrange for methamphetamine to be sourced from Auckland and transported to Wellington in cars with secret compartments customised especially to conceal the drugs.

McMillan concealed drugs in inner city parking buildings, where they were exchanged for cash. Robert Jason Taui was convicted as part of the syndicate for his part in these exchanges.

Taui was sentenced to nine years and one month imprisonment, and in March 2024 was himself ordered to forfeit assets including cash, motorbikes and vehicles totalling nearly $54,000. A profit forfeiture order of $1.38 million was also made against him.

The Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act investigation established the assets of both McMillan and Taui were derived through illicit means, allowing them to live a lifestyle beyond legitimate means.

“Police will continue to target organised crime offenders through both criminal and civil court jurisdictions,” Detective Sergeant Sam Buckley says.

“The profit forfeiture orders issued in these proceedings demonstrate the full extent of criminality and amount of unlawful benefit received by the offenders. Property to an equivalent value can then be sought for forfeiture regardless of when or how it was acquired.”

“One of the primary reasons that organised crime exists is to make money. This result will have a direct impact on the perception that those who commit crime can profit from it,” he says

Organised crime and gangs cause serious harm to our communities and Police will continue to work to strip organised crime groups and their associates of their illegitimate wealth.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Call for information – Motor vehicle crash – Alice Springs

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The Northern Territory Police Force is investigating the circumstances of a motor vehicle crash that occurred early this morning in Alice Springs.

Around 1.10am, police CCTV operators sighted a motor vehicle crash at the intersection of Stott Terrace and Hartley Street.

A white Toyota Hilux had initially collided with a black Toyota hatchback at the intersection of Telegraph Terrace and Stott Terrace, before continuing east along Stott Terrace. The Hilux subsequently struck a light pole before coming to a halt after colliding with a nearby tree.

Emergency services responded and identified the 46-year-old male driver of the white Hilux had allegedly suffered stab wounds to his back and chest prior to the crash. He was conveyed to Alice Springs Hospital in a serious, but stable condition.

Police believe the incident is related to an aggravated burglary that occurred earlier in the evening at a residence on Smith Street. Police received reports that one female and three males allegedly unlawfully entered the premises and threatened the 49-year-old male victim, before stealing items and his blue Toyota Hilux parked onsite

The persons involved are believed to be known to each other.

Southern Investigations have carriage of the investigation and urge anyone with information to contact 131 444 and quote reference P250043553. You can also report anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or through https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/.

MIL OSI News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Beijing launches satellite internet industrial park, key laboratories

Source: China State Council Information Office 3

Beijing has officially unveiled a satellite internet industrial park and granted licenses to eight key laboratories in commercial space industry.

These happened at the Beijing Commercial Space High-quality Development Conference, which was held in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, and concluded on Wednesday. The conference mainly focuses on implementing major projects and accelerating the high-quality growth of China’s commercial space industry.

The satellite internet industrial park will leverage Beijing E-Town’s advantages in aerospace industry and strengths of new-type industries to develop satellite internet projects, building a complete industrial chain of satellite internet research and intelligent manufacturing.

The eight key laboratories focus on frontier fields, including aerospace vehicle design, satellite internet applications and satellite interconnection and control, among others. They aim to foster top talent and drive technological innovation in the industry.

Beijing E-Town hosts over 160 aerospace companies, including over 70 national high-tech firms, with 16 ranked among China’s top 100 commercial space companies, said an official of E-Town.

MIL OSI China News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China-Japan venture producing automotive aluminum sheets unveiled

Source: China State Council Information Office

This photo taken on May 22, 2024 shows a “light-out” factory of Baosteel in east China’s Shanghai. [Photo/Xinhua]

Kobelco Baosteel Automotive Aluminum Rolled Products Co., Ltd., a Sino-Japanese joint venture specializing in automotive aluminum sheets, was officially unveiled in Shanghai on Thursday. The occasion signified strengthened collaboration between Chinese and Japanese enterprises in the automotive materials sector.

The company, jointly established by China’s Baoshan Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. (Baosteel), Baowu Aluminum Technology Co., Ltd. and Japan’s Kobe Steel, has a registered capital of nearly 1 billion yuan (about 139.4 million U.S. dollars).

With an equal investment from China and Japan, the joint venture will supply environmentally friendly aluminum sheets to automakers.

As aluminum plays a crucial role in vehicle lightweighting, the rapid expansion of electric vehicle production presents a significant market opportunity. China’s demand for automotive aluminum sheets is projected to grow from 442,000 tonnes in 2024 to 657,000 tonnes by 2027.

The company said that it aims to leverage Baosteel’s and Kobe Steel’s technological expertise, manufacturing efficiency and global market strategy to enhance the supply of high-end automotive aluminum sheets.

Zou Jixin, chairman of Baosteel, said that the joint venture strengthens Sino-Japanese strategic cooperation, fostering complementary advantages while aligning with the industry’s shift toward green and low-carbon development.

The unveiling of the venture follows a trend of increased foreign investment in China’s automotive sector, with Shanghai serving as an important base.

Earlier this month, Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. announced plans to build a new wholly-owned electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Shanghai. U.S. carmaker Tesla’s new Megafactory, dedicated to making energy-storage batteries known as Megapacks, began production on Tuesday in Shanghai.

MIL OSI China News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Israel strikes Gaza after failed rocket launch

Source: China State Council Information Office

Displaced Palestinians who take their way home from the southern Gaza Strip to the north, are seen near the Netzarim Corridor in the central Gaza Strip, on Feb. 9, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Israel’s military said it struck Gaza on Thursday in retaliation for an earlier alleged attempt to fire a rocket from the enclave.

The attack targeted “the launcher from which the rocket launch in the Gaza Strip was identified,” a military spokesperson said in a statement.

The rocket did not cross into Israel but killed a 14-year-old boy in Gaza, according to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper.

No group immediately assumed responsibility for the rocket launch.

It was the first reported attempt by Gaza militants to fire a rocket toward Israel since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on Jan. 19.

The incident occurred amid a crisis that threatened to collapse the fragile truce. Hamas said Thursday it would release three more hostages on Saturday as agreed and reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire agreement following talks with mediators. However, Israel denied that any understanding had been reached and did not withdraw its threat to resume attacks on Gaza.

MIL OSI China News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Fleeing driver runs out of road in Waikato

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Attribute to Waikato District Police Shift Commander Senior Sergeant Leo Belay:

Police are praising members of the public for helping officers track a fleeing driver in the Waikato today.

About 11am, Police received reports of a Subaru vehicle driving dangerously and overtaking vehicles through road works in Te Kuiti. After being located and signalled to stop, the vehicle fled but was not pursued.

It continued to drive in a dangerous manner on State Highway 3 towards Hamilton, where more members of the public called to report its erratic driving. These updates of the vehicle’s location greatly assisted the Police response, by allowing resources to be deployed ahead of the offending vehicle.

The vehicle was sighted by Police in Te Awamutu, where it was followed towards the town by an unmarked Police unit.

Tyre Deflation Devices (TDDs) were successfully deployed by Police in Ohaupo, which slowed the vehicle as it approached the Hamilton Airport.

The vehicle continued toward Glenview in Hamilton, where TDDs were successfully deployed a further four times in quick succession.

Police then engaged in a low-speed pursuit of the vehicle into Hamilton.

The offending vehicle was eventually stopped on Tristram Street in Hamilton by utilising a tactical vehicle intervention.

Two people were taken into Police custody without further incident.

A 33-year-old male from New Plymouth will appear tomorrow in the Hamilton District Court on charges of dangerous driving, aggravated failure to stop, and driving while disqualified third and subsequent.

A 30-year-old woman, also from New Plymouth, is assisting with enquiries.

This event demonstrates the importance of reporting dangerous driving behaviour and the assistance it provides to Police with investigating and holding offenders accountable for their actions. We want to thank all those people who called us, allowing frontline officers across the District to carry out excellent work that keeps the community safe.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Parliament has passed landmark election donation laws. They may be a ‘stitch up’ but they also improve Australia’s democracy

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joo-Cheong Tham, Professor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne

Federal parliament has passed the biggest changes to Australia’s electoral funding laws in decades.

The Albanese government’s Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Reform) Bill 2024 cleared the Senate on Wednesday night after just two hours of debate on amendments agreed to earlier by the Coalition. In blatant disregard for democracy, the government refused to refer the bill to a parliamentary committee for proper scrutiny.

The amendments fail to address numerous deficiencies in the original bill that was introduced last November. Transparency has been wound back and hollow contribution caps have been locked in.

In significant respects, however, the package is an improvement on the status quo, which has seen unrestricted donations and spending flourish. So, too, secrecy.

We need to penetrate the sound and fury of partisanship and assess the substance of these laws. This will yield a much more nuanced picture than conveyed by cross bench claims of a major party stitch up.

Some improvement to transparency

The government originally proposed lowering the disclosure threshold for donations from $16,000 to $1,000. The revised bill settles on a new threshold of $5,000.

The amendments fail to plug a loophole that allows a donor to give separately to all of the branches attached to a political party if each individual contribution is just under the threshold. For example, a donor could spread almost $45,000 to the nine state and federal branches of the ALP without being required to declare the amounts.

But the new laws will usher in near-real time disclosure and substantially reduce “dark money”, a seismic shift from the secrecy and lack of timeliness in the regime it replaces.

Hollow donation caps

Under the reforms, a series of contribution caps have been introduced to curb the influence of big money in politics.

In my assessment of the original bill, I highlighted how the caps would prevent multi-million dollar contributions from cashed-up individuals.

The amendments go further by closing a number of sizeable loopholes. Self financing candidates, such as Clive Palmer and Malcolm Turnbull will be subject to the contribution caps. The current exclusions for membership and affiliation fees to associated entities – “disguised donations” – will also be caught by the caps.

But any positives are emphatically outweighed by the “annual gift cap” more than doubling to $50,000. The same “spreading” loophole that applies to the disclosure obligations would allow a donor to to give just shy of this amount to each of a party’s state and federal branches across the country. The major parties could reap up to almost $450,000 per annum from a single donor.

And the “overall gift cap” on total donations made to political parties and candidates is a generous $1.6 million, which means large contributions will still be permissible under the new framework.

The government has also failed to remove the patently unfair provisions relating to “nominated entities”, which are likely to be used by the major parties as investment vehicles.

As the Victorian Electoral Review Expert Panel has rightly noted, such entities:

provide some (parties) with significantly more funds, creating a risk that those (parties) drown out other voices.

Election spending contained and fairer

The spending caps in the new finance laws are fundamentally unaltered by the government’s amendments.

The $800,000 per electorate limit, and $90 million per party nationally, will contain the “arms race” that has necessitated “big money” fundraising and fuelled unfair contests.

However, the limits are set too high and will benefit the established parties due to the narrow scope of the spending caps in individual electorates. This means the major parties will be able to shift funding to must-win seats without being caught by the electorate caps.

This shortcoming has been seized upon as clear evidence that Labor and the Liberals are seeking to kneecap Teal election campaigns. While having some force, these criticisms should be viewed in the context of the current situation where the major parties have an unfettered ability to direct spending to marginal seats, a situation which the Teals are ironically defending with their opposition to spending caps.

The importance of public funding

The new regime includes a substantial jump in public funding from $3.50 to $5 per vote.

Crossbenchers, such as Kate Chaney, are opposed, to the increase, saying it will entrench the might of the majors while making it harder for new independents:

The effect of increasing public funding is that political parties don’t have to fundraise because they’ve got their war chests. But any challengers do have to fundraise.

While there is a clear risk of unfairness, the crossbench position throws the baby out with the bathwater. It romanticises the role of private funding, skating over the risks of corruption and undue influence via large donations.

The public funding of political parties and candidates is warranted. But there should be a conversation about the design and scope of taxpayer support.

The political finance laws could be made considerably fairer by fixing the structural bias that favours incumbents, including teal MPs. And they don’t need to be as generous given the large flows of private funding that will continue under the shallow contribution caps.

Unfinished business

Bad processes tend to make bad laws. The government’s actions have cast a pall of illegitimacy over its political finance regime. The new framework is unfair and ineffectual in significant ways and yet democracy enhancing in others.

We are all trustees of democracy, with an obligation to protect and deepen democratic practices. An urgent task in that continuing struggle is to protect the strengths of these laws while jettisoning the elements that are egregiously bad.

Joo-Cheong Tham has received funding from the Australian Research Council, the Australian Council of Trade Unions, European Trade Union Institute, International IDEA, the New South Wales Electoral Commission, the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Victorian Electoral Commission. He is a Director of the Centre for Public Integrity; Expert Network Member of Climate Integrity; a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia; and the Victorian Division Assistant Secretary (Academic Staff) of the National Tertiary Education Union.

– ref. Parliament has passed landmark election donation laws. They may be a ‘stitch up’ but they also improve Australia’s democracy – https://theconversation.com/parliament-has-passed-landmark-election-donation-laws-they-may-be-a-stitch-up-but-they-also-improve-australias-democracy-249588

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

February 14, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Suicide or accident? The hidden complexities of intentional road crashes in Australia
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor & Principal Fellow in Urban Risk & Resilience, The University of Melbourne

Juris Teivans/Shutterstock

In Australia, fatal road crashes are climbing again, especially since the pandemic, and despite years of attempts to reduce road trauma, the numbers remain stubbornly high.

Strategies to reduce the road toll have largely focused on speeding, distractions and enforcement gaps, such as roadside drug testing.

But hidden in these statistics is a lesser-known, deeply troubling reality: some of these crashes are not unintentional at all.

A difficult area to explore

A portion of road fatalities each year are deaths by suicide.

For some, cars and trucks are not just modes of transport – they become a means to intentionally end their lives.

The true scale of this issue is difficult to determine, as coroners and crash investigators often struggle to distinguish suicide from accidental death.

The phenomenon is not confined to Australia – it has been studied and documented in several countries including the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, and the United States.

International research suggests driver suicides may account for up to 8–9% of all fatal road crashes. But studies indicate up to half of these cases may go unreported.

So what do we know about these cases? Why are they so difficult to identify and what patterns exist in these incidents?

How bad is the problem?

Between 2001 and 2017, the rate of suicide involving a road vehicle collision in Australia nearly doubled from 0.125 per 100,000 people to 0.25 per 100,000.

These suicides take several forms.

Some involve single-vehicle crashes, where a driver deliberately collides with a tree, pole, or concrete barrier.

Others are multiple-vehicle collisions, where a driver or rider intentionally steers into oncoming traffic, often targeting trucks.

There are also pedestrian suicides, where people step or lie in front of moving vehicles.

Among driver suicides, single-vehicle crashes are the most common, with studies estimating more than half of driver suicides involve collisions with fixed objects (some studies suggest the figure is more than 70%).

For multiple-vehicle collisions, almost 82% of cases involve colliding with an oncoming truck.

More than half of pedestrian deaths by suicide also involve trucks.

While there are variations in research findings, current evidence suggest males make up between 78% and 91% of those who die by road transport suicide.

Certain demographics have been found to be more likely to die in a road suicide in Australia compared to other methods of suicide:

This includes those who are:
- male (15% more likely than females)
- younger than 25 (nearly five times more likely than those older)
- non-Indigenous (three times more likely than First Nations people)
- born overseas (40% more likely than those born in Australia)
The ripple effects

Unlike most other suicide methods, road vehicle collisions pose a significant risk to others.

Intentional crashes can involve unsuspecting drivers, passengers and pedestrians, turning a personal act of self-harm into a broader public safety issue.

Studies show that when a suicide collision involves vehicles with a large weight disparity — such as a car colliding with a truck — nearly 30% result in injury to another person and almost 4% result in the death of another person.

Beyond the immediate loss of life or injury, these incidents leave lasting psychological scars on the drivers involved.

Why is it difficult to establish suicide on the road?

Determining whether a fatal road crash was intentional or unintentional is fraught with challenges. Unlike other suicide methods, there is often no definitive proof of intent.

Coroners and crash investigators rely on a patchwork of evidence: eyewitness accounts, vehicle behaviour before impact, the driver’s psychological history and physical crash characteristics.

Even when red flags are present — such as high-speed impacts with no signs of braking, the driver not wearing a seat belt, collisions with trucks, or cases where drivers abruptly veer into oncoming traffic — these alone are not always enough to confirm intent.

Investigators must also navigate the cultural and social sensitivities surrounding suicide, which can lead to hesitation in formally classifying a death as intentional. Families, religious beliefs and even financial factors such as life insurance claims can influence how these cases are handled.

In many instances, those who use this method do so in a way that obscures their intent, deliberately staging a crash to appear unintentional.

Without conclusive evidence, such as a documented history of suicidality or a suicide note, these cases often remain in statistical limbo — unconfirmed, unclassified, and possibly unreported.

What can be done?

While broader suicide prevention efforts are always relevant, reducing suicide-related road crashes requires targeted, practical interventions that make vehicles less likely to be used for suicide. Some ideas include:

1. Vehicle safety features that reduce lethality, such as automatic emergency braking and collision avoidance systems, can make intentional high-speed crashes less likely to be fatal. As such, they could discourage the use of vehicles as a suicide method. Airbags, in particular, can play a crucial role, as they can make the outcome of a crash less predictable for people attempting suicide.

2. A national standardised process for classifying intentional crashes would improve detection and data accuracy. Incorporating psychological autopsies and mandating coroners consider behavioural indicators (such as lack of evasive action) could help identify cases that currently go unreported.

3. Heavy vehicle drivers and first responders should receive specialised training to recognise potential suicide crash indicators and manage the psychological toll of being involved in such incidents.

Together, these measures can make vehicle-related suicide, as a very complex issue, less likely and more detectable.

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. In Australia, you can contact Lifeline at 13 11 14 for confidential support.

Angela J Clapperton receives funding from Suicide Prevention Australia.

Lay San Too receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council for a fellowship.

Matthew J. Spittal receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council for an Investigator Grant (GNT2025205).

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

– ref. Suicide or accident? The hidden complexities of intentional road crashes in Australia – https://theconversation.com/suicide-or-accident-the-hidden-complexities-of-intentional-road-crashes-in-australia-248673
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Stolen vehicle ends with arrest in the bag

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

The driver of a stolen vehicle has landed in court after a search of the vehicle he was driving found a number of zip-lock bags containing methamphetamine.

At about 10.25pm, Police were alerted to a stolen vehicle travelling on Dawson Road, Ōtara.

Counties Manukau East Area Prevention Manager, Inspector Rakana Cook, says officers located the vehicle parked in a driveway and quickly took the driver and passenger into custody.

“A search of the vehicle has located 16 grams of methamphetamine, split into zip-lock bags as well as electronic scales.

“Though the quantity of drugs may not be considered large on a national scale, we know all too well how destructive methamphetamine is to communities.

“We are committed to holding offenders to account and delivering on our intent to the community safe.”

A 35-year-old man will appear in Manukau District Court today charged with possession for supply of methamphetamine and receiving property.

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Fireworks and open air fires prohibited in Strath Taieri zone

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Fire and Emergency New Zealand has declared a prohibited fire season in Otago’s Strath Taieri zone from 8am on Saturday 15 February, until further notice.

A prohibited fire season means no open-air fires are allowed and all fire permits are suspended.

Fireworks will also be prohibited in Strath Taieri, which is possible under Section 52 of the Fire and Emergency Act.

Strath Taieri is a large area of land in Otago which includes the Taieri River, the Rock and Pillar Range and the town of Middlemarch.

Fire and Emergency Otago District Manager Phil Marsh says the area has an abundance of grass and scrub and experiences hot dry summers.

“The current dry conditions are expected to continue, with blustery westerly winds forecast for the remainder of summer and into autumn,” he says.

“This combination presents a very high fire risk, as dry grass and scrub can ignite easily and fire will rapidly spread.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to reduce the risk of wildfire, we are also putting a ban on fireworks.

“It only takes one spark to start a wildfire. The risk is far too high in these dry and windy conditions.”

The Strath Taieri zone includes Te Papanui Conservation Park, home to a huge variety of native plants and animals.

“We are urging everybody to do their part to protect this area from wildfire,” Phil Marsh says.

“Along with the ban on fireworks, we ask people to be vigilant with other heat or spark-generating activities.

“Using machinery or power tools and parking or driving vehicles near dry vegetation have the potential to start a wildfire that will spread quickly. You should avoid these activities on hot, windy days.

“If you are camping in the area, always set up your gas cooker on a stable surface and away from long, dry grass.

“Know the risks, and always check the local fire danger at www.checkitsalright.nz.”

Please take extra care this weekend as the fire danger will be elevated in Strath Taieri and across Otago.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Parliament has passed landmark election donation laws. They may be a ‘stich up’ but they also improve Australia’s democracy

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joo-Cheong Tham, Professor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne

Federal parliament has passed the biggest changes to Australia’s electoral funding laws in decades.

The Albanese government’s Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Reform) Bill 2024 cleared the Senate on Wednesday night after just two hours of debate on amendments agreed to earlier by the Coalition. In blatant disregard for democracy, the government refused to refer the bill to a parliamentary committee for proper scrutiny.

The amendments fail to address numerous deficiencies in the original bill that was introduced last November. Transparency has been wound back and hollow contribution caps have been locked in.

In significant respects, however, the package is an improvement on the status quo, which has seen unrestricted donations and spending flourish. So, too, secrecy.

We need to penetrate the sound and fury of partisanship and assess the substance of these laws. This will yield a much more nuanced picture than conveyed by cross bench claims of a major party stitch up.

Some improvement to transparency

The government originally proposed lowering the disclosure threshold for donations from $16,000 to $1,000. The revised bill settles on a new threshold of $5,000.

The amendments fail to plug a loophole that allows a donor to give separately to all of the branches attached to a political party if each individual contribution is just under the threshold. For example, a donor could spread almost $45,000 to the nine state and federal branches of the ALP without being required to declare the amounts.

But the new laws will usher in near-real time disclosure and substantially reduce “dark money”, a seismic shift from the secrecy and lack of timeliness in the regime it replaces.

Hollow donation caps

Under the reforms, a series of contribution caps have been introduced to curb the influence of big money in politics.

In my assessment of the original bill, I highlighted how the caps would prevent multi-million dollar contributions from cashed-up individuals.

The amendments go further by closing a number of sizeable loopholes. Self financing candidates, such as Clive Palmer and Malcolm Turnbull will be subject to the contribution caps. The current exclusions for membership and affiliation fees to associated entities – “disguised donations” – will also be caught by the caps.

But any positives are emphatically outweighed by the “annual gift cap” more than doubling to $50,000. The same “spreading” loophole that applies to the disclosure obligations would allow a donor to to give just shy of this amount to each of a party’s state and federal branches across the country. The major parties could reap up to almost $450,000 per annum from a single donor.

And the “overall gift cap” on total donations made to political parties and candidates is a generous $1.6 million, which means large contributions will still be permissible under the new framework.

The government has also failed to remove the patently unfair provisions relating to “nominated entities”, which are likely to be used by the major parties as investment vehicles.

As the Victorian Electoral Review Expert Panel has rightly noted, such entities:

provide some (parties) with significantly more funds, creating a risk that those (parties) drown out other voices.

Election spending contained and fairer

The spending caps in the new finance laws are fundamentally unaltered by the government’s amendments.

The $800,000 per electorate limit, and $90 million per party nationally, will contain the “arms race” that has necessitated “big money” fundraising and fuelled unfair contests.

However, the limits are set too high and will benefit the established parties due to the narrow scope of the spending caps in individual electorates. This means the major parties will be able to shift funding to must-win seats without being caught by the electorate caps.

This shortcoming has been seized upon as clear evidence that Labor and the Liberals are seeking to kneecap Teal election campaigns. While having some force, these criticisms should be viewed in the context of the current situation where the major parties have an unfettered ability to direct spending to marginal seats, a situation which the Teals are ironically defending with their opposition to spending caps.

The importance of public funding

The new regime includes a substantial jump in public funding from $3.50 to $5 per vote.

Crossbenchers, such as Kate Chaney, are opposed, to the increase, saying it will entrench the might of the majors while making it harder for new independents:

The effect of increasing public funding is that political parties don’t have to fundraise because they’ve got their war chests. But any challengers do have to fundraise.

While there is a clear risk of unfairness, the crossbench position throws the baby out with the bathwater. It romanticises the role of private funding, skating over the risks of corruption and undue influence via large donations.

The public funding of political parties and candidates is warranted. But there should be a conversation about the design and scope of taxpayer support.

The political finance laws could be made considerably fairer by fixing the structural bias that favours incumbents, including teal MPs. And they don’t need to be as generous given the large flows of private funding that will continue under the shallow contribution caps.

Unfinished business

Bad processes tend to make bad laws. The government’s actions have cast a pall of illegitimacy over its political finance regime. The new framework is unfair and ineffectual in significant ways and yet democracy enhancing in others.

We are all trustees of democracy, with an obligation to protect and deepen democratic practices. An urgent task in that continuing struggle is to protect the strengths of these laws while jettisoning the elements that are egregiously bad.

Joo-Cheong Tham has received funding from the Australian Research Council, the Australian Council of Trade Unions, European Trade Union Institute, International IDEA, the New South Wales Electoral Commission, the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Victorian Electoral Commission. He is a Director of the Centre for Public Integrity; Expert Network Member of Climate Integrity; a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia; and the Victorian Division Assistant Secretary (Academic Staff) of the National Tertiary Education Union.

– ref. Parliament has passed landmark election donation laws. They may be a ‘stich up’ but they also improve Australia’s democracy – https://theconversation.com/parliament-has-passed-landmark-election-donation-laws-they-may-be-a-stich-up-but-they-also-improve-australias-democracy-249588

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Man charged over Mowbray incident

Source: Tasmania Police

Man charged over Mowbray incident

Friday, 14 February 2025 – 11:52 am.

A man has been charged following an incident at Mowbray overnight.
Police were called about 9pm Thursday after a person reportedly entered a vehicle on Invermay Road while the driver and a passenger were inside.
The man allegedly threatened the driver while in possession of a small knife.
The victim drove the alleged offender to a location on George Town Road where he exited the vehicle.
Nobody was physically injured during the incident.
Police quickly responded and located a 32-year-old Mayfield man a short time later at an address in Mayfield.
He was arrested and has since been charged with trespass, assault, and possess a dangerous article.
He will appear in the Launceston Magistrates Court in April.

MIL OSI News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI: EzFill Holdings Announces Pricing of $15 Million Public Offering and Closing of Share Exchange with NextNRG

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

MIAMI, Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EzFill Holdings, Inc. (“EzFill” and the “Company”) (Nasdaq: EZFL), a leading mobile fueling company, today announced the pricing of a public offering of 5,000,000 shares of common stock at a price to the public of $3.00 per share, for gross proceeds of $15,000,000, before deducting underwriting discounts and offering expenses. In addition, EzFill has granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 750,000 shares of common stock to cover over-allotments, if any.

EzFill today also announced the closing of its previously announced share exchange agreement with NextNRG Holding Corp. Effective February 14, 2025, the Company will change its name from “EzFill Holdings, Inc.” to “NextNRG, Inc.” The Company’s common stock will cease trading under the ticker symbol “EZFL” and begin trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol “NXXT” and the new CUSIP number 652941105 as of the commencement of trading on February 14, 2025. The offering is expected to close on February 18, 2025, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

The Company intends to use the proceeds to expand its business, repay outstanding indebtedness, and general corporate purposes, including working capital.

ThinkEquity is acting as sole book-runner for the offering.

Anthony, Linder & Cacomanolis, PLLC is acting as legal counsel to EzFill and Loeb & Loeb LLP is acting as legal counsel to ThinkEquity in connection with the offering.

A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-275761) relating to the shares was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and a post-effective amendment thereto became effective on February 13, 2025. This offering is being made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the final prospectus, when available, may be obtained from ThinkEquity, 17 State Street, 41^st Floor, New York, New York 10004. The final prospectus will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC’s website located at http://www.sec.gov.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About NextNRG, Inc. (f/k/a EzFill Holdings, Inc.)
NextNRG Holding Corp. (NextNRG) and EzFill have merged to form a combined entity focused on renewable energy, mobile fueling, and next-generation energy infrastructure. By leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies, NextNRG is developing an integrated ecosystem that combines solar energy generation, battery storage, wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging, and on-demand fuel delivery.

At the core of NextNRG’s strategy is the deployment of NextNRG Smart Microgrids, which utilize AI-driven energy management alongside solar power and battery storage to enhance energy efficiency, reduce costs, and improve grid resiliency. These microgrids are designed to serve commercial properties, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, parking garages, rural and tribal lands, recreational facilities, and government properties, expanding energy accessibility while supporting decarbonization initiatives.

Following the merger with EzFill, NextNRG is integrating sustainable energy solutions into mobile fueling operations. The company will provide renewable energy to its fueling partners, supporting more efficient fuel delivery while advancing clean energy adoption. It continues to expand its growing fleet of fuel delivery trucks and national footprint, including the acquisition of Yoshi Mobility’s fuel division, further solidifying its position as a leader in the on-demand fueling industry.

By combining renewable energy innovation with mobile fueling expertise, NextNRG is building a sustainable energy ecosystem that bridges traditional fuel needs with AI-powered clean energy solutions.

The combined entity, NextNRG, will trade under the symbol NXXT on the Nasdaq Capital Market. To find out more visit NextNRG.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, EzFill’s expectations regarding the completion, timing and size of the proposed offering, EzFill’s expectations with respect to granting the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase additional shares and EzFill’s anticipated use of the net proceeds from the proposed offering. Any statement describing EzFill’s goals, expectations, financial or other projections, intentions, or beliefs is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk statement. Words such as “expect,” “intends,” “will,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those related to EzFill’s business and macroeconomic and geopolitical events. These and other risks are described in the prospectus related to the proposed offering to be filed with the SEC. EzFill’s forward-looking statements involve assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove correct, could cause its results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although EzFill’s forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of its management, these statements are based only on facts and factors currently known by EzFill. Except as required by law, EzFill undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements for any reason. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements.

Investor Relations Contact:

Jeff Ramson, CEO
PCG Advisory, Inc.
jramson@pcgadvisory.com

The MIL Network –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Homemade taser found following flee

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Officers who attempted to stop a vehicle in Drury have taken a homemade weapon off the streets after the driver fled from Police.

At about 2.50pm yesterday, Police signalled for a vehicle on Great South Road to stop, however it failed to do so and continued on towards Papakura.

Counties Manukau South Area Prevention Manager, Inspector Matt Hoyes, says the vehicle was on Te Napi Drive, Takanini after it had stopped.

“Staff have quickly taken the driver into custody and a search of the vehicle has located a homemade taser, shotgun shell and ammunition.

“This is a great result and yet another example that we are committed to keeping offensive weapons such as these out of our community.”

A 29-year-old man will appear in Papakura District Court on 20 February charged with possession of an offensive weapon, unlawful possession of a restricted weapon, unlawful possession of ammunition and cannabis possession.

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Strand Arcade opens an elegant new food and beverage chapter

Source: Auckland Council

Heritage architects describe Strand Arcade as one of the grandest surviving shopping arcades in New Zealand. Some of the ornate elements present today were part of the earliest purpose-built arcade in the country dating back to 1899.

A jewel of Auckland’s retail heritage at 233 Queen Street, the arcade has caught the eye of a young Korean chef turned coffee innovator who is bringing new energy and artistry to the historic Strand Arcade.

Appreciating the potential of the site and the building itself – located between two City Rail Link station entrances / exits in the heart of midtown – Blues Shim (26) has plans to reinvigorate the 125-year-old arcade.

“I always wanted to be an artist. For me food and beverage creativity is the best art form as it inspires all five senses. Food is my art and at Slow Koi our baristas are artists,” he says.

Recently opened with jet black interior, relaxed vibe and tranquil aquarium, Blues Shim’s new coffee brewing shop Slow Koi is expanding Aucklanders’ coffee repertoire and bringing people back to midtown.

“I want to express my art with a gallery of brands in Strand Arcade, painting a different brand on each shop. Our group’s plan is to have seven shops here by the end of this year; maybe as many as twelve,” Blues says.

Born in South Korea in the city of Busan, Blues came to Auckland as a teenage chef. We sat down to chat with Blues in his stylish new store and soon discovered that there is much more to the art of coffee than a flat white and long black.

Councillor Richard Hills says it’s exciting to see so many fantastic businesses coming into midtown, with the city centre feeling alive and bustling again.

“The council team has put a lot of effort and resources into attracting people back into the city through redeveloped public spaces, pedestrian-friendly walkways, better public transport networks and activations like our Lunar New Year festival.

“We’re thrilled businesses like Slow Koi are seeing the positive future of this area as a great place to open a business. We’re looking forward to seeing what else is in store for the historic Strand Arcade,” Councillor Hills says.

This Q&A is not an endorsement or paid partnership. It is part of an occasional series shining light on the regeneration of midtown and some of the people who are playing a part in it. The Auckland Council group announced an investment of $155million in multiple projects to regenerate midtown in September 2021. Many are delivered already.

Our Q&A with Blues Shim:

What does Slow Koi mean?

Koi is a Japanese fish. I had to have it for the name. I love taking care of fish. I love to watch fish swim. It relaxes me a lot. Coffee in Japanese is the word ‘kohi’. So coffee and koi have a good similarity for me. We wanted to show coffee can be a good slow drink. Coffee gives joy and helps you chill and heal from hard work. Thankfully a lot of people love the vibe. They love the concept. It’s going really well. I feel very happy that people are coming to midtown to find Slow Koi and discover Strand Arcade. They relax. Just chill.

Blues Shim creating his coffee blends at Slow Koi.

Why did you choose Strand Arcade for Slow Koi?

There are already a lot of good streets in the city centre – Lorne Street, High Street, Britomart, Chancery – but I thought Elliott Street had potential. I just thought ‘wow!’ when I saw this building. This is such a beautiful building; one of New Zealand’s heritage buildings. I saw tourists taking photos. I couldn’t believe it was empty. It was sad. I wanted to do something here.

What was the potential you saw?

When I first saw Elliott Street, businesses were having a hard time due to many pressures including construction. But we could see a big potential here. Auckland Council’s regeneration of midtown really excites me. I was looking for a place. I want to open different food and beverage outlets here. We are excited about what midtown is going to look like in two or three years after the City Rail Link is established.

What is the vibe of the midtown food and beverage scene?

Midtown is packed with different cultures from different countries. A lot of small, passionate, authentic restaurants serve great food here. And I love the midtown street parties. A new series is starting this month and we’ll have them on every third Thursday of every month. I DJ through the window of Slow Koi and I see a lot of people from many cultures getting involved and joining together, eating great food, hearing live music and having fun. It has a unique kind of energy.

What are some of the other brands you plan to bring to Strand Arcade?

You’ll soon see ‘Hi Toastie’, which brings coffee and toasties together from many cities across Asia. I’m hoping to bring ‘My Mura’ which means ‘eat a lot’ in Korean. ‘Yooa & Tako’ is another brand we’re developing, and an Argentinian brand ‘Asado’. Our food and beverage will be authentic flavours from many different Asian cities, and all over the world.

For more stories about midtown’s change makers and change embracers, visit ProgressAKL. You’ll meet passionate Aucklanders who are giving midtown a new burst of energy. Hear their stories. Feel their optimism. Join midtown’s new momentum.

Like Blues, they are excited to see how the Auckland Council group is transforming midtown ahead of 2026 when the City Rail Link’s Te Waihorotiu Station opens. The station will bring thousands of people into midtown’s renewed laneways, streets and spaces every day.

Inside Te Waihorotiu Station; photo supplied by City Rail Link; taken in February 2025.

Read about the recent delivery of the first stage of a redesigned Victoria Street at OurAuckland.

Victoria Street is one of three east-west streets in the Te Waihorotiu Station neighbourhood undergoing a major transformation to create a new gateway for the city centre. Before the regeneration of midtown, Victoria Street, Wellesley Street and Mayoral Drive were dense traffic routes carrying more than four lanes of cars, trucks and buses, with cyclists hugging the edges, pedestrians vying with scooters along narrow footpaths and a noisy environment for businesses.

Victoria St.

In the regeneration, Wellesley Street will become an important central city bus interchange, and the upgraded Victoria Street will make connecting between walking, cycling, high frequency bus routes, and the train station easier and safer.

Jenny Larking Auckland Council Head of City Centre Programmes says: “We recognise that beautiful public spaces encourage social interaction, creating a strong sense of community and belonging. These spaces become the stages where city life unfolds, memories are made, and a city’s identity is forged. We are creating streets and spaces that are authentic, safe, sustainable and reflective of our place in the world, with mana whenua-led expression woven throughout, while continuing to support the operations of a busy city centre.”

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Tackling AI security risks to unleash growth and deliver Plan for Change
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

UK’s AI Safety Institute becomes ‘UK AI Security Institute’.
UK’s AI Safety Institute becomes ‘UK AI Security Institute’ – strengthening protections against the risks AI poses to national security and crime

Institute bolstered by new criminal misuse team, partnering with the Home Office, to research a range of crime and security issues which could harm UK citizens

New agreement reached with AI giant Anthropic on AI opportunities to help grow the economy as part of our Plan for Change

Safeguarding Britain’s national security – a key pillar of the government’s Plan for Change – and protecting citizens from crime – will become founding principles of the UK’s approach to the responsible development of artificial intelligence from today (Friday 14 February), as the Technology Secretary sets out his vision for a revitalised AI Security Institute in Munich.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference and just days after the conclusion of the AI Action Summit in Paris, Peter Kyle has today recast the AI Safety Institute the ‘AI Security Institute’. This new name will reflect its focus on serious AI risks with security implications, such as how the technology can be used to develop chemical and biological weapons, how it can be used to carry out cyber-attacks, and enable crimes such as fraud and child sexual abuse.

The Institute will also partner across government, including with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, the Ministry of Defence’s science and technology organisation, to assess the risks posed by frontier AI.

As part of this update, the Institute will also launch a new criminal misuse team which will work jointly with the Home Office to conduct research on a range of crime and security issues which threaten to harm British citizens. 

One such area of focus will be the use of AI to make child sexual abuse images, with this new team exploring methods to help to prevent abusers from harnessing the technology to carry out their appalling crimes. This will support work announced earlier this month to make it illegal to own AI tools which have been optimised to make images of child sexual abuse.  

This means the focus of the Institute will be clearer than ever. It will not focus on bias or freedom of speech, but on advancing our understanding of the most serious risks posed by the technology to build up a scientific basis of evidence which will help policymakers to keep the country safe as AI develops. To achieve this, the Institute will work alongside wider government, the Laboratory for AI Security Research (LASR), and the national security community; including building on the expertise of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the UK’s national technical authority for cyber security, including AI.

The announcement comes just weeks after the government set out its new blueprint for AI to deliver a decade of national renewal, harnessing the technology to deliver on the Plan for Change. A revitalised AI Security Institute will ensure we boost public confidence in AI and drive its uptake across the economy so we can unleash the economic growth that will put more money in people’s pockets.

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology, Peter Kyle said:

The changes I’m announcing today represent the logical next step in how we approach responsible AI development – helping us to unleash AI and grow the economy as part of our Plan for Change.

The work of the AI Security Institute won’t change, but this renewed focus will ensure our citizens – and those of our allies – are protected from those who would look to use AI against our institutions, democratic values, and way of life.

The main job of any government is ensuring its citizens are safe and protected, and I’m confident the expertise our Institute will be able to bring to bear will ensure the UK is in a stronger position than ever to tackle the threat of those who would look to use this technology against us.

As the AI Security Institute bolsters its security focus, the Technology Secretary is also taking the wraps off a new agreement which has been struck between the UK and AI company Anthropic.

This partnership is the work of the UK’s new Sovereign AI unit, and will see both sides working closely together to realise the technology’s opportunities, with a continued focus on the responsible development and deployment of AI systems.

This will include sharing insights on how AI can transform public services and improve the lives of citizens, as well as using this transformative technology to drive new scientific breakthroughs. The UK will also look to secure further agreements with leading AI companies as a key step towards turbocharging productivity and speaking fresh economic growth – a key pillar of the government’s Plan for Change.

Chair of the AI Security Institute Ian Hogarth said:

The Institute’s focus from the start has been on security and we’ve built a team of scientists focused on evaluating serious risks to the public.

Our new criminal misuse team and deepening partnership with the national security community mark the next stage of tackling those risks.

Dario Amodei, CEO and co-founder of Anthropic said:

AI has the potential to transform how governments serve their citizens. We look forward to exploring how Anthropic’s AI assistant Claude could help UK government agencies enhance public services, with the goal of discovering new ways to make vital information and services more efficient and accessible to UK residents.

We will continue to work closely with the UK AI Security Institute to research and evaluate AI capabilities in order to ensure secure deployment.

Today’s reset for the AI Security Institute comes just weeks after the UK government kickstarted the year by setting out a new blueprint for AI to spark a decade of national renewal.

Thanks to the work of the Institute, the UK now stands ready to fully realise the benefits of the technology while bolstering our national security as we continue to harness the age of AI.

Further Information:

The agreement between the UK and Anthropic on AI opportunities.

DSIT media enquiries

Email press@dsit.gov.uk

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

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Published 14 February 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Angelina County felon sentenced for federal drug trafficking and firearms violations

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

BEAUMONT, Texas – A Lufkin man has been sentenced for federal drug trafficking and firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.

Bradley Skyler Bryan, 27, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a felon and was sentenced to 175 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone on February 13, 2025.

According to information presented in court, in April 2024, Bryan was stopped for a traffic violation in Lufkin. During the stop, the officer smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed marijuana, vape pens, pills, and a large amount of methamphetamine. A concealed handgun was found on Bryan. Further investigation revealed Bryan had twelve prior felony convictions, including numerous felony convictions involving narcotics and firearms.

A search warrant was obtained for Bryan’s residence where officers located methamphetamine, cocaine, ammunition, a cell phone hidden inside of a wall, a camera surveillance system, and various other items typically used to distribute illegal drugs. As a convicted felon, Bryan is prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.

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.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Texas Department of Public Safety – Criminal Investigations Division; Lufkin Police Department; and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Carter.

###

MIL Security OSI –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray: Trump Blocking Funding Will Kill Good-Paying Energy Jobs and Raise Families’ Energy Bills

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

Murray: “In choking off tens of billions of dollars in energy investments, Trump is threatening to kill thousands of good-paying American jobs and raise energy costs for households across the country.”

Senator Murray hosts press call to detail how Trump blocking energy investments is hurting communities in every part of the country

***WATCH: PRESS CALL HERE***

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, hosted a press call to underscore how President Trump continuing to block key energy investments threatens to raise families’ energy bills, derail key energy projects, and kill good-paying jobs in communities across the country. Senator Murray was joined by David Turk, former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, and Joe Nguyen, Director of the Washington state Department of Commerce.

“The guy who swore up and down on the campaign trail that he would lower people’s energy costs is now working to raise them. And an administration that says it wants to ‘restore energy dominance’ is now working to kill domestic energy projects and the thousands of American jobs they are creating,” said Senator Murray. “This funding freeze—which may very well not be a freeze but a permanent rollback—is bad for families and it’s bad for workers. And it is also bad for American businesses who have inked contracts to create new battery plants, produce sustainable aviation fuel, lay down new transmission lines, construct new energy plants, and so much more—and who are now left wondering whether the federal government is going to honor its commitments.”

“Another estimate said that the average American consumer is going to pay almost $500 more per year if these kinds of programs—the tax incentives to the loan programs—don’t go forward. And I think that’s a conservative estimate,” said David Turk, who recently served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. “I really want to underscore that chaos and confusion and uncertainty is not our friend. If you talk to any investor, if you talk to any CEO, the last thing they need—the last thing they want—is chaos, confusion, uncertainty about what should be no brainers. If the government makes a commitment, if we get to conditional commitment with a loan program recipient, that’s the government’s credibility. That’s the American people’s credibility on the line to follow through and make sure that we are providing that certainty for investment.”

“It was 27 degrees in West Seattle this morning, and even colder in other parts of the state. The hundreds of millions of dollars threatened today by Trump’s political games hurts already overburdened communities the most, especially low-income families, rural towns, and our small businesses. Washingtonians deserve better than the games the Trump administration is playing,” said Joe Nguyen, Director of the Washington state Department of Commerce.

On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order to illegally halt funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) from going out the door to communities and recipients counting on the funding. Hundreds of billions of dollars are still being held up under Trump’s directives—and it’s jeopardizing all manner of energy projects and programs communities are counting on.

In the years since the IIJA and IRA were signed into law, over $211 billion in private sector investment in clean energy and tech manufacturing has been announced nationwide—with 232k+ jobs announced and nearly 80% of those investments made in Republican-held districts. The president’s freeze puts all these gains at serious risk.

Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:

“Thanks everyone for joining this call today. I’m really glad to be here with David Turk, who recently served as Deputy Energy Secretary, and Joe Nguyen, Director of Washington state’s Department of Commerce, to talk about how President Trump and Elon Musk are holding up tens of billions of dollars in energy investments nationwide—putting jobs at risk and raising energy costs for families.

“We are now well into the fourth week of President Trump’s illegal—and deeply harmful—funding freeze.

“Trump is still blocking funding that we secured in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, among much else, from going out the doors. It is, of course, illegal for a president to unilaterally decide to block funding.

“As I’ve said many times: presidents don’t just get to pick and choose what laws they feel like following.

“But Trump blocking funding is not merely illegal. It also devastating for communities like the ones I represent—who are counting on these resources, who’ve hired folks, are relying on this funding to, for example, lower their monthly energy bill, and who, in many cases, have already inked contracts.

“Today, we are talking about the energy investments Trump is blocking—and I want to say from the outset this is just one slice of the vast pot of funding he is holding up.

“Trump’s freeze is holding up funding for: rebuilding roads and bridges, new clean school buses, wildfire prevention efforts, assistance for farmers, replacing old water pipes, investments in our national security, and so much more.

“But today I wanted to zero in on what’s going on at the Department of Energy.

“Because make no mistake: in choking off tens of billions of dollars in energy investments, Trump is threatening to kill thousands of good-paying American jobs and raise energy costs for households across the country.

“When Congress passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, we made historic investments to—among a whole lot else—create good-paying clean energy jobs, spur innovation, strengthen American manufacturing, and lower energy costs for families.

“We provided funding for families to upgrade their homes and save big on their energy bills. We delivered resources to build new battery manufacturing plants, construct cutting-edge hydrogen hubs, boost our nuclear power capabilities, and increase domestic production of critical minerals we absolutely need.

“As you can imagine, a lot of good new jobs have been created in the process—and we’re really just beginning to feel the full benefits.

“A quarter of a million clean energy jobs have been created since we passed the IRA and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In Washington state, the new Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Hub alone is set to create 10,000 jobs. The Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office awards alone will support at least 50,000 good jobs across the country.

“But Trump is putting these domestic jobs at risk—which plays right into the hands of our competitors, like China.

“And he is simultaneously threatening to rip up programs we’ve created that are lowering people’s energy costs.

“Right now, Trump is putting funding for the Home Energy Rebates Program in serious jeopardy. We are talking about funding for families to make upgrades that save them on their monthly energy bill. Funding for you to buy energy efficient appliances and to retrofit your home so that cold air stays out in the winter and hot air stays out in the summer. These programs aren’t just important in tackling the climate crisis—they are saving families money.

“They provide households up to $14,000 in rebates to make upgrades and lower their energy bills—and they are saving American households up to $1 billion every single year.

“The Weatherization Assistance Program, for example, saves households $372 on average each year! But again—Trump has put it on the chopping block.

“There’s no need to dance around it: the guy who swore up and down on the campaign trail that he would lower people’s energy costs is now working to raise them.

“And an administration that says it wants to ‘restore energy dominance’ is now working to kill domestic energy projects and the thousands of American jobs they are creating!

“This funding freeze—which may very well not be a freeze but a permanent rollback—is bad for families and it’s bad for workers. And it is also bad for American businesses who have inked contracts to create new battery plants, produce sustainable aviation fuel, lay down new transmission lines, construct new energy plants, and so much more—and who are now left wondering whether the federal government is going to honor its commitments.

“That uncertainty alone risks jobs and investments—and will hurt local economies everywhere.

“It was recently reported, for example, that Trump and Musk are looking at cancelling even finalized loans provided by the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office. That, of course, puts jobs at risk and puts workers’ livelihoods and businesses’ bottom lines in jeopardy.

“But what we are seeing is also a situation rife with potential conflicts of interest and corruption—which is another huge part of the story when it comes to Trump and Musk blocking funding.

“Just one example: back in 2010, when Tesla wasn’t doing too hot, Elon Musk secured a half billion-dollar loan from the Department of Energy. That loan boosted the company—and Elon Musk—and helped them become what they are today.

“Fast forward to now—Elon Musk is raiding agencies, cutting off funding, cancelling contracts, and the Energy Department is apparently looking to cancel loans it has made to his electric vehicle competitors.

“The obvious question then is Elon Musk going to cut off loans that are helping Tesla’s competitors create jobs and build their business right here in America?

“There is so much at stake—and what is painfully clear is that Trump’s illegal funding freeze is causing chaos and confusion. It’s putting these projects and jobs at risk—and will take money out of families’ pockets—and it has got to end.

“The court decisions we’ve gotten so far have affirmed what we have known all along: Trump does not have the power to steal approved funding from the American people.

“But the relief the orders should provide is, for now, only temporary—and in many cases, the funding is still frozen.

“Now, DOE may say they’ve just developed a new process for thoroughly reviewing all programs and payments but make no mistake: this process is meant to have the same effect—it is a freeze by a different name and the funds remain frozen.

“What needs to happen is Donald Trump and Elon Musk must end the freeze and revoke their orders to choke off these investments.

“As I’ve said before: if Donald Trump wants to roll back programs that are lowering people’s energy bills, he can come to Congress and win the votes he needs to do it.

“If Donald Trump wants to gut funding that is creating good-paying energy jobs all across the country, he can come to Congress and win the votes he needs to do it.

“That’s why I am here today to sound the alarm and protect critical programs American families rely on and support. You don’t just get to rip up contracts and block funding owed to the American people.

“Now, I want to turn it over to David Turk, who I’m so glad could join us, to talk a bit more about what this freeze is doing.”

MIL OSI USA News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Fischer Reintroduces Legislation to Support America’s Energy Independence

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer
Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, led her colleagues in reintroducing the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025. Senator Fischer’s legislation is the only permanent, nationwide solution to unleash the power of year-round E15—fulfilling President Trump’s mandate for energy independence.
By allowing the year-round, nationwide sale of E15, this legislation will finally end years of patchwork regulations and give both producers and consumers the certainty they deserve.Securing this permanent fix, coupled with Senator Fischer’s work with the administration to ensure strong renewable volume obligations (RVOs), will enable biofuels to contribute to our nation’s energy dominance.
Additional cosponsors of this bipartisan, bicameral bill include U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Dick Durbin (D. Ill.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). U.S. Representatives Adrian Smith (NE-03) and Angie Craig (MN-02) introduced identical companion legislation in the House.
“It’s time to once and for all solidify President Trump’s pledge to allow the sale of year-round E15—giving America’s producers and consumers the certainty they deserve. My bill will put an end to years of patchwork regulations and finally make nationwide, year-round E15 a reality. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and the Senate, as well as with President Trump, to get this bill signed into law,” said Senator Fischer.
“For our country to remain a global energy leader, we must continue to invest in renewable and clean energy so we can decrease our emissions and dependence on foreign oil,” said Senator Duckworth. “Producing less expensive fuel choices like E15 that can be sold year-round would help lower gas prices, protect the environment, support our farmers and drive economic opportunity throughout the Midwest. I’m proud to join Senator Fischer in reintroducing our bipartisan legislation that would do just that.”
“I have been fighting to eliminate unnecessary, unscientific, and misguided barriers to E15 access since 2010. It is time to enact year-round E15 nationwide to provide relief at the pump and certainty for producers. I thank my House colleagues and Senator Fischer for their partnership on our tenacious bipartisan efforts to honor congressional intent in the RFS. From ethanol to biomass-based diesel to sustainable aviation fuel, the world depends on liquid fuels to meet consumer demand and move us forward. We have just scratched the surface of our production capacity, which is why it is so important to codify year-round E15 and ensure robust RFS volumes,” said Congressman Smith.
“Homegrown biofuels are tools we have right now to address climate change, strengthen our nation’s energy infrastructure and lower costs for Americans at the gas pump,” said Congresswoman Craig. “This bill is the kind of commonsense legislation we need more of in Washington, and I’m proud to be a part of the bipartisan coalition fighting for year-round E15 in the House.”
Nebraska Stakeholder Support:“We applaud Senator Fischer’s leadership and continued passion in reintroducing the year-round E15 legislation, a critical step forward for America’s corn farmers,” said Nebraska Corn Growers Association farmer and President Michael Dibbern. “Although we’re disappointed that this common-sense legislation didn’t pass during the lame duck session, we’re grateful for Senator Fischer’s perseverance. By securing year-round E15 approval, we can increase corn grind, drive economic growth and provide a vital market opportunity for farmers. This legislation would also bring much-needed consistency and stability to the marketplace, allowing American families to choose lower-cost, lower-emission E15 at the pump every day. We’re appreciative of Senator Fischer’s tireless advocacy and look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts to advance the interests of Nebraska’s corn farmers.”
“The Nebraska Farm Bureau again thanks Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer for her continued leadership on trying to approve the sale of E-15 year-round. It is past time for the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act to become law, and we look forward to working to get this important legislation to President Trump’s desk this year. For too long, outdated rules and regulations have prevented the year-round sale of E-15, and 2025 must be the year we finally rectify this issue,” said Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation President Mark McHargue.
“Thank you to Senator Fischer for leading the fight for year-round E-15, which is a huge opportunity for Nebraska’s ethanol industry, farmers, and drivers. This bill means stronger rural economies, lower prices at the pump, and a cleaner fuel option for drivers. On behalf of our members across the state, Renewable Fuels Nebraska applauds her leadership and calls on Congress to act now and pass this bipartisan policy,” said Renewable Fuels Nebraska Executive Director Dawn Caldwell.
Full List of Nebraska Endorsements:
Nebraska Corn Growers Association, Nebraska Farm Bureau, and Renewable Fuels Nebraska.
National Stakeholder Support:
“Year-round, nationwide E15 sales will prevent a confusing patchwork of state regulations and give consumers reliable access to the fuels they use every day. We thank Representatives Smith and Craig, as well as Senators Fischer and Duckworth, for championing this important bipartisan effort. Now, Congress must act to bring certainty and consistency to the fuel marketplace,” said American Petroleum Institute SVP Government Relations Kristin Whitman.
“This bipartisan legislation would finally bring nationwide consistency and stability to the marketplace and eliminate the need for last-minute emergency waivers. With the summer driving season just around the corner, we urge lawmakers to swiftly adopt this bill and deliver a win for American families seeking cleaner, lower-cost fuel options. Time is of the essence,” said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “Ethanol producers, oil refiners, fuel retailers, equipment manufacturers, farmers, and consumers have all rallied behind this commonsense approach. We thank Sens. Deb Fischer and Tammy Duckworth for their continued leadership on this important issue. RFA commends them and their fellow renewable fuel supporters in the Senate for continuing to fight for fair market access for our nation’s farmers, ethanol producers, and consumers.”“We applaud Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Representatives Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.) for leading the charge once again to unlock permanent, nationwide access to E15. Rural families and American consumers are lucky to have them in our corner, and we hope this is the bill that finally makes it over the finish line. The American people have waited for too long to get reliable access to a fuel that can lower costs while creating jobs in rural communities. We look forward to continuing our work with our champions in Congress and the White House to finally make year-round E15 the law of the land,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor.
“Nationwide consumer access to E15 will save drivers money at the pump while boosting the farm economy,” said Illinois farmer and National Corn Growers Association President Kenneth Hartman Jr. “We want to applaud the sponsors and co-sponsors of this bill for introducing legislation that promises to significantly benefit consumers and farmers alike.”
“E-15 is a win for both farmers and consumers, offering a vital opportunity to lower fuel prices and provide more choices at the pump,” said National Farmer Union President Rob Larew.“This legislation supports family farmers by creating stronger, more reliable markets while helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With this bill, we’re taking critical steps toward a more sustainable future, and we urge lawmakers to act quickly to ensure farmers and consumers benefit from these opportunities.”
“To effectively serve their customers, convenience retailers need a stable and predictable year-round market for fuels like E15,” said National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) General Counsel Doug Kantor. “We are grateful to Senator Fischer and Senator Duckworth for their continued leadership on this issue, with legislation that will improve the environmental attributes of summer gasoline while lowering costs for families and small businesses across the country.”
Full List of National Endorsements:
American Petroleum Institute, Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, National Corn Growers Association, National Farmer Union, and National Association of Convenience Stores.
Background:Senator Fischer has been a steadfast champion for year-round E15 since 2015, when she first co-led a bill to allow year-round E15 during the 114th Congress.
In 2017, during the 115th Congress, she introduced the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act to amend the Clear Air Act and help make year-round E15 a reality. Later that year, she testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in support of her bipartisan legislation.
In 2019, Senator Fischer traveled with President Trump to Nebraska and Iowa when he announced regulatory efforts to allow the sale of E15. When President Trump’s efforts were struckdown by courts, Senator Fischer continued to lead by reintroducing this legislation in 2021, during the 117th Congress. Senator Fischer released an updated bill in 2022 that included unprecedented support.
In 2023, Senator Fischer introduced the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2023 to break down remaining barriers and unlock the full potential of nationwide, year-round E15, advancing America’s energy independence. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Adrian Smith (NE-03) introduced companion legislation.
Last month, on the first day of his term, President Trump took steps to make E15 available year-round through his Executive Order Declaring a National Energy Emergency.
Click here to read the text of the bill.

MIL OSI USA News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Moran Lays out Legislative Proposal to Move the Food for Peace Program to USDA

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Kansas – Jerry Moran

WASHINGTON. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today spoke on the Senate floor about legislation he introduced with Sens. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Roger Marshall, M.D., (R-Kan.) and Rep. Tracey Mann (KS-01) that would move the administration of the Food for Peace program to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Sen. Moran also highlighted the importance of Food for Peace for national security, feeding the hungry and providing a market for Kansas farmers.

“In conjunction with the President’s action, I’ve introduced a bill with Sen. John Hoeven and Sen. Roger Marshall and Rep. Tracey Mann to move Food for Peace from the turbulent USAID and move it to the Department of Agriculture in an effort to prevent waste and bring the program closer to farmers that depend upon it,” said Sen. Moran. “By placing Food for Peace under USDA’s authority, we can make certain that the program is in good hands and can continue to bring revenue to American agriculture.”

“Just a little over an hour ago, the Senate confirmed the new Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins,” continued Sen. Moran. “I have no doubt she will be an excellent advocate for our nation’s farmers, and I appreciate the conversations we’ve already had on this legislation and her excitement to work on this proposal with me.”

“In rural America, food assistance programs like Food for Peace put American-grown products in the hands of the hungry, and this food is a tangible extension of the hard work and dedication of farmers and ranchers,” concluded Sen. Moran. “I’m pleased to help find ways to make our delivery of food aid more effective, more efficient and remove the challenges and things that we’ve seen that are so disturbing. Food for Peace bolters the farmers who feed us, creates a more stable world and feeds the hungry.”

Click HERE to watch Sen. Moran’s Floor Speech

Remarks as delivered:

“Today, I want to speak about a program that has shaped our nation’s humanitarian efforts and made a significant impact on my home state of Kansas, a program called Food for Peace.

“In 1953, agricultural surpluses had reached an all-time high, but the price of storing excess commodities was too expensive to rationalize, and it was at risk of going to waste.

“Kansas farmers, like Cheyenne County’s Peter O’Brien, worked hard to cultivate and grow these commodities. Looking for a solution, Peter suggested at a local farm bureau meeting that maybe the excess food could be sent to countries in need. Peter understood that out of our abundance, we have a moral duty and opportunity to feed the hungry. His idea sparked the origin of a program we now know as Food for Peace.

“Another Kansan, one of my predecessors, Andy Schoeppel, led the Food for Peace Act in the Senate, which was signed into law by President Eisenhower, another Kansan, in 1954. And Senator Bob Dole from Russell, Kansas later championed the reauthorization of Food for Peace.

“The program’s premise was simple but impactful: by leveraging the food surpluses that we produce in Kansas and across the nation, we could address famine around the world while creating new markets for our commodities and bolstering our agricultural economy.

“The first shipments of American wheat and corn were sent to Korea and Greece in 1954, and by the end of Food for Peace’s initial year of operation, it had fed 1.2 million people. Over the last 70 years, the program has fed more than 4 billion people in more than 50 countries, all with American grown commodities.

“Hunger, whether driven by price increases or food shortages, can act as a catalyst for protests and armed conflict.

“We’ve seen how food can be used as a weapon of war as radical Islamic groups in Syria use food as a means to recruit soldiers. We’ve witnessed regions of the world that are critical to America’s strategic interest sent into chaos due to people not having access to affordable food.

“In a turbulent world stricken with conflict, American leadership is more than just our military and our economic might. Food aid provided by the United States reduces despair and increases stability within fragile countries by enabling economic productivity and minimizing the risk of radicalization.

“For countless individuals around the world, their survival is dependent upon the resources provided by the American people. These vulnerable populations rely on the strength and prosperity of the United States.

“However, much work remains in the ongoing battle against hunger, and part of that battle is improving the process and programs that administer our aid.

“Food for Peace is administered by the USAID, and the inefficiency of USAID has been growing concern. The agency struggles with bureaucratic delays, mismanagement, and a lack of coordination, which undermines its ability to deliver effectively aid to those in need. This inefficiency not only waste taxpayer dollars, but also diminishes the impact of Americans’ foreign aid in addressing global crisis.

“Reports suggest that millions of taxpayer dollars have been allocated to promoting tourism in Lebanon and Egypt, funding the purchase of electric vehicles for Vietnam and inadvertently supporting the cultivation of opium in Afghanistan. Even more concerning, it has been confirmed that $9 million intended for civilian food and medical supplies in Syria fell into the hands of terrorist organizations linked to Al-Qaeda due to the failed oversight of USAID.

“Amid these concerns of corruption, President Trump has taken steps to dismantle USAID. In conjunction with the President’s action and with approval of the White House policy team, I’ve introduced a bill with Senator John Hoeven and Senator Roger Marshall, and Representative Tracey Mann to move Food for Peace from the turbulent USAID program and move it to the Department of Agriculture in an effort to prevent waste and bring the program closer to farmers that depend upon it.

“USDA has a long and proven history of managing agricultural policy and programs that support American farmers, food distribution systems and global security efforts. USDA has boots on the ground and the infrastructure already in place to support the logistics for food assistance. The agency understands how to move crops efficiently, sustainably and quickly.

“This knowledge is indispensable when responding to international crises, where speed and reliability can mean the difference between life and death. By placing Food for Peace under USDA’s authority, we make certain that the program is in good hands and can continue to bring revenue to American agriculture.

“As just a little over an hour ago, the Senate confirmed the new Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins. I have no doubt she will be an excellent advocate for our nation’s farmers, and I appreciate the conversations we’ve already had on this legislation. The Secretary has told me she’s excited about this proposal and looks forward to working together on this issue.

“We produce more than we can consume in this nation, so without programs to export to, our ability to make a living in agriculture in Kansas and across the country disappears.

“In FY2023 alone, $713 million of U.S.-grown commodities were purchased by the Food for Peace program, putting money in the in money back into the hands of farmers.

“In rural America, food assistance programs like Food for Peace put American grown products in the hands of the hungry, and this food is a tangible extension of the hard work and dedication of farmers and ranchers.

“I’m pleased to help find ways to make our delivery of food aid more effective, more efficient and remove the challenges and, things that we’ve seen that are so disturbing.

“America is the greatest country on earth and the most prosperous.

“Food for Peace bolters the farmers who feed us, creates a more stable world, and feeds the hungry.”

MIL OSI USA News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Police seek vehicle of interest over indecent act in Epsom

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Police are seeking information on a vehicle of interest involved in an indecent act committed in Epsom this week.

Police have been investigating the complaint about a man’s behaviour towards a young student on the afternoon of 12 February.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Greaves, Area Investigations Manager for Auckland City East, says the investigation has progressed in recent days.

“We have now obtained an image of a vehicle in the Gladwin Road area on Tuesday afternoon,” he says.

“Police would like anyone who saw this vehicle, or has further information concerning it to contact us.”

The incident occurred at around 3.35pm, when the sole male occupant of the vehicle began doing an act towards the young student walking past on Gladwin Road.

“Fortunately this man did not exit the vehicle, and it was last seen travelling down Lewin Road,” Detective Senior Sergeant Greaves says.

“Anyone who has information, please contact Police.

“I’d also encourage the driver of this vehicle, who knows who they are, to stop delaying the inevitable and come to speak with Police.”

If you have information, please contact Police on 105 using the reference number 250212/5501.

Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

ENDS

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

February 14, 2025

MIL-OSI Security: Environmental Crimes Bulletin – January 2025

Source: United States Attorneys General

In This Issue:

Cases by District/Circuit

District/Circuit	Case Name	Statute(s)
District of Alaska	United States v. Jun Liang, et al.	Big Game Hunting/Lacey Act
Eastern District of California	United States v. Pir Danish Ali, et al.	Wildlife Smuggling/ Conspiracy
Southern District of California	United States v. Ruben Montes, et al.	Pesticide and Veterinary Drug Smuggling/Conspiracy
	United States v. Todd Campbell	Refrigerant Smuggling/Failure to Declare Merchandise for Inspection
	United States v. Edwin Flores	Refrigerant Smuggling/ Conspiracy
Middle District of Georgia	United States v. Donnametric Miller, et al.	Dog Fighting/Animal Welfare Act, Conspiracy, Felon in Possession
District of Idaho	United States v. Jeremy Pierce, et al.	Tampering with a Monitoring Device/Clean Air Act
District of Maryland	United States v. Mario Flythe, et al.	Dog Fighting/ Conspiracy, Racketeering
District of New Jersey	United States v. Darren McClave, et al.	Clam Harvesting/ Conspiracy, Obstruction
Eastern District of New York	United States v. Bryan Gosman, et al.	Fish Overharvesting/ Conspiracy, Fraud, Obstruction
Southern District of Ohio	United States v. Joel Brown	Dog Fighting/Animal Welfare, Drug, Felon in Possession
Southern District of Ohio	United States v. Giancarlo Morelli, et al.	Animal Videos/Animal Crush
District of Oregon	United States v. J.H. Baxter & Co., Inc. et al.	Hazardous Waste Treatment and Emissions/Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, False Statement
District of South Dakota	United States v. Joe Hofer	Eagle Nest Destruction/Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act
Southern District of Texas	United States v. Andres Alejandro Sanchez	Wildlife Smuggling/Lacey Act
Southern District of Texas	United States v. Eurobulk Ltd., et al.	Vessel/Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships/ Obstruction
Eastern District of Washington	United States v. Ryan Hugh Milliken, et al.	Tampering with a Monitoring Device/Clean Air Act, Conspiracy
Western District of Washington	United States v. Tracy Coiteux, et al.	Tampering with a Monitoring Device/Clean Air Act, Conspiracy

Indictments

United States v. Joel Brown

No. 2:24-CR-00180 (Southern District of Ohio)
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman
AUSA Nicole Pakiz
AUSA Kevin Kelley

On January 22, 2025, a court unsealed an indictment following the arrest of Joel Brown. Brown is charged in a 13-count indictment with illegally possessing dogs for fighting purposes, possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and illegally possessing a firearm after a felony conviction (18 USC §§ 922, 924; 7 USC § 2156(b); 21 USC § 841. Trial is scheduled for March 24, 2025.

Brown kept 11 pit bull-type dogs for fighting purposes in Franklin County. Columbus Humane rescued the dogs and authorities also recovered tools and supplies commonly used in the training and keeping of dogs for fighting. Brown also possessed a shotgun and various types of ammunition, as well as approximately 50 grams of methamphetamine.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Columbus Humane conducted the investigation.

Guilty Pleas

United States v. Darren McClave, et al.

Nos. 3:24-CR-00824, 3:25-CR-00001 (District of New Jersey)
ECS Trial Attorney Christopher Hale
AUSA Kelly Lyons
Former AUSA Kathleen O’Leary

On January 2, 2025, Darren McClave pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice (18 U.S.C. § 371). Sentencing is scheduled for May 6, 2025.

McClave, captain of a clam vessel based out of New Jersey, was involved in a scheme to illegally harvest and sell excess scallops, violating federal fishing regulations. While clam vessels are authorized to take a limited quantity of scallops as bycatch, McClave routinely exceeded these limits and sold the surplus to Antonio Pereira, a seafood dealer. To cover up the overfishing, McClave and Pereira worked together to falsify the required Fishing Vessel Trip Reports and Dealer Reports mandated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Between October 2017 to April 2021, McClave sold over 64,000 pounds of illegal scallops to Pereira, making substantial profits from the illicit operation. Pereira, who participated in the conspiracy, pled guilty on December 19, 2024, to the same charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22, 2025.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conducted the investigation.

United States v. Pir Danish Ali, et al.

No. 2:23-CR-00080 (Eastern District of California)
AUSA Katherine Lydon
AUSA Whitnee Goins

On January 7, 2025, Jason K. Bruce pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle an endangered Ladakh urial trophy into the United States (18 U.S.C. § 371). Sentencing is scheduled for May 20, 2025.

In March 2023, federal prosecutors charged Bruce and Pir Danish Ali, a Pakistani national, with conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act for making false statements and smuggling goods into the United States. Bruce also faced charges of smuggling and violating the Endangered Species Act (18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 545; 16 U.S.C. § 1538(a)(1)(A), (g)).

Ali, the CEO of a hunting outfitting and guiding company in Pakistan, and Bruce, a recreational big game hunter, began their illegal scheme in February 2016. They conspired to hunt a Ladakh urial, an endangered wild sheep in Pakistan, and smuggle the trophy into the United States. Bruce was aware that exporting this species from Pakistan was illegal. In the lead-up to the hunt, the two agreed that, if successful, Bruce would present forged documents to U.S. officials, falsely identifying the Ladakh urial as a different species when bringing it into the United States.

In December 2016, Bruce paid Ali $50,000 for the hunt. In April 2017, Bruce successfully shot the Ladakh urial. Between 2017 and 2018, Bruce made several trips between the U.S. and Pakistan to facilitate the illegal smuggling of the trophy.

On March 29, 2018, Bruce arrived at San Francisco International Airport from Pakistan with eight hunting trophies in his baggage, including the Ladakh urial. He was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection who alerted U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials. Bruce presented forged export documents purporting to be issued by Pakistani authorities.

Further investigation revealed that, between 2013 and 2018, at least 25 people who had hunted with Ali’s company presented forged documents to import at least 97 hunting trophies into the United States.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation.

United States v. Jeremy Pierce, et al.

No. 4:24-CR-00240 (District of Idaho)
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Cassie Barnum
RCEC Karla G. Perrin

On January 7, 2025, Jeremy Pierce pleaded guilty to a felony violation of the Clean Air Act for tampering with a monitoring device (42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)(C)). Pierce admitted to being involved in deleting and tuning vehicles at Gorilla Performance, a repair shop in Rexburg, Idaho, owned by his brother, Barry Pierce. Sentencing is set for March 26, 2025.

In addition, Jeremy Pierce’s company, Pierce Diesel Performance, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act for providing technical support to customers nationwide who purchased tuning devices and tunes from Barry Pierce’s company, Gorilla Diesel Performance (18 U.S.C. § 371).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.

United States v. Andres Alejandro Sanchez

No. 24-CR-01264 (Southern District of Texas)
AUSA Tory Sailer
Assistance from ECS Senior Counsel Elinor Colbourn

On January 10, 2025, Andres Alejandro Sanchez pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act for illegally importing a spider monkey into the United States (16 U.S.C. §§ 3372(a)(1), 3373(d)(2)).

On October 7, 2024, Sanchez travelled from Mexico to Laredo, Texas, and failed to declare a spider monkey he had in his vehicle to Customs and Border Protection officers as he attempted to cross the border.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation.

United States v. Ruben Montes, et al.

No. 23-CR-02377 (Southern District of California)
ECS Assistant Chief Steve DaPonte
AUSA Elizabet Brown

On January 16, 2025, Ruben Montes pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle and distribute more than $3 million worth of Mexican pesticides and veterinary drugs that are not approved for use in the United States (18 U.S.C. § 371). Sentencing is scheduled for April 2, 2025.

Beginning in November 2020, Montes coordinated the smuggling of pesticides and veterinary drugs from Mexico into the United States. Montes smuggled these chemicals and drugs into the country and distributed them within the United States. The primary pesticides involved were Taktic and Bovitraz, which are not registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use in the United States. The smuggled veterinary drugs included Tylocet, Terramicina, Tetragent Ares, and Catarrol, which are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States.

Montes and others stored the pesticides and veterinary drugs in storage units in Calexico to distribute them throughout the United States.

Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigations Division, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control conducted the investigation.

United States v. Donnametric Miller, et al.

No. 1:24-CR-00005 (Middle District of Georgia)
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Ethan Eddy
ECS Trial Attorney Leigh Rende
ECS Law Clerk Amanda Backer

On January 21, 2025, Donnametric Miller pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Animal Welfare Act and transporting and possessing a dog for the purpose of having the dog participate in an animal fighting venture. Miller also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm (7 U.S.C. §§ 2156(b), (a)(1); 18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 922, 924). Miller is the fourteenth and final defendant to plead guilty in a dog fighting case involving participants from several states. Co-defendants Terelle Ganzy and Terrance Davis pleaded guilty to conspiracy and participating in an animal fighting venture.

On November 22, 2024, co-defendants Fredricus White, Brandon Baker, Rodrecus Kimble, Tamichael Elijah, Timothy Freeman, Gary Hopkins, and Marvin Pulley entered guilty pleas for their involvement in a large-scale dog fighting event that was disrupted while in progress on April 24, 2022, in Donalsonville, Georgia. White and Baker pleaded guilty to conspiracy and possessing and transporting a dog for animal fighting purposes. Freeman pleaded guilty to being a spectator at the event, and Kimble, Elijah, Hopkins, and Pulley pleaded guilty to conspiracy. On December 16, 2024, Herman Buggs pleaded guilty to conspiracy.

Prosecutors charged a total of 14 defendants who traveled from southwest Georgia, Alabama, and Florida to participate in this event. Agents recovered 27 dogs, including 22 who were found in cars on the scene and had either already been fought, or whose handlers were awaiting their turn in the pit. Agents found one dog still in the fighting pit, who later succumbed to his injuries, as well as others living on the property who were owned by the event host.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Seminole County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

United States v. J.H. Baxter & Co., Inc. et al.

No. 6:24-CR-00441 (District of Oregon)
ECS Trial Attorney Rachel M. Roberts
ECS Trial Attorney Stephen J. Foster
AUSA William M. McLaren
RCEC Karla G. Perrin
ECS Paralegal Maria Wallace
Former ECS Paralegal Samantha Goins

On January 22, 2025, J.H. Baxter & Co., Inc., and J.H. Baxter & Co., a California Limited Partnership (collectively “J.H. Baxter”) both pleaded guilty to charges of illegally treating hazardous waste and knowingly violating the Clean Air Act (CAA) (42 U.S.C. § 6928(d)(2)(A); 42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)). The companies’ president, Georgia Baxter-Krause, pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements in violation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (42 U.S.C. § 6928 (d)(3)). Sentencing is scheduled for April 22, 2025.

J.H. Baxter used hazardous chemicals to treat and preserve wood at its Eugene facility. The wastewater from the wood preserving processes was hazardous waste. The company operated a wastewater treatment unit to treat and evaporate the waste. Over the years, however, when the facility accumulated too much water on site, employees transferred this water to a wood treatment retort to “boil it off,” greatly reducing the volume. J.H. Baxter would then remove the waste that remained, label it as hazardous waste, and ship it offsite for disposal.

J.H. Baxter did not have a RCRA permit to treat its waste in this manner. Additionally, the facility was subject to CAA emissions standards. Company employees were directed to open all vents on the retorts, allowing discharge to the surrounding air.

State inspectors requested information about J.H. Baxter’s practice of boiling off hazardous wastewater. On two separate occasions (September 28 and 30, 2020), Baxter-Krause made false statements in response to these requests regarding the dates the practice took place, and which retorts were used. The investigation determined that Baxter-Krause knew J.H. Baxter maintained detailed daily production logs for each retort.

From approximately January to October 2019, J.H. Baxter boiled off hazardous process wastewater in its wood treatment retorts on 136 known days. Baxter-Krause was also aware that during this time J.H. Baxter used four of its five retorts to boil off wastewater.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation with assistance from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Oregon State Police.

United States v. Giancarlo Morelli, et al.

No. 1:24-CR-00066 (Southern District of Ohio)
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman
AUSA Tim Oakley
ECS Paralegal Jonah Fruchtman

On January 27, 2025, Giancarlo Morelli pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to create and distribute videos depicting the torture of monkeys (known as animal “crush” videos) (18 U.S.C. § 371).

Prosecutors charged Morelli, along with Nicholas Dryden and Philip Colt Moss, with various crimes related to these videos. The indictment states that Dryden commissioned videos from a 17-year-old in Indonesia who was willing to commit specified acts of torture on video in exchange for payment. Dryden utilized Telegram, a cross-platform messaging app that includes encrypted group messaging and private chats, to advertise the animal crush videos and solicit funding for additional videos. Within these private groups, Dryden shared snippets of videos that he commissioned and advertised that the full content was for sale.

Moss and Morelli each sent money to Dryden more than a dozen times in exchange for monkey torture videos. Thereafter, they frequently gave feedback on the videos and Morelli sometimes suggested torturous acts he’d like to see in future videos.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation.

Sentencings

United States v. Todd Campbell

No. 3:24-CR-01972 (Southern District of California)
AUSA Edward Chang

On January 2, 2025, a court sentenced Todd Campbell to complete a 12-month term of probation and pay $8,808 in restitution to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Campbell pleaded guilty to failure to declare merchandise for inspection (19 U.S.C. §§ 1433 (b)(2), 1436).

On September 3, 2024, Campbell drove his vehicle into the United States from Mexico at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Inside his vehicle, he was carrying seven 30-pound cylinders of R-22 refrigerant, which he intentionally failed to declare for inspection. As a result of Campbell’s actions, the EPA was forced to properly dispose of the refrigerant, incurring a cost of $8,808.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

United States v. Bryan Gosman, et al.

No. 2:21-CR-00217 (Eastern District of New York)
ECS Trial Attorney Christopher Hale
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Ken Nelson
Former ECS Paralegal Samantha Goins
ECS Paralegal Jonah Fruchtman

On January 6, 2025, a court ordered Christopher Winkler to pay $725,000 in restitution to the New York State Marine Resources Account of the Conservation Fund. The court also ordered Bryan and Asa Gosman to pay a combined restitution amount of $247,297 to the same fund. All three defendants—Winkler, Asa Gosman, and Bryan Gosman—are jointly and severally liable for $247,297 in restitution. Winkler alone is responsible for paying $477,703 to the fund, bringing his total restitution amount to $725,000.

In November 2024, a court sentenced Bryan and Asa Gosman to two years of probation, noting their “extraordinary cooperation” as the basis for the probation sentence.

In October 2023, after a three-week trial, a jury found Christopher Winkler guilty on all charges, including conspiracy, mail fraud, and obstruction of justice (18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 1341, 1519). Winkler, a commercial fisherman and captain of the F/V New Age, participated in a scheme to illegally overharvest fluke and black sea bass, violating federal fishing regulations. He conspired to commit mail fraud, falsified fishing logs to obstruct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and worked to undermine NOAA’s efforts to regulate fisheries. Winkler was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to forfeit $725,000.

Between 2014 and 2017, Winkler was involved in a scheme to illegally overharvest summer flounder (fluke) and black sea bass, exceeding both federal quotas and state trip limits. To conceal the overharvesting, he falsified Fishing Vessel Trip Reports (FVTRs) on at least 200 fishing trips. In total, Winkler and his co-conspirators illegally harvested approximately 200,000 pounds of fluke and black sea bass, with an estimated wholesale value of $750,000.

Bryan and Asa Gosman, and the company they partially own, Bob Gosman Co., Inc., had previously pleaded guilty to their involvement in the fraud. The company was sentenced in December 2021 for its role in the illegal overharvesting operation. Under federal law, fishing captains are required to accurately report their catch on FVTRs submitted to NOAA, which relies on these reports to regulate fisheries and enforce sustainable fishing practices. Similarly, the first company to purchase fish from a fishing vessel must file a dealer report with NOAA.

NOAA Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation.

United States v. Edwin Flores

No. 3:24-CR-00993 (Southern District of California)
ECS Assistant Chief Stephen DaPonte
Former AUSA Melanie Pierson

On January 7, 2025, a court sentenced Edwin Flores to complete a one-year term of probation and to pay $2,900 in restitution to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Flores pleaded guilty to conspiracy and failing to present merchandise for inspection by a customs officer (18 U.S.C. § 371).

On April 18, 2024, Flores drove a vehicle across the U.S.-Mexico border with three 30-pound cylinders of HCFC-22 that he failed to present for inspection.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division, Homeland Security Investigations, and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation.

United States v. Jun Liang, et al.

No. 4:23-CR-00013 (District of Alaska)
AUSA Steve Skrocki
AUSA Carly Sue Vosacek

On January 13, 2025, a court sentenced Jun “Harry” Liang to time served (110 days), followed by two years’ supervised release. Liang also will pay a $10,060 fine and $9,100 in restitution to the Bureau of Land Management.

Prosecutors charged Liang and Brian Phelan for participating in an illegal big-game guide-outfitter operation. Between August 2021 and August 2022, Liang and Phelan conspired to provide guide-outfitter services for caribou and brown bear hunts in Fairbanks, Alaska, without the required state licenses to do so.

Liang posted advertisements on the ‘Little Red Book’ social media site offering guiding and outfitting services for big-game hunts out of Fairbanks, Alaska. Interested hunters sent deposits to Liang, who promised to locate and scout trophy animals that could be transported out of state. However, neither Liang nor Phelan possessed a State of Alaska big game guide-outfitter license. Liang fraudulently collected about $11,000 in 2021 and $60,000 in 2022, on behalf of himself and Phelan, for these guided hunts.

Liang pleaded guilty to a Lacey Act false labeling violation (16 U.S.C. §§ 3372(d)(2), 3373(d)(3)(b)), for failing to obtain a special recreation permit and operating in Denali National Park without the necessary permit. Phelan was sentenced in December 2024 to pay a $2,000 fine and complete a 30-month term of probation after pleading guilty to violating the Lacey Act and Bureau of Land Management regulations.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Alaska State Troopers Wildlife Investigations Unit.

United States v. Joe Hofer

No. 4:24-CR-40091 (District of South Dakota)
AUSA Meghan Dilges

On January 13, 2025, a court sentenced Joe Hofer to pay a $1,200 fine and complete a one-year term of probation for violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (16 U.S.C. §§ 668(a), 668(c)).

Hofer is the farm boss for the Cambridge Hutterian Brethren (CHB) in Lake County, South Dakota. In November 2023, Hofer used CHB farm equipment to take down trees on property owned by CHB. One of the trees Hofer took down contained an active eagle nest, which was destroyed. Hofer did not have a permit to take down the eagle’s nest.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks conducted the investigation.

United States v. Tracy Coiteux, et al.

No. 3:21-CR-05184 (Western District of Washington)
AUSA Seth Wilkinson
AUSA Cindy Chang
RCEC Karla G. Perrin

On January 13, 2025, a court sentenced Racing Performance Maintenance Northwest (RPM) and a related sales company called RPM Motors and Sales NW (RPM Motors) to each pay $10,000 fines and to complete three-year terms of probation. In March 2024, RPM pleaded guilty to tampering with a monitoring device in violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA)(42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)(C)) and RPM Motors pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the CAA (18 U.S.C. § 371).

In November 2024, the court had sentenced the companies’ owners, Tracy Coiteux and Sean Coiteux, to each pay $10,000 fines, complete four-year terms of probation (to include four months’ home confinement) and perform 60 hours of community service. Sean Coiteux had pleaded guilty in March 2024 to tampering with a monitoring device in violation of the CAA (42 U.S.C. 7413(c)(2)(C)). In May 2024, Tracy Coiteux was convicted by a jury after a three-day trial on conspiracy to violate the CAA (18 U.S.C. § 371; 42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)(C)).

Between January 2018 and January 2021, the defendants directed employees to delete pollution control hardware on diesel trucks they sold or serviced. They also tampered with the trucks’ monitoring devices to avoid detection of the missing control equipment. The Coiteux’s companies charged between $1,000 and $2,000 for each modification. Over a three-year period, the defendants serviced close to 375 diesel trucks, collecting more than $500,000 for these illegal modifications.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation.

United States v. Ryan Hugh Milliken, et al.

No. 2:24-CR-00057 (Eastern District of Washington)
AUSA Dan Fruchter
AUSA Jacob Brooks

On January 22, 2025, a court sentenced Ryan Hugh Milliken and his company, Hardaway Solutions, LLC (Hardaway), after both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act (CAA) (18 U.S.C. § 371; 42 U.S.C. § 7413(c)(2)(C)). They both will complete five-year terms of probation, during which the company will be responsible for implementing an environmental compliance plan. Both defendants are jointly and severally responsible for paying a $75,000 fine.

Between August 2017 and November 2023, Milliken and Hardway created and sold illegal “delete tune” packages designed to disable and defeat required emissions controls and monitoring systems. Milliken and Hardway created and sold these delete tune files for various customers and vehicles, including Spokane-based trucking companies —PT Express, LLC, Spokane Truck Service, LLC, and Pauls Trans, LLC—operated by co-defendant Pavel Ivanovich Turlak. Milliken created and sold custom software delete tunes to Turlak for vehicles based on specifications Turlak outlined. Turlak then charged as much as $3,500 to diesel truck owners to “delete” and “tune” their vehicles by tampering with their pollution monitoring devices. Turlak also fraudulently received more than $300,000 in federal funding designated for eligible small businesses during the pandemic.

Turlak and his companies pleaded guilty in December 2024 to conspiring to illegally violate CAA emissions controls and to fraudulently obtaining hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief funding (42 U.S.C. § 7413 (c)(2)(C); 18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 1343, 287). Both defendants are scheduled for sentencing on April 2, 2025.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division conducted the investigation with assistance from the EPA National Enforcement Investigations Center, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and the Spokane Police Department.

United States v. Mario Flythe, et al.

No. 23-CR-00354 (District of Maryland)
AUSA Alexander Levin
AUSA Darryl Tarver

On January 23, 2025, a court sentenced Mario Flythe to six months incarceration followed by three years of supervised release, to include six months’ home detention. Flythe also will pay a $10,000 fine.

Flythe pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in animal fighting, specifically the fighting of dogs, and interstate travel in aid of racketeering (18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 1952). Between November 2018 and September 2023, Flythe and co-defendant Frederick Douglass Moorfield, Jr., operated a kennel called “Razor Sharp Kennels,” using Flythe’s residence to keep, train, and breed fighting dogs.

Flythe’s cellphone revealed numerous message exchanges regarding dogfighting—primarily over the instant messaging applications WhatsApp and Telegram—with members of a group known as the “DMV Board.” In addition to arranging dog fights and wagers, Flythe and the DMV Board discussed the breeding and training of fighting dogs, procuring supplies for the maintenance and feeding of fighting dogs, and criminal prosecutions of dogfighters. In some exchanges, Flythe and others discussed indictments of other members of the DMV Board and speculated about the identity of a potential “snitch.”

Flythe’s instant messages also contained several exchanges in which he arranged dogfights. In those conversations, Flythe identified the weight and sex of the dog he wanted to sponsor in a fight. Other dogfighters then proposed a fight against their own dog or matched Flythe with another of their contacts who had a dog in the same weight class. The dogfighters would then agree on wagers and set a date for the fight, usually six to eight weeks after the match was made.

On several occasions between 2019 and 2023, Flythe received monetary payments through CashApp related to his participation in dogfighting conduct. Flythe also sent money to dogfighting contacts in connection with the dogfighting enterprise.

After executing a search of Flythe’s residence in September 2023, investigators recovered seven pit bull-type dogs from the premises. Four dogs were found chained to posts or poles in fenced-in cages in the property’s back yard, and three dogs were found in large metal cages in the basement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Defense Criminal Investigation Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.

United States v. Eurobulk Ltd., et al.

Nos. 2:24-CR-00655, 2:24-CR-00368 (Southern District of Texas)
ECS Senior Trial Attorney Kenneth Nelson
AUSA Liesel Roscher
AUSA John Marck
ECS Paralegal Maria Wallace

On January 29, 2025, Eurobulk Ltd. pleaded guilty to a two-count information charging the company with violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and obstruction of justice (33 U.S.C. § 1908(a); 18 U.S.C. § 1519). The court sentenced the company to pay a total criminal penalty of $1,500,000 and complete a four-year term of probation.

Eurobulk operated the M/V Good Heart, which transported bulk cargo worldwide. On April 29, 2023, the U.S. Coast Guard conducted a Port State Control examination of the vessel and received information from a whistleblower about illegal discharges of oil from the vessel. On at least two occasions in April 2023, the vessel’s crew discharged oily waste directly overboard from a space known as the “duct keel.” These discharges were not recorded in the oil record book (ORB). The crew also flushed the oil content meter with fresh water to ensure the oil water separator would allow the illegal overboard discharges. The crew failed to record these actions in the ORB, which obstructed the investigation. Christos Charitos, the vessel’s chief engineer, was sentenced in September 2024 to pay a $2,000 fine and complete a one-year term of probation after pleading guilty to violating APPS.

The U.S. Coast Guard conducted the investigation.

View All Environmental Crimes Bulletins

MIL Security OSI –

February 14, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: Ernst Calls for the Senate to Confirm Kelly Loeffler as SBA Administrator

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, spoke on the Senate floor in support of Kelly Loeffler to be confirmed as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA).
Chair Ernst has highlighted Kelly Loeffler’s plan to fix the broken SBA and advanced her nomination out of committee on a bipartisan vote of 12-7.
Watch her full remarks here.
Ernst’s remarks as delivered:
“Mr. President, later today we have the opportunity to advance the nomination of the Honorable Kelly Loeffler to be the Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
“Senator Loeffler is immensely qualified for this role.
“As a successful businesswoman, it is abundantly clear that Senator Loeffler truly understands what it takes to be an entrepreneur and will be an effective voice for small businesses across America.
“Since President Trump’s election in November, optimism on Main Street has surged to its highest levels since 2018!
“Our nation’s job creators – small businesses – are excited about the prospect of having a dedicated and knowledgeable leader at the helm of SBA.
“Last week, the Small Business Committee, where I serve as Chair, favorably reported her nomination out with a bipartisan vote — a sure sign that my friends on both sides of the aisle believe she is fit to lead SBA.
“Senator Loeffler will bring accountability back to the agency and promote policies that will truly benefit American small businesses.
“As evidenced in her nomination hearing, Senator Loeffler’s experience and her expertise make her the right person to lead the SBA and advocate for our small businesses.
“Growing up on her family’s farm in Bloomington, Illinois, Senator Loeffler experienced firsthand the problems facing America’s farmers and small business owners.
“And as a fellow farm girl myself, I look forward to having some more Midwest common sense in Washington D.C.!
“Senator Loeffler also witnessed her parents start up a small trucking business and navigate complex rules and regulations.
“She understands the struggles small businesses face because you know what, she has experienced them.
“Fortunately, Senator Loeffler is ready to cut the red tape and reduce the burdens that so many of our job creators still face today.
“Senator Loeffler is also a successful entrepreneur.
“She was the first employee and CEO of a financial technology company.
“Through her hard work and tenacity, she aggressively grew the company and took it public within three years.
“Additionally, Senator Loeffler knows what it means to work for Main Street and the American people.
“During COVID, as a U.S. Senator, she worked tirelessly to bring relief to the people of Georgia, specifically through the Paycheck Protection Program.
“However, she, like me, recognizes that some took advantage of this program, and they need to be held accountable.
“During her confirmation hearing, Senator Loeffler detailed her zero-tolerance policy for waste, fraud, and abuse in the SBA.
“Mr. President, that should be welcome news for all of us.
“In addition, Senator Loeffler indicated the need for a full-scale audit – I started my political career as an auditor so I agree with this – the full-scale audit at the SBA to uncover any improper spending, and stated she would rely on that data to make the best decisions for the future of SBA.
“Senator Loeffler also noted the importance of working with Congress, particularly when it comes to disaster relief.
“She recognized the tragedy of the SBA’s disaster shortfall – which lasted for 66 days in the middle of back-to-back natural disasters – she recognized that this should never happen again.
“SBA’s vital role in the disaster process cannot be overstated, and we must ensure we have an Administrator who will alert Congress at the first signs of any concerns.
“The SBA needs a strong leader with a proven track record in business management, and Senator Loeffler brings all of that and more to the table.
“I look forward to working with Senator Loeffler to ensure small businesses all across America can thrive and maintain these high levels of optimism we’re already seeing under this administration.
“I urge my colleagues to advance her nomination. Support her with a yes vote.”

MIL OSI USA News –

February 14, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Transport Sector – Road freight survey to fill key knowledge gaps

Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

Registrations for the National Road Freight Survey have opened today (February 14) with company owners, managers, drivers and other essential staff encouraged to have their say in the largest sector snap-shot in more than a decade.

The survey is being run by independent research firm Research NZ on behalf of Transporting New Zealand, and is available to all road freight industry participants.

Transporting New Zealand Chief Executive Dom Kalasih says the survey is a fantastic opportunity to better understand industry attitudes on key issues including workforce shortages, operating conditions, revenue issues such as tolling and congestion charging, the Cook Strait ferries and road policing.

“There are over 30,000 people working in the road freight sector across more than 4,000 business entities, carrying 93 percent of the national freight task,” Kalasih says.

“We want to get a clearer picture of what their leading concerns are, what opportunities they see for improvement, and what might be lesser priorities.”

He says he is particularly interested in sharing the results with policy makers and industry partners about the retirement intentions of drivers and the employment of migrant workers.

“We know the average age of truck drivers is rapidly approaching 60, and that migrant truck drivers have played an important supplementary role in filling shortages. However, the survey will give us a clearer picture of what proportion of the workforce intends to retire within five years, what the main barriers are to employing new drivers, and what policy changes we need to prioritise to improve the situation.”

Kalasih says that Research NZ has kept the survey short, multi-choice and accessible, with the option to provide more in-depth answers.

“The survey will ask operators to rank leading industry issues in order of importance, and then get more detailed responses on topical issues relating to each of those. This will be followed by some key questions on workforce challenges, the public perception of truck drivers, and what (if any) skill gaps people are noticing with new drivers.”

“Because of the importance of the road freight industry, and its fragmented nature, people get a lot of survey requests from government, suppliers and supply chain partners. That’s why we’ve ensured this survey is concise, while still being comprehensive. We got feedback from our members on the content and it’s been designed to ensure we’ve got it right.”

“People who register for the survey before 3 March (the survey launch date) will also enter the draw for an iPad, and there will be more prizes to follow. So get registered and share it with your team today. It’s open to all industry participants.”

Road freight business owners, managers, drivers and staff can pre-register for the survey at:

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

February 14, 2025

Category: Vehicles

What’s this all about?

Dingoes are not ‘wild dogs’

Is the balance right?

Considering the rights of Traditional Owners

The court will decide

Do we need a category 6?

Climate change is feeding storms

Slow is not good

Conditions on the ground

Some improvement to transparency

Hollow donation caps

Election spending contained and fairer

The importance of public funding

Unfinished business

A difficult area to explore

How bad is the problem?

The ripple effects

Why is it difficult to establish suicide on the road?

What can be done?

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Some improvement to transparency

Hollow donation caps

Election spending contained and fairer

The importance of public funding

Unfinished business

What does Slow Koi mean?

Why did you choose Strand Arcade for Slow Koi?

What was the potential you saw?

What is the vibe of the midtown food and beverage scene?

What are some of the other brands you plan to bring to Strand Arcade?

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Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand