Latest news with #DougBeck
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pentagon prize challenge seeks ‘ready-now' uncrewed systems
In a push to get military kit to the field more quickly, the Defense Innovation Unit is launching a prize challenge called Project G.I. to help the military services test and scale uncrewed systems. DIU on Monday released a solicitation for the effort, calling for companies to proposed 'ready-now' uncrewed systems that can help increase the effectiveness of small military cells operating in low-bandwidth environments with disrupted communications. 'Solutions should fundamentally improve how tactical formations sense, decide and strike, independent of consistent communication or extensive logistical support,' DIU said. DIU is establishing a $20 million prize pool for Project G.I., and the solicitation will stay open through the end of the year on a rolling basis. Companies whose systems are selected will participate in a live demonstration with military operators. Based on user feedback, DIU will choose vendors to move into the next phase where they'll either receive cash prizes to invest in maturing their systems, be awarded procurement contracts to deliver their capabilities to military units for further testing and training or be issued a contract for further prototyping. Speaking Monday at the Special Competitive Studies Project's AI Expo in Washington, D.C., DIU Director Doug Beck said the intent of Project G.I. is to get systems to operators more quickly by testing them in a live operational test environment. The project gives users a chance to 'test, plan and learn' and provide feedback that can be quickly implemented and re-tested, he said. Project G.I. also allows the services to take advantage of DIU's flexible funding and bypass a budget cycle that can take years to wade through. 'DIU is laser focused on getting best-of-breed technology in the hands of the warfighter today and scaling it for training, adoption, and readiness,' Beck said in a statement. 'Doing this at speed will in turn help catalyze the necessary scaling and readiness through major acquisition and training efforts across the services that will deliver strategic impact — and will simultaneously support the flywheel of American private sector dynamism in delivering against that strategic need.' The first Project G.I. demonstration will be with the Army in U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, but Beck said DIU is partnering with the other services as well.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri Republicans Usurp Will of Voters on Abortion Referendum
Missouri Senate Republicans have decided to work against their electorate. The state's conservative lawmakers shut down a Democrat-led filibuster Wednesday by leveraging a rarely utilized procedural maneuver. Senate Republicans used the rule—in which 10 members sign a motion to force an immediate vote, also known as 'calling the previous question' or simply 'P.Q.'—to overturn the state's abortion rights amendment. Missourians voted directly to enshrine abortion access in their state constitution in November, undoing the state ban by safeguarding a woman's choice up to the point of viability. But what 53.2 percent of the state wanted was apparently not on the minds of Missouri Senate Republicans Wednesday evening. Senator Adam Schnelting from St. Charles pushed for the P.Q. after 5 p.m., advancing the abortion amendment by 5:30 p.m. Doing so killed the Democrats' filibuster and forced a vote on the new measure, which passed and must now be approved by voters in a statewide referendum. This means that Missourians must vote again on abortion rights, either in 2026 or earlier if the governor calls a special election. The new proposed ban would repeal the newly instated constitutional right to abortion and allow for exceptions in case of rape, incest, or medical emergencies. Before 6 p.m., the caucus had approved another bill, repealing a sick leave law that state residents had similarly voted for and that only went into effect May 1, reported the Missouri Independent. Democrats torched the conservative caucus for forcing the action, declaring that there would be no more goodwill or cooperation between the two parties for the rest of the year. 'Nothing will happen, nothing,' said Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, according to The Independent. 'The banner year that everybody had in this place? That is over with.' Protests erupted from the Senate gallery as Republicans motioned to vote on the abortion ban. Lawmakers had the gallery cleared of both protesters and press and then wrapped their work a couple of hours later. Republicans' use of the P.Q. was the first time that the rule had been used in the state Senate since 2020. P.Q.s are often utilized in the House, according to The Independent, but have traditionally been looked down upon in the state Senate, where lawmakers expect to be able to engage in extended discourse on bills. Senator Stephen Webber, a Democrat from Columbia, told The Independent that Republicans' reliance on a P.Q. to advance a vote was a 'failure of the Senate.' 'Today, Senate Republicans said they don't give a damn what voters think by moving to repeal both,' Democratic House Minority Leader Ashley Aune said, in a statement. 'Missourians will not accept their fundamental rights being stripped away and their decisions ignored. The majority party has ignited a political firestorm that will scorch them.' But it's not the only anti-abortion effort currently making its way through the Missouri legislature. Missouri House Bill 807, called the 'Save MO Babies Act,' is intended to target people 'at risk for seeking abortion services' and to 'reduce the number of preventable abortions.' If passed, a registry of such people would start on July 1, 2026, and would be managed by the Maternal and Child Services division of the state's Department of Social Services, according to the bill text. The bill does not specify the scope and scale of such a registry or exactly how 'at risk' individuals would be identified. Lack of access to abortion care has actually made pregnancies drastically less safe. In Texas, where abortion hasn't been permitted despite the legislature's medical emergency clause, sepsis rates have skyrocketed by as much as 50 percent for women who lost their pregnancies during the second trimester, according to an investigative analysis by ProPublica.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri Senate briefly debates abortion ban as time runs short on legislative session
Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck speaks against a proposed constitutional amendment banning abortion during debate in the Missouri Senate on Monday evening (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). With four days left in the legislative session, Republicans brought a proposed constitutional amendment banning abortion up for debate Monday night in the Missouri Senate only to set it aside after three hours. It's unlikely to be the last abortion debate in the Senate before the legislature adjourns for the year at 6 p.m. Friday. Republicans can bring the bill back to the Senate at any time in the next few days. Republicans spent the first hour of debate scorning Amendment 3, which voters approved in November to protect the right to reproductive health care including abortion up to the point of fetal viability. 'Sometimes people get in, we can only describe it as horrible situations, but I don't think taking the life of an innocent should be something that we can legally do,' said Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O'Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican. 'I think it's morally wrong and I think we need to support women who've had unintended pregnancies or other situations where they feel trapped and they don't feel supported.' After Republicans spoke in favor of the bill, Democrats stood up to block it from coming up for a vote. The proposed ban, which has been a top priority among Republicans this year, seeks to repeal the constitutional right to an abortion but allow exceptions for medical emergencies, fatal fetal anomalies and for survivors of rape and incest in the first 12 weeks of gestation. The 12 week deadline for survivors has raised concerns from Democrats, and from the GOP leader of the House. 'It's just disgusting to put that torture and timeline on someone who's a survivor of domestic violence,' state Rep. Patty Lewis, a Democrat from Kansas City, said Monday evening. The proposed ban, if approved by a simple majority of voters, would reinstate several targeted regulations on abortion providers, or TRAP laws, that were recently struck down as unconstitutional by a Missouri judge. The language that could appear on each ballot does not mention the amendment would ban abortions, a detail that's been highly-criticized by Democrats as deceiving. Missourians would be asked if they want to amend the Missouri constitution to: 'Guarantee access to care for medical emergencies, ectopic pregnancies, and miscarriages; Ensure women's safety during abortions; Ensure parental consent for minors; Allow abortions for medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, rape, and incest; Require physicians to provide medically accurate information; and Protect children from gender transition?' Missourians could see the question on the November 2026 ballot, or as soon as this year if the governor chose to call a special election on the issue. On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, an Affton Democrat, pointed out that last session, Senate Republicans voted against an attempt to add rape and incest exceptions to what at the time was a near-total ban on abortion in the state. 'It makes you wonder exactly what's going on here,' Beck said of some Republicans changing course on the issue. ' … It's very interesting to see the mental gymnastics that are taking place to be able to say that this is OK.'
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pentagon seeks drone-killing technology that's safe for civilians
The Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit plans to issue a solicitation for low-collateral counter-drone technology next week, part of the second iteration of its Replicator rapid-fielding effort that's focused on helping the Pentagon protect its installations from small-drone attacks. DIU Director Doug Beck told House lawmakers Thursday his organization is particularly interested in technologies that can take out drone threats in highly populated areas without major impacts on the environment and, critically, civilians. 'It's really about those low-collateral interceptors and getting after those solutions — whether it's through electronic means, kinetic or ballistic means or other forms of bringing those drones down,' Beck told the House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces subcommittee in a hearing. Replicator's goal is to create a new pathway for the Pentagon to buy and scale high-need capabilities on faster timelines. Replicator 1, which is ongoing, set out to deliver thousands of low-cost drones by August of this year. Last September, then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the next phase of the effort, dubbed Replicator 2, would center on the small UAS challenge. DIU is leading Replicator 2 and is partnered closely with the Army-led Joint Counter-Uncrewed Aerial Systems Office, JCO, and the Counter Uncrewed Systems Warfighter Senior Integration Group. Speaking last week at the Apex Conference, DIU's chief of Policy Sunmin Kim said that along with its emphasis on low-collateral defeat systems, Replicator 2 is also focused on identifying more affordable systems that are available either commercially or from traditional defense contractors with mature technology. 'We're interested in low-cost sensing options, so things like passive [radio frequency] radars versus actually using active sensors that we typically do for aircraft,' she said. Defending against adversarial drones is a significant challenge for the U.S. military and its allies — from attacks in the Red Sea to reports of drone swarms flying over domestic bases. The Pentagon has launched a number of efforts and organizations over the last few years to address these threats, including the JCO and the Counter Uncrewed Systems Warfighter Senior Integration Group. Last year, the department designated the commanders of U.S. Northern Command and Indo-Pacific Command as 'lead synchronizers' for counter-UAS operations. And in December, DOD completed a classified counter-UAS strategy meant to provide a 'singular' focus on the most urgent challenges. Military leaders said Thursday that while the Defense Department is making progress identifying technical solutions and working through complex policies and authorizations, it's not moving fast enough. 'We're happy, but we're not satisfied,' Lt. Gen. Eric Austin, deputy commandant of the Marine Corps for capabilities, development and integration, said during the hearing. 'We're fielding equipment that has the ability and the built-in open architecture to adapt and improve from a software and a hardware perspective, but we've got a ways to go to keep up with the threat and exceed that threat.' Austin highlighted the Marine Air Defense System, or MADIS, which can integrate with the service's command and control systems and detect and take down small uncrewed aircraft. The Marine Corps also plans to field a prototype this fiscal year of a counter-UAS capability specifically designed to protect dismounted Marines. 'This initiative will put man-portable solutions into Marines' hands at the tactical edge,' Austin said. 'We are feverishly working in belief this will be a model for fielding and iterative improvement.' Maj. Gen. David Stewart, director of the JCO, and Beck both noted that while DOD has made strides toward identifying and developing counter-UAS technologies, it isn't buying and fielding those systems in sufficient quantities. 'I believe and assess the capability is there,' Stewart said. 'We have a bit of a capacity problem across each of the services.' Beck noted that for the services to fill those capacity gaps, they need more resources, authorities and funding flexibility from Congress. 'We need to be doing much, much more,' he said. 'We must put capability in place now. We must dramatically improve our capacity and speed to update unmanned and counter-unmanned technologies. We must build the muscle to do so at greater and greater scale.'
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How Missouri Democrats blocked vote to overhaul paid sick leave — for now
After Missouri Senate Democrats spent more than ten hours filibustering legislation that would overhaul a voter-approved paid sick leave law, the GOP-controlled Senate pulled the bill early Thursday morning. The protracted filibuster blocked a vote on the measure — for now. While Republican senators adjourned for the weekend, the bill is expected to come up again as the end of the session draws near. 'Our entire caucus will stand up for the will of the people,' Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, a St. Louis-area Democrat, told reporters in response to a question from The Star. 'That's what we're doing here. That's why I'm super proud of all of our members that stood up yesterday and told the truth about what's going on.' The legislation, a top Republican priority this year, would strike down portions of Proposition A, a measure voters approved in November that requires most employers to provide paid sick time off to workers starting May 1. The law also raised the state's minimum wage, which faces a legal challenge by the state's largest business advocacy groups. While the GOP-led legislation would not outright remove the minimum wage increase, which will rise to $15 an hour next year, it does repeal a section that allows future increases based on inflation. The effort to strike down Proposition A illustrates a familiar trend in Missouri, a state controlled by Republicans where voters also pass ballot measures seen as progressive. Republican lawmakers have in recent years sought to curtail direct democracy in the state in response to voters using the ballot box to raise the minimum wage, legalize abortion, expand Medicaid and legalize marijuana. Proposition A received broad support and was backed by 57% of voters across the state in November. But opponents, which include business groups and Republican lawmakers, argue that the paid sick leave policy would hurt businesses if it were allowed to take effect next month. The Missouri Supreme Court is currently weighing a legal challenge that would strike down the entire law. The court has not yet ruled on the election challenge, which argues that the proposal violated a requirement that ballot measures only deal with one subject. After the House passed the plan to overhaul the measure last month, Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, a staunch opponent of raising the minimum wage, appeared to throw his support behind the bill. 'The biggest piece that's a problem with Proposition A are the benefits that go along with it,' Kehoe said. 'I've heard from employers in Missouri, again, both large and very small, about the problems that that could produce.' The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, one of the groups that sued to overturn the election results for Proposition A, is also backing the Republican bill. In a statement shortly after the House passed the legislation, Kara Corches, the organization's president and CEO, said the bill would 'give employers the flexibility to tailor workplace policies to meet the needs of their workforce.' But The Star recently spoke with Kaamilya Hobbs, a 33-year-old mom of three who received a pay raise due to Proposition A while working at an Arby's in Kansas City. Hobbs said that while other employees need sick time off, only managers at her store currently receive paid leave. 'They just want to just take away everything that we're working so hard to provide for our family and everything,' Hobbs previously said. 'I'd really hate to see them win. We need this difference.' Under the law, employers that make at least $500,000 a year in sales must provide at least one hour of paid leave for every 30 hours worked. How much sick leave employers must provide depends on the number of employees the business has. While Senate Democrats were able to block a vote on the measure, Democratic leaders were frustrated during a press conference Thursday morning. Beck told reporters that Democrats tried negotiating changes to the bill late into the night but those negotiations fell apart. He said Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O'Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican, told Democrats that Republicans were done negotiating. Beck said O'Laughlin blindsided negotiators when she posted on Facebook '#NoToThisBusinessKiller. We are prepared to stay as long as it takes.' Senate Republicans did not hold a press conference on Thursday. But O'Laughlin told The Star in a text message that Democrats were 'trying to call people who were not in building and get their approval (on the negotiations). Eventually we said if no movement we'll lay it over and we did.' Beck said Democrats were talking with groups that represent workers.
