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The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) hosted an event to demonstrate next-generation autonomous systems designed to enhance naval operations, improve situational awareness, and bolster defense capabilities in an increasingly complex maritime environment.

The Biden-Harris Administration has awarded $12.62 million to 35 state, local, and tribal governments to support clean energy projects aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing costs. The funding is part of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program under the Investing in America agenda.

The U.S. Department of Labor has secured a federal consent judgment that permanently prohibits two Astoria discount stores and their owners and manager from threatening workers and obstructing investigations by the department’s Wage and Hour Division.

Matt Miller, Director of the VA Office of Suicide Prevention, extended his gratitude for the opportunity to participate in Day 2 of the Gathering to Prevent Suicide Among American Indian & Alaska Native Service Members, Veterans, & their Families. "Thank you for the critical work you and your team in the VA Office of Suicide Prevention are doing every day," he stated.

The U.S. Department of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (ROK) co-hosted a joint symposium titled "Protecting the Virtual Asset Industry from DPRK Exploitation and Disrupting DPRK Revenue Generation" in New York City on August 27, 2024. This event is part of ongoing efforts to curb the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) attempts to earn revenue for its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, which violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions.

The California Senate has approved a bill mandating browser developers to provide an opt-out tool. Advocacy groups, including Consumer Reports and the Electronic Privacy Information Center, along with trade organization Digital Content Next (representing publishers), support the bill. In a letter sent to state lawmakers in March, these groups stated that the proposed law "will help reduce opt-out friction and make it easier for California residents to control their data."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public input on a proposed early cleanup action for the Newtown Creek Superfund Site, located in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City. This initiative focuses on the East Branch of Newtown Creek and is part of the larger effort to clean up the entire site.

Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose W. Fernandez met with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte and her team of ministers on August 28, 2024, in Lima to promote trade and economic opportunities with the United States. He was accompanied by a delegation of U.S. businesses hosted by the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) and the U.S. Embassy to Peru.

The U.S. Department of Labor, the National Labor Relations Board, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, and the Federal Trade Commission have signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance competition by improving coordination in evaluating the potential impacts of mergers and acquisitions on labor markets.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ), in collaboration with the Department of Labor (DOL) and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), have signed a new memorandum of understanding (MOU). This agreement aims to enhance the ability of the FTC and DOJ to investigate the impact of mergers and acquisitions on labor markets.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it is initiating a process to cancel all products containing the pesticide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA or Dacthal). This follows an emergency suspension of the pesticide on August 6, 2024. The decision comes after AMVAC Chemical Corporation (AMVAC) expressed its intent to voluntarily cancel the remaining pesticide products containing DCPA in the United States and internationally.

On the margins of the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting held in Tonga, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Community announced the planned expansion of the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils movement to the Pacific Islands region.

Washington, D.C. — The tax legislation signed by President Donald Trump in December 2017 significantly reduced federal revenues, particularly benefiting the wealthiest Americans. Following these tax cuts, federal revenues dropped sharply and remain below projections made prior to their enactment. An issue brief from the Center for American Progress (CAP) provides a new analysis of economic trends and federal revenues, explaining how the Trump tax cuts' low revenues hinder investment in communities.

The U.S. Department of Labor has secured a federal court judgment requiring 15 gas stations, operating under brands such as BP, Mobil, and Sunoco in Bronx, Nassau, and Suffolk counties, to pay over $1 million in back wages and liquidated damages to more than 100 current and former employees. This judgment follows a federal investigation.

House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK), alongside leaders from the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, has called for answers from U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack regarding significant shortcomings in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). These issues have led to a severe food shortage crisis affecting Tribal communities across the nation. The lawmakers are seeking detailed information to understand the causes of this situation and implement swift corrective measures.

Washington, D.C. — In the past four months, voter familiarity with Project 2025 has surged from 10 percent to nearly 80 percent. Despite this, many middle-class families remain uncertain about the potential impacts of the Project 2025 agenda on their lives.

The Justice Department announced today that it has reasonable cause to believe that the Commonwealth of Kentucky is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro area by unnecessarily segregating adults with serious mental illness in psychiatric hospitals, rather than providing care in integrated community settings.

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland has restored protections for 28 million acres of public lands in Alaska. This action safeguards an area 37 times the size of Yosemite National Park and is a crucial source of subsistence for Alaska Natives. The lands were previously threatened in 2021 when the Trump administration attempted to remove existing protections, known as "D-1 withdrawals," to allow for industrial development. Responding to appeals from more than half of the federally recognized Tribes in Alaska, the Biden-Harris administration reinstated...

On the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the 25th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision on Olmstead v. L.C., the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced policy actions to support community living for people with disabilities. HUD has published guidance introducing new alternative requirements and waivers to help public housing agencies (PHAs) better utilize Mainstream Vouchers, aiding persons with disabilities in transitioning from institutional settings.

The chief executive officer of Minerco Inc. (stock ticker MINE) was arrested last week on charges of securities fraud related to a scheme to defraud investors in Minerco.

The San Carlos Apache Tribe has agreed to continue its efforts to bring the San Carlos Wastewater Treatment Facility and three drinking water systems into compliance with federal environmental laws. This move aims to ensure the health and safety of the community.

Nate Lavoy, a summer associate at the RAND Corporation, stated that publicly posted videos on TikTok pose a threat to U.S. national security. He explained that entities with access to these videos could use them to train artificial intelligence (AI) models to create "deepfakes," or digitally altered videos that can be used to spread misinformation. Lavoy shared his statement in an August 14 commentary.

Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party have written to the CEO of Anzu Robotics, seeking clarification about the company's relationship with DJI, a People’s Republic of China (PRC) military drone company. In separate correspondence to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, they presented evidence suggesting Anzu's concerning ties with DJI and requested that the Commerce Department consider measures to address potential...

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has called for additional safeguards in Maryland's policy governing police use of facial recognition technology. Jeramie Scott, the director of the project on surveillance oversight at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), commented on the ACLU’s recommendations.

A California man was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for his role in a $2.8 million fraud scheme in which Medicare was billed for hospice services that the patients did not need.