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The U.S. Department of Labor and the Republic of Colombia have announced that Colombia has joined the Consular Partnership Program to raise awareness among Colombians working in the U.S. about regulations protecting them in American workplaces. This announcement coincides with the beginning of Labor Rights Week.

Cartagena de Indias, August 26, 2024

The Biden-Harris Administration today announced a $100 million investment in organizations that assist underserved communities, consumers, and small businesses in enrolling for health coverage through HealthCare.gov and the Health Insurance Marketplace®. This initiative, led by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), aims to bolster efforts ahead of the Marketplace Open Enrollment starting November 1, 2024. The grants are part of a larger commitment of up to $500 million over five years, marking the longest grant period and financial commitment to date.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the implementation of federal disaster assistance for New Hampshire, supplementing state and local recovery efforts in areas affected by severe storms and flooding from July 10-13, 2024.

The Justice Department announced today that it secured a settlement agreement with BreakthroughFuel LLC (Breakthrough), a transportation management company based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with nationwide operations. The agreement resolves the department’s determination that Breakthrough violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by discriminating against a non-U.S. citizen worker when the company withdrew its offer to work on a project based on his citizenship status.

China May Soon Be the Top AI Innovator in the World

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.

Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Ambassador Bonnie D. Jenkins will travel to Hanoi, Vietnam, from August 26-27 and to Nairobi, Kenya, from August 28-29, 2024.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is distributing over $222,000 in refunds to consumers affected by a deceptive mortgage relief scheme operated by Lanier Law. The scheme charged homeowners thousands of dollars in upfront fees with promises to reduce their monthly payments but failed to deliver on these commitments.

The U.S. Department of Defense hosted the Climate and Defense Summit of the Americas at the U.S. Naval Academy on August 22-23, 2024. Senior leaders from across the Western Hemisphere gathered to address defense and security challenges posed by climate change and to enhance regional collaboration.

The United States and Argentina held the inaugural annual U.S.-Argentina Energy Security Dialogue (ESD) on August 23, 2024, at the Palacio San Martin in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose W. Fernandez opened the ESD alongside Secretary of International Economic Relations Ambassador Marcelo Cima, Secretary of Energy Eduardo Rodriguez Chirillo, and Secretary of Mining Luis Lucero. The ESD builds on a history of close U.S.-Argentine diplomatic and technical cooperation and will serve as a forum to advance cooperative...

Ping Li, 59, of Wesley Chapel, Florida, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to act as an agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) without notification to the Attorney General.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the implementation of federal disaster assistance for Vermont, following severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides from July 9 to July 11, 2024. President Biden issued a major disaster declaration for Addison, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Lamoille, Orleans, and Washington counties.

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against RealPage, a technology company accused of colluding with landlords to unjustifiably raise rental prices. Emily Gee, senior vice president for Inclusive Growth at the Center for American Progress, responded to the lawsuit with a statement.

Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer delivered remarks on August 23, 2024, regarding the Justice Department’s lawsuit against RealPage for an alleged algorithmic pricing scheme. The remarks were made in acknowledgment of the Antitrust Division's efforts.

Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard R. Verma will travel to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on August 25th to attend the 77th Little League Baseball World Series (LLBWS) championship game. The event will feature the winning team from the U.S. bracket versus the winning team of the international bracket.

As part of regular updates on threat disruption efforts, recent insights have been shared into a cluster of likely social engineering activity on WhatsApp that security teams blocked after investigating user reports. This malicious activity originated in Iran and targeted individuals in Israel, Palestine, Iran, the United States, and the UK. The effort appeared to focus on political and diplomatic officials and other public figures, including some associated with the administrations of President Biden and former President Trump.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has entered into a Voluntary Compliance Agreement/Conciliation Agreement with Harris County, Texas, resolving allegations of racial and national origin discrimination in the county's Post Disaster Relocation and Buyout Program. A resident who filed a complaint is also a party to the agreement.

The Justice Department, alongside the Attorneys General of North Carolina, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington, has filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against RealPage Inc. The suit alleges that RealPage engaged in an unlawful scheme to reduce competition among landlords in apartment pricing and monopolize the market for commercial revenue management software used by landlords to price apartments. This conduct is said to harm millions of American renters by depriving them of competitive leasing terms.

On August 23, 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that 17 states and territories will receive a total of $66 million from the Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Capitalization Grant Program. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) revealed that this funding, part of the Investing in America agenda supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aims to establish or enhance revolving funds for energy efficiency audits, upgrades, and retrofits.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland delivered remarks on August 23, 2024, regarding the Justice Department's lawsuit against RealPage for an alleged algorithmic pricing scheme that impacts millions of Americans.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is seeking public comment on a petition by Cooperativa De Farmacias Puertorriqueñas, also known as Coopharma, to reopen and modify a final consent order issued in 2012. The cooperative of independent pharmacy owners from Puerto Rico argues that changes in the law and the increasing dominance of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) necessitate revisiting the order.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the final allocations of nearly $724 million for six Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 competitive preparedness grant programs. This includes $454.5 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, an increase of $149.5 million from FY 2023, aimed at providing critical funding for faith-based groups and others to prevent and protect themselves from current threats.

On August 23, Ambassador Dr. John Nkengasong, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Senior Bureau Official for Global Health Security and Diplomacy, led a special session of the Foreign Ministry Channel for Global Health Security (FMC) to discuss the global response to the surge of Clade I mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other African countries. On August 14, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern following the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's (Africa CDC) declaration of a...

Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell will travel to Tonga, Vanuatu, and New Zealand from August 28 to 31.