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On August 9, 2024, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced measures to expand access to benefits for Veterans who served at Karshi-Khanabad (K2) base in Uzbekistan after September 11, 2001, and their survivors. These steps include:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken engaged in a conversation today with Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Safadi. The dialogue centered on efforts to de-escalate regional tensions and prevent further conflict escalation.

As climate change exacerbates the frequency and cost of extreme weather events, Project 2025 proposes eliminating aid for families and businesses rebuilding after storms. New analysis from the Center for American Progress (CAP) highlights that the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) disaster loan program disproportionately aids individuals in Southern states on the Gulf Coast, such as Texas, Florida, and Louisiana, which are often hit hardest by extreme weather events.

As a result of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) case, one of the operators of a sweepstakes scam that cost consumers millions has agreed to a settlement that permanently bans him from operating sweepstakes or making claims to consumers about prizes they have won or may win.

Two former corrections officers from the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, pleaded guilty today for their roles in an assault that resulted in the death of an inmate identified by the initials Q.B. on March 1, 2022. Ashley Toney and Jacob Boothe each admitted to violating inmate Q.B.’s civil rights by failing to intervene to protect him from being physically assaulted by other correctional officers.

A former North Dakota State Senator pleaded guilty today to traveling to Prague, Czech Republic, to engage in commercial sex acts with minor boys.

Confidence in the market for new multifamily housing declined year-over-year in the second quarter, according to results from the Multifamily Market Survey (MMS) released today by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The MMS produces two separate indices. The Multifamily Production Index (MPI) had a reading of 44, down 12 points year-over-year, while the Multifamily Occupancy Index (MOI) had a reading of 81, down eight points year-over-year.

A superseding indictment was returned yesterday charging two Iranian citizens, brothers Shahab Mir’kazei (Shahab) and Yunus Mir’kazei (Yunis), and one Pakistani citizen, Muhammad Pahlawan, for conspiring to provide and providing material support to Iran’s weapons of mass destruction program resulting in death and conspiring to commit violence against maritime navigation and maritime transport involving weapons of mass destruction resulting in death. Pahlawan is currently awaiting trial, while Shahab and Yunus remain at large.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $20 million in grant funding for the Houston Health Department and its partner, Black United Fund of Texas (BUFTX), to address environmental and climate justice challenges. This initiative is part of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and represents the largest single investment in environmental justice to date.

A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida has returned an indictment charging three executives of an election voting machine and service provider company and a former Chairman of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) of the Republic of the Philippines. The charges pertain to their alleged involvement in a bribery and money laundering scheme related to the 2016 Philippine elections.

On Thursday, the fourth and final season of "The Umbrella Academy" premieres, and Tudum provides comprehensive coverage to prepare fans for the series' conclusion.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $19,944,576 in grant funding for Dillard University and its partner United Way of Southeast Louisiana. The grants aim to assist disadvantaged communities in addressing environmental and climate justice challenges by reducing pollution, increasing community climate resilience, and building community capacity. This funding is part of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which represents the largest single investment in environmental and climate justice to date.

West Coast Dental Administrative Services LLC (formerly West Coast Dental Services Inc.), which operates a network of dental offices in Southern California, and its founders and former owners, Drs. Soleyman Cohen-Sedgh, Farid Pakravan, and Farhad Manavi, have paid $6.3 million to resolve allegations that they knowingly violated the False Claims Act in connection with seven improper loans that West Coast Dental Services Inc. (West Coast Dental) and affiliated dental offices received under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Additionally, City Real Estate Holdings Inc., a...

Two years ago on August 9, President Joe Biden signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act, marking a significant step in semiconductor manufacturing within the United States. The Biden-Harris administration has since announced more than $30 billion in proposed direct funding for 23 semiconductor projects across 15 states, alongside over $8 billion allocated to new research and development initiatives.

On August 5, 2024, AUKUS partners signed the trilateral Agreement Among the Government of Australia, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Government of the United States of America for Cooperation Related to Naval Nuclear Propulsion (the “Agreement”).

A former Syrian government official was indicted today in Los Angeles on criminal charges for lying to U.S. immigration authorities about his time running a Syrian prison where prisoners, including political dissidents, were physically mistreated.

The Department of Defense announced the selection of a team of United States and United Kingdom academic researchers to investigate the growing threat that malign social influence campaigns pose to democracies. Awarded through the Bilateral Academic Research Initiative (BARI)'s Social Science Program, the project, "Influence, Manipulation, and Information Threats as Adversarial Techniques: Events, Evolution, and Effects," is led by Professor Jacob Shapiro at Princeton University in the U.S. and Professor Martin Innes at Cardiff University in the U.K.

Washington, D.C. — A new column from the Center for American Progress outlines how Project 2025, a proposal by the Heritage Foundation, would complicate eligibility for overtime pay and potentially allow employers to misuse these regulations.

A federal grand jury in Oklahoma City returned an indictment, which was unsealed today, charging Sioux Erosion Control, Inc. (Sioux), its vice president, and another employee with a price-fixing conspiracy targeting over $100 million in publicly-funded transportation construction contracts across Oklahoma.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced the launch of a public service announcement (PSA) campaign to educate small business owners about new beneficial ownership reporting requirements. The PSAs, which are being broadcast on television and radio nationwide, aim to inform business owners and stakeholders about these requirements and encourage compliance. This initiative complements ongoing digital and print advertising efforts.

On July 23 and 24, the United States, Italy, and Saudi Arabia hosted the 20th meeting of the Counter ISIS Finance Group (CIFG) virtually under the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. The U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. Department of State jointly represented the United States at this event, which included over 50 member states and observers.

Matthew Isaac Knoot, 38, of Nashville, Tennessee, was arrested today for his alleged involvement in generating revenue for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK or North Korea) illicit weapons program, including weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced today the allocation of more than $26.5 million in planning grants through the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) competitive Bridge Investment Program. Created under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, these grants will fund 28 projects across 18 states to develop future bridge construction projects aimed at improving safety, economic competitiveness, and resilience to climate change.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Angolan President João Lourenço to express appreciation for Angola’s leadership in facilitating an agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda on an open-ended ceasefire in eastern DRC. Secretary Blinken commended President Lourenço and Foreign Minister Tete António for their diplomatic efforts and continued dedication to fostering peace in the region. He also conveyed U.S. support for the Angola-led Ad Hoc Verification Mechanism, which plays a crucial role in monitoring the ceasefire.

The Washington Times published an op-ed by Jeff Brabant, NFIB’s Vice President of Federal Government Relations, addressing the detrimental effects of the Corporate Transparency Act’s (CTA) beneficial ownership (BOI) reporting requirements on small businesses. Brabant articulates that the mandate, which compels small business owners to register their personal information with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), imposes an undue burden on Main Street enterprises.