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The following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and the Republic of Austria on the occasion of the U.S.–Austria Strategic Dialogue.

Columbus is considering the installation of a security camera network to combat crime, but questions remain about its overall effectiveness. Jake Wiener, an attorney with the Electronic Privacy Information Center who works on the nonprofit’s surveillance oversight project, expressed skepticism about the initiative's potential impact.

The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered over $84,000 in back wages and liquidated damages for 13 workers following an investigation into a Jersey Shore steakhouse owner. The department also assessed $4,459 in penalties after determining that the owner violated federal overtime regulations deliberately.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in partnership with the White House Council on Environmental Quality, announced that Shari Insley, a fifth-grade math and science teacher at Pine Intermediate School in North Olmsted, Ohio, has been awarded the 2024 Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators.

The Justice Department announced today its findings that the State of Missouri violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by unnecessarily institutionalizing adults with mental health disabilities in nursing facilities. The investigation also examined the role of guardianships in such institutionalization.

Washington, D.C. — The Center for American Progress will host an event featuring U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter. They will discuss the Biden-Harris administration's efforts to lower costs, promote fairer and more competitive markets, improve conditions for U.S. consumers and producers, and enhance the resilience of the domestic food supply chain.

ANN ARBOR, MI – An Ann Arbor restaurant operator who received nearly $950,000 in federal assistance to retain employees during the pandemic has agreed to pay $196,531 in back wages and liquidated damages to 20 workers following a U.S. Department of Labor investigation into illegal pay practices.

Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan was released from Shanghai Women’s Prison on May 13 after serving four years for documenting and reporting on the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan. Recently, she was warned by Shanghai police not to touch the “red line.”

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released new Supply Chain Cybersecurity Principles, developed in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory. These principles establish best practices for cybersecurity throughout the supply chain that supports energy infrastructure. Designed for both manufacturers and end users, the principles aim to strengthen key technologies used to manage and operate electricity, oil, and natural gas systems globally.

Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 will host two community meetings on June 25 to present the findings of the Technical Assistance Needs Assessment (TANA) for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)-managed St. Louis Airport Site (SLAPS) and Coldwater Creek.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released final rules today on prevailing wage and registered apprenticeship (PWA) requirements under the Inflation Reduction Act. As part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Investing in America agenda, these rules aim to build a skilled workforce for the clean energy economy while ensuring that jobs in this sector are well-paying.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) today to implement Executive Order 14105, titled “Addressing United States Investments in Certain National Security Technologies and Products in Countries of Concern.” This NPRM follows an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) from last August and includes draft regulations and explanatory discussions, inviting public comment.

Benjamin Hovland, chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), has emphasized the critical need to support state and local election officials who are facing unprecedented threats. In an interview with the Center for American Progress (CAP) published today, Hovland highlighted the growing challenges these officials encounter.

The U.S. Treasury Department and IRS have released final rules on prevailing wages and registered apprenticeship programs related to clean energy tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act. Mike Williams, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, commented on these developments.

Eight home renovation companies in the St. Louis area have agreed to pay over $65,000 collectively in penalties to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to resolve alleged violations of the federal Toxic Substances Control Act.

Following U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy’s call for mental health warning labels for social media, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a leading think tank for science and technology policy, issued a statement from Senior Policy Manager Ashley Johnson.

Aaron T. Simmons, 26, of Greenville, South Carolina, was sentenced today to 365 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release after he pleaded guilty in November 2023 to one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and one count of sex trafficking of a minor.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated a network comprising two individuals and seven entities that provide significant revenue sources for Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik and his family. The action targets companies linked to Dodik and his son, Igor Dodik, which have allegedly manipulated government contracts to benefit their business interests.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced today that taxpayers received $556,685,001 from a series of auctions held from June 3 to 13, 2024. These auctions were conducted to sell warrants for common stock of 11 publicly traded airlines. The airlines issued these warrants to the Treasury in 2020 and 2021 as partial compensation for financial assistance and loans provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

The Justice Department announced today its findings that Utah is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by unnecessarily segregating youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) during the day, instead of helping them find work and spend their days in their communities.

From June 10-13, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) partnered with the Government of Indonesia under U.S. Department of State International Narcotics and Law Enforcement and U.S. Department of Defense Threat Reduction Agency programs to enhance the security and resilience of the international maritime transportation system. This reflects a joint commitment by both nations to strengthen cybersecurity collaboration and protect maritime critical infrastructure from malicious cyber intrusions and cyber-attacks under an upgraded Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Washington, D.C. — President Joe Biden announced new affirmative measures aimed at addressing the United States' immigration system. Patrick Gaspard, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, issued a statement in response to the announcement.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued the final Explanation of Significant Differences detailing changes to the cleanup plan for the Woodbrook Road Dump Superfund site in South Plainfield, New Jersey.

The Justice Department announced today its findings that Alaska violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide an accessible ballot for in-person voting, selecting inaccessible polling places for federal, state, and local elections, and maintaining an inaccessible elections website. The ADA mandates that states' voting services, programs, and activities be accessible to individuals with disabilities.

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed statements of interest in federal courts in Ohio and Alabama to promote the correct and uniform interpretation of voting laws protecting the rights of voters with disabilities. These statements are part of the department’s ongoing efforts to ensure that the voting rights of all individuals, including those with disabilities, are safeguarded.