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This week, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) initiated an investigation into the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) "Operation Long Tail Liberation." The inquiry addresses concerns over the use of taxpayer funds to pay a Chinese national informant in efforts to investigate illegal primate smuggling.

On May 15, 2024, the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules & Administration marked up and advanced three bills addressing the role of AI in elections: the Preparing Election Administrators for AI Act, the AI Transparency in Elections Act, and the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act. The first two of these bills aim to address some risks posed by AI in elections, though they could benefit from improvements. The third bill raises significant constitutional and implementation concerns.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is distributing over $2.4 million in refunds to consumers who were misled by Lurn’s business consulting programs. The FTC filed a lawsuit against Lurn in September 2023, accusing the online business coaching company of making unsubstantiated claims to sell its various money-making programs.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced today that the president has made the following nominations:

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) marked the two-year anniversary of the Biden-Harris Administration's launch of the U.S. Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy with the release of the DOE Fusion Energy Strategy 2024 and an event at the White House co-hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Today, in a significant investment to improve water infrastructure in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), alongside local authorities, announced funding to begin a major upgrade project at the Bayamon Wastewater Treatment Plant. The $22.7 million upgrade, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will modernize the facility with advanced technology to ensure the effective treatment of wastewater for the communities served by the second-largest wastewater treatment plant in Puerto Rico.

EPA Deputy Regional Administrator Cesar Zapata joined White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Tom Perez to announce Clean School Bus Grant to Charlotte-Mecklenburg County School District

SEATTLE (June 6, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today a determination that Alaska’s water quality standards need to be updated to more accurately reflect the amount of fish Alaskans consume. This action requires Alaska to revise its limits on toxic pollutants in the state’s waters to ensure that eating fish supports healthy people and communities. EPA’s determination sets the agency on a path to issuing a federal backstop in the event that Alaska does not strengthen the state’s water quality standards to protect residents.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo traveled to Singapore this week to participate in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Ministerial meeting. During the event, IPEF partners signed the Clean Economy Agreement, Fair Economy Agreement, and the Agreement on IPEF, further advancing progress on these accords as well as on the Supply Chain Agreement that came into force in February.

Washington, D.C. — At the end of 2025, large portions of the Trump tax cuts, which disproportionately reduced taxes for rich households and wealthy heirs, are set to expire. A new Center for American Progress analysis finds that if Congress renews the Trump tax cuts, the fiscal gap will grow from 2.1 percent of GDP to 3.3 percent of GDP, making debt ratio stabilization 54 percent harder.

U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the Chair and Cochair of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), released a letter today to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan. The letter urges them to restore the protest song “Glory to Hong Kong” on the YouTube platform for users in Hong Kong. Additionally, the Chairs called on Google to disclose any plans to appeal the Hong Kong court’s injunction, stating that the ruling violates international human rights principles that the companies...

Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) have announced the July schedule for "Friday Night Baseball," a weekly doubleheader available to Apple TV+ subscribers on Fridays throughout the 2024 regular season. Fans in 60 countries and regions can enjoy two marquee matchups over 26 weeks with no local broadcast restrictions.

On June 5, 2024, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Singapore Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo co-led a Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence (AI) with representatives from U.S. and Singapore companies and government officials. The event highlighted the strong relationship between the United States and Singapore, emphasizing their cooperation on digital issues.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Multifamily Housing Programs has finalized a $192,000 loan transaction under the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP) with L+M Fund Management. This funding aims to support energy efficiency and climate resilience renovations at the Revive 103 apartment community in New York City. The project is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, facilitated by the Inflation Reduction Act.

SINGAPORE – On June 5, 2024, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong convened the 2024 U.S.-Singapore Partnership for Growth and Innovation (PGI) Ministerial meeting. The following joint statement was issued:

The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) has formally opposed New York State Legislature's proposed bill S. 7694A/A.8148A, citing concerns over the online age verification requirements it entails. The CCIA argues that these requirements would necessitate the collection of sensitive personal information from users and their parents, potentially cutting off access to online communities for many individuals.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the first proposed projects under its Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative, an effort to repurpose parts of DOE-owned lands for clean-energy generation. The selected projects are located within the 890-square-mile Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site and aim to produce 400 megawatts (MW) of solar power, sufficient to power 70,000 homes.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the winners of the seventh annual National Federal Facility Excellence in Site Reuse Awards on June 5, 2024. These awards recognize federal agencies, states, Tribes, local partners, communities, and developers for their efforts in restoring and reusing contaminated land at federal facilities.

A federal grand jury charged a New York man today in a three-count indictment alleging he illegally shipped eastern box turtles and three-toed box turtles, both protected wildlife species, from the United States to China for the global pet trade black market.

BOSTON (June 5, 2024) – As warmer weather arrives in New England, many residents seek places to cool off and swim. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reminds the public to use the Woonasquatucket River responsibly due to potential health risks from contamination. Residents of North Providence, Johnston, and Providence in Rhode Island should be particularly cautious.

On June 5, 2024, the main auditorium of Rio2C in Rio de Janeiro hosted a panel where Netflix unveiled several upcoming Brazilian productions. The event began with a rap battle to introduce Nova Cena, a new Brazilian musical reality show.

(Hefei, Anhui Province – June 5, 2024) The case against Pastor Zhou Songlin and Elder Ding Zhongfu of the Hefei Ganquan Church in Anhui, who were charged with "fraud" due to their faith, has recently been filed with the court. To date, they have been detained for more than half a year, and other believers of the church are still being questioned and threatened by the police, demanding that they accuse their own pastors.

Washington, D.C. — During the Upwell 2024 conference held at the Center for American Progress on June 4, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will soon implement final management plans for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument and the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued final amendments to its Amplifier Rule, aimed at aiding consumers in making direct comparisons of home entertainment amplifiers. The Amplifier Rule, which regulates power output claims for these devices, was initially enacted by the FTC in 1974 to address misleading advertisements and testing methods. It was last reviewed in 2008.

SINGAPORE – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Singapore’s Minister of Communications and Information Josephine Teo convened a roundtable discussion today with business and tech leaders on artificial intelligence (AI). Both officials emphasized the importance of harnessing AI's full potential while promoting high standards for its responsible design, development, and deployment.