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Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Cho Tae-Yul, and Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko met in New York City on September 23, 2024. The meeting emphasized the ongoing trilateral cooperation between the United States, Japan, and South Korea.

On September 23, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a final rule to establish a new program aimed at better managing, recycling, and reusing hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). This initiative is part of the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act. The new Emissions Reduction and Reclamation (ER&R) program seeks to reduce leaks from large refrigeration and air conditioning equipment while promoting clean solutions to address these heat-trapping emissions.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced new measures to protect households from extreme heat, a growing concern due to the intensifying impacts of climate change. These actions are part of the Biden-Harris Administration's broader efforts to enhance community resilience against environmental hazards.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona recently addressed the issue of book bans at the "Shelved Voices" symposium held at the MLK Library. The event highlighted the impact of book censorship on students and communities.

Agents with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized 67.64 pounds of cocaine from a female traveler enrolled in the SENTRI program according to a Sept. 17 news release.

At Netflix’s Geeked Week 2024 Live, hosted by Joe Manganiello, fans in-person in Atlanta and those watching the livestream worldwide were treated to sneak peeks, news, and surprises from popular series, films, and games including Squid Game, Arcane, One Piece, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Don’t Move, Wednesday, Cobra Kai, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, Devil May Cry and more.

The Department of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) have announced fellowship awards to 19 graduate students for research in conflict management and peacebuilding. The selected 2024-2025 Minerva-USIP Peace and Security Scholar Fellows were chosen from a pool of 145 applicants based on their potential to advance these social science fields and influence future policies.

Geeked Week 2024 culminated with its first-ever live in-person event, bringing thousands of fans together for a special two-hour gathering in Atlanta. The event was streamed worldwide on YouTube, Twitch, and X.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a collaboration with the city of Muskegon Heights, Michigan, aimed at identifying and replacing drinking water lead pipes to protect public health. This initiative is part of EPA’s Get the Lead Out Initiative, funded by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which aims to achieve 100% lead service line replacement nationwide. The program will provide technical assistance to approximately 200 communities across the country.

The Office of the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced today a new assignment.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has charged Wrightstown, New Jersey, housing providers Burlington Preservation Associates, LLC, Arbor Management, LLC, and Leon N. Weiner & Associates, Inc. with violating the Fair Housing Act. The charge involves alleged discrimination against a Black Hispanic father and his three minor children based on race, color, national origin, and familial status. Additionally, HUD charged the Respondents with retaliating against the tenant for pursuing a fair housing complaint.

On September 19, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) initiated a discussion on the housing crisis at the Center for American Progress event titled “Building the Future: Innovative Solutions to the U.S. Housing Crisis.” They introduced their new bill, the Homes Act, which aims to address housing affordability.

In today’s dynamic and rapidly evolving economic landscape, the digital economy has become a cornerstone of economic growth, job creation, and innovation in the United States. It is creating international growth opportunities for businesses of all sizes across virtually every industry—from farming to high-end manufacturing. According to the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), in 2023, U.S. exports of digitally-enabled services accounted for 64% of all U.S. services exports, driving the $278 billion trade surplus in services. The digital economy is a...

A new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) staff report examines the data collection and use practices of major social media and video streaming services, revealing extensive surveillance of consumers to monetize personal information while failing to adequately protect users online, especially children and teens.

Today, global tech trade association ITI unveiled a new set of best practices, The Dos and Don’ts of Artificial Intelligence Procurement, to help U.S. federal, state, and local policymakers ensure that the U.S. government can access best-in-class commercial AI solutions as they navigate the increasingly complex procurement environment. The recommendations come ahead of anticipated AI procurement guidance from the Office of Management and Budget, as well as recent AI procurement guidelines published by various state and local governments.

The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $31,102 in back wages for 23 farmworkers following an investigation into Humberto Castaneda Produce, a grower based in Sonoma County, California. The investigation by the Department's Wage and Hour Division revealed multiple violations of the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program requirements.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has introduced the Water Quality Indicators (WQI) tool, an interface that allows users to compare data from water monitoring stations across the country. Released on September 18, 2024, the WQI is designed to facilitate the exploration of nutrient and pathogen data and identify potential sources contributing to water quality issues.

On September 18, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated 12 individuals linked to the Iranian regime's violent repression of its people, both domestically and internationally. These designations target members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), officials from Iran’s Prisons Organization, and those responsible for lethal operations overseas. This action was coordinated with Canada and Australia, which have also announced new sanctions against those connected to human rights abuses in Iran.

As a result of a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit, an individual and his company who helped operate a sprawling business opportunity scheme known as Blueprint to Wealth have agreed to a settlement that permanently bans them from the telemarketing industry.

Geeked Week continued on Wednesday with updates and previews for various genre series, films, and games.

ITI: Flexibility, engagement with industry and global alignment a must in implementing general-purpose AI models rules

The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $109,154 in back wages and damages from five New Orleans restaurants that were found to have denied full wages to 359 workers. The Wage and Hour Division's investigation revealed that Bobby Hebert’s Cajun Cannon, the Hideout Bar, Mambo’s Oceana Grill, and the Olde NOLA Cookery made illegal wage deductions for uniforms, order errors, liquor shortages, customer walk-outs, and credit card disputes.

Today, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Ryan Cohen, managing partner of RC Ventures, LLC, and Chairman and CEO of GameStop Corp., will pay a $985,320 civil penalty to settle charges that his acquisition of Wells Fargo & Company shares violated the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the launch of an Outdoor Use Safer Choice label on September 18, 2024. This new label aims to identify outdoor cleaning products, such as pet care items, fire defense products, and cleaners for cars, boats, or grills, that meet stringent EPA criteria for environmental protection.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed two Acting U.S. Trustees, the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees announced today. Under 28 U.S.C. § 585(a), the Attorney General may fill U.S. Trustee vacancies by appointing an Acting U.S. Trustee.