News from July 2024
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
Today, FTC Chair Lina M. Khan, alongside international antitrust enforcers and the Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, issued a statement affirming a commitment to protecting competition across the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem to ensure effective competition that provides fair and honest treatment for both consumers and businesses.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Mongolian Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh today in Washington, D.C. According to Spokesperson Matthew Miller, Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Battsetseg discussed concrete steps to advance U.S.-Mongolia ties and further strengthen the Strategic Third Neighbor Partnership.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
The Justice Department has reached an agreement with Jasmine Loo Ai Swan, the former general counsel of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), to recover artwork by Pablo Picasso and a financial account in Switzerland linked to funds allegedly embezzled from 1MDB. Additionally, the department has obtained forfeiture orders on other assets allegedly purchased with 1MDB funds by Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, including diamond jewelry and artwork by Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Diane Arbus.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
Following a joint statement by key figures in competition regulation, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) has issued a response urging caution against speculative concerns about artificial intelligence (AI). The original statement was made by Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President and Competition Commissioner of the European Commission; Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive Officer of the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority; Jonathan Kanter, Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice; and Lina Khan, Chair of the U.S. Federal Trade...
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Chair Jeff Duncan (R-SC) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s hearing titled “The Fiscal Year 2025 Nuclear Regulatory Commission Budget.”
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
NVIDIA has introduced a new service, NVIDIA AI Foundry, along with NVIDIA NIM™ inference microservices to enhance generative AI capabilities for enterprises globally. The service allows organizations to build custom "supermodels" using the Llama 3.1 collection of models and NVIDIA's technology.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
Today, Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, Chair Lina M. Khan of the Federal Trade Commission, Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager of the European Commission, and Chief Executive Sarah Cardell of the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority issued a joint statement on competition in generative AI foundation models and AI products.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
Washington D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) delivered opening remarks at today’s Health Subcommittee hearing titled “Are CDC's Priorities Restoring Public Trust and Improving the Health of the American People?”
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party's Critical Minerals Policy Working Group convened its third meeting this afternoon in Washington, D.C. The session, led by Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), focused on the intersection of forced labor and sustainability in the mining of critical minerals. Discussions centered on policies to reduce dependence on entities involved in forced labor violations globally and explored opportunities for U.S. and allied collaboration to address these issues.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
Two residents of Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, were extradited to the United States last week and made their initial appearance in Newark federal court yesterday on charges related to their participation in a sprawling “grandparent scam” that defrauded elderly Americans out of millions of dollars.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
Andrezj Boryga, 67, pleaded guilty and was sentenced today to 24 months in prison and two years of supervised release for willfully transmitting threats to injure other people and for choosing his victims because of their religion.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
Washington, D.C. — Project 2025, a proposal by the Heritage Foundation, has raised concerns regarding public safety through its recommendations to eliminate federal law enforcement training and weaken gun laws. Analyses from the Center for American Progress (CAP) highlight two significant aspects of the 920-page document.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued a new reporting requirement for financial institutions holding Russian sovereign assets, as part of implementing the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act (REPO for Ukrainians Act). According to section 104(a) of the REPO for Ukrainians Act, all financial institutions that hold or are aware of Russian sovereign assets must notify OFAC by August 2, 2024, or within 10 days of detecting such assets. The notification can be submitted using OFAC’s new form.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
On July 18, 2024, Sister Gu Ti, a Christian from Guang’an City, Sichuan Province, was administratively punished by the Guansheng Police Station of Guang’an District Branch of Guang’an Public Security Bureau for forwarding Pastor Wang Yi’s sermon video in a WeChat group and was fined 200 yuan.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party convened a hearing titled "The Great Firewall and the CCP's Export of its Techno-Authoritarian Surveillance State" in Washington, D.C. today. The session featured testimonies from Mr. Nat Kretchun, Senior Vice President for Programs at the Open Technology Fund; Dr. Zack Cooper, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; and Mr. Xiao Qiang, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the China Digital Times.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the owner and producer of CES, is preparing for CES 2025 with a comprehensive fall event schedule, new exhibitors, updated branding—including a new CES website—and acclaimed programming.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
More than 500 organizations have collectively urged Congress to pass a new farm bill, recognizing the urgency as legislative time dwindles. Chad Smith reports that these organizations highlight the critical nature of this legislation.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
Gun violence is declining at a historic rate for the second consecutive year after surging nearly 30 percent during former President Donald Trump’s final year in office. Despite this progress, far-right extremists are attempting to defund federal law enforcement and invalidate state gun laws that save lives. Their policy agenda could make the country less safe by easing access to firearms for those intent on committing violence and complicating law enforcement efforts to solve violent crimes.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced $19 million in new grant and loan awards to 32 properties under its Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP). These funds are designated for energy efficiency and climate resilience renovations in over 4,260 homes occupied by low-income individuals, families, and seniors. This latest round brings the total funding awarded under the program to more than $773 million, serving 20,752 homes.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 23, 2024
A federal jury convicted a Louisiana physician yesterday for conspiring to illegally distribute over 1.8 million doses of Schedule II controlled substances, including oxycodone and morphine, and for defrauding health care benefit programs of more than $5.4 million.
