News from July 2024
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
Pentagon spokesperson Tom Crosson provided the following readout:
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today that Pennsylvania will join IRS Direct File for Filing Season 2025. This initiative, enabled by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, aims to improve customer service across various platforms to ensure taxpayers claim all eligible benefits and deductions.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra released a statement marking the 59th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid on July 30, 2024.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it has ordered Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve, located in Solon, Ohio, to cease the sale, use, or removal of eight unregistered pesticide products. The EPA cited violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
Diesel performance parts retailers GDP Tuning LLC and Custom Auto of Rexburg LLC, operating as Gorilla Performance, along with owner Barry Pierce, were sentenced today in federal court in Pocatello, Idaho. Senior U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill for the District of Idaho sentenced Pierce to four months in prison. GDP Tuning and Gorilla Performance received five years of probation. All defendants were ordered to jointly pay a $1 million fine. The companies and Pierce had previously pleaded guilty.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
Across the country, educators are finding innovative ways to integrate technology into their curricula, allowing students to develop apps, speak with astronauts aboard the International Space Station, and create and publish e-books. These opportunities are increasingly important as technology advances and becomes more critical to the workforce. However, they are not available to all students. Students from marginalized communities often don’t have the chance to engage with technology meaningfully. Instead, they are limited to using technology for digital worksheets, watching...
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) has expressed approval of a report released by the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The report evaluates the risks, benefits, and potential policy approaches to openness in artificial intelligence (AI).
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
The Heritage Foundation published a comprehensive report today detailing the current state and challenges of the United States’ nuclear arsenal. The report, titled "A Nuclear Posture Review for the Next Administration: Building the Nuclear Arsenal of the 21st Century," serves as an executive and congressional blueprint to build a modern nuclear arsenal. It warns that without significant changes, the United States risks becoming a second-tier nuclear power, with China and Russia surpassing it.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
A growing number of Americans are struggling to find affordable housing. Many homeowners are spending at least 30 percent of their household income on housing costs, while the number of renters facing cost burdens has reached an all-time high. This affordability crisis is primarily due to insufficient production of new housing units.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo, Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr., Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III convened the fourth Philippines-United States 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Manila on July 30, 2024 — the first to be held in Manila.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
A recent White House report has endorsed the use of open-source artificial intelligence (AI), drawing on feedback from a diverse range of stakeholders. These conclusions were informed by responses from government employees, industry leaders, and individuals to a Request for Comment on AI model issues.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
Last week, the Biden-Harris Administration’s Kids Online Health and Safety Task Force released a comprehensive report with recommendations on how to keep youth safe online. This task force, co-led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, addressed critical issues related to youth health, safety, and privacy online.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
Special Representative Penny Pritzker traveled to Ukraine on July 29 to meet senior Ukrainian officials and discuss strategies to enhance private sector investment and stimulate Ukraine’s economy. During her visit, she engaged with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, First Deputy Prime Minister Svyrydenko, Minister of Digital Transformation Fedorov, Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin, and other government officials.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
Cybercrime, ranging from identity theft and one-off scams to attacks on major institutions, has become a significant threat to the safety and privacy of internet users globally. However, a new treaty that aims to address the issue could potentially do more harm than good.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
On July 26, co-convenors of the World Trade Organization Joint Statement Initiative on Electronic Commerce (JSI) and member states released a "stabilized" text of an interim digital trade agreement to be integrated into the WTO framework. This action concluded five years of work towards a WTO digital trade agreement but excluded core provisions relating to data flows, data localization, and source code protection. These essential provisions had long been part of the negotiations before their removal.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
After a week-long trial, a federal jury convicted an Illinois man last Friday of conspiracy to commit securities fraud for agreeing with his brother and another man to alter the odometer readings on hundreds of used cars and sell those cars to unsuspecting consumers.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
Director Rosie Hidalgo delivered remarks at the National Organization for Victim Advocacy (NOVA) 50th Annual Training Event on July 30, 2024. She expressed gratitude to NOVA for their year-round work in providing critical training and technical assistance to grantees of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW)’s Campus Grant Program.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
Meta has reached a $1.4 billion settlement with the state of Texas over privacy violations, The New York Times reported on July 30, 2024.
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
Secretary Blinken’s Call with Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelatty
By Federal Newswire | Jul 30, 2024
At an event in Fairbanks, Alaska, senior leaders from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) showcased how innovative technologies can contribute to building quality, affordable, and resilient homes.
