News from June 2024
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is encouraging residents in the Great Lakes region to prepare for potential wildfire smoke exposure this summer. The EPA advises staying informed about local air quality and implementing plans to reduce exposure to protect health.
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
Washington is concerned about TikTok, particularly regarding Beijing’s influence through the platform's parent company ByteDance. Critics allege that TikTok is used to "silence free speech," "undermine democracy," and "promote propaganda." These fears led President Joe Biden to sign a bill requiring TikTok to find a new owner within a year or face a ban in the United States.
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
A Kentucky man pleaded guilty and was sentenced last week to one year and one day in prison, along with one year of supervised release, for committing a federal hate crime. The sentencing took place in the District of Eastern Louisiana.
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
Last week, Americans across the nation experienced record-high temperatures, significantly impacting businesses, homes, and communities. In response, the Biden-Harris Administration and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have implemented measures to protect families from these severe climate conditions.
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
Banning TikTok may not do much to protect Americans’ data in the absence of broader privacy laws, Lauren Leffer argued in Scientific American. The legislation “is a form of security theater,” said Calli Schroeder of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. “You could get rid of TikTok today, and China would not lose any significant [amount] of personal information on Americans.”
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
As Prepared for Delivery
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s Interagency Labor Committee for Monitoring and Enforcement has requested that the government of Mexico review allegations that workers’ rights are being denied by Industrias Tecnos, a munitions manufacturing facility in Cuernavaca. The U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Trade Representative co-chair the Interagency Labor Committee.
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
MONTGOMERY, Ala., June 24, 2024 – At the National Rural Grocer’s Summit today, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA and Reinvestment Fund are launching a new program under the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) to increase access to healthy foods in communities underserved by grocery stores. Funding for the new Food Access and Retail Expansion Fund (FARE Fund) is made possible by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act.
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division has announced a significant expansion of its efforts to address agricultural issues, with plans to increase staffing dedicated to civil and criminal enforcement in the sector. Michael Kades, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ Antitrust Division, made this announcement on Friday at R-CALF USA’s 2024 Annual National Convention in Deadwood, South Dakota.
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
Two pharmacy owners have been sentenced for using New York-area pharmacies to submit millions of dollars in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and laundering the proceeds, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
WASHINGTON – The United States has expressed its approval of the successful Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and joins all shareholders in endorsing a general callable capital increase (GCCI) of up to $117 billion. The AfDB is recognized as a key partner for the United States and its African counterparts in fostering prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and integrated development.
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
Last week, President Biden signed a Presidential Memorandum establishing the Economic Diplomacy Action Group (EDAG), a new whole-of-government initiative aimed at strengthening U.S. commercial diplomacy on the global stage and expanding economic prosperity domestically. This initiative is intended to support American workers and create jobs.
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
The Department of Labor announced today that its Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has issued a report to Congress on an interpretive bulletin related to fiduciary standards when selecting an annuity provider for a defined benefit pension plan. Interpretive Bulletin 95-1, which outlines these Employee Retirement Income Security Act fiduciary requirements, was first issued in 1995. EBSA issued this report in response to a SECURE 2.0 Act directive to review the bulletin, consult with the ERISA Advisory Council, and determine whether any amendments are necessary.
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) has released a report titled “Two Years After Dobbs: An Analysis of State Laws to Protect Reproductive Healthcare Information from Interstate Investigations and Prosecutions.” Authored by CDT interns Irene Kim and Divya Vatsa, the document addresses the legal landscape following the Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision in Dobbs to overturn Roe v. Wade.
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and YouTube’s Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen announced today a new Department of State-YouTube partnership in support of the Department’s Global Music Diplomacy Initiative. This initiative aims to elevate music as a diplomatic platform to promote peace and democracy, aligning with the United States’ broader foreign policy goals.
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
As Prepared for Delivery
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
The United States government has announced a settlement with the Westchester Joint Water Works (WJWW) and three municipalities in Westchester County for violating the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The defendants, including the town/village of Harrison, the village of Mamaroneck, and the town of Mamaroneck, will construct a $138 million drinking water filtration plant, take steps to protect source water quality, and pay a total of $1.25 million in civil penalties.
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced the implementation of federal disaster assistance for New Mexico, following the South Fork Fire and Salt Fire that began on June 17, 2024. President Biden issued a major disaster declaration for Lincoln County and the Mescalero Apache Tribe.
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks is scheduled to visit U.S. Central Command headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base on Tuesday, June 25, according to Pentagon Spokesman Eric Pahon.
By Federal Newswire | Jun 24, 2024
EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan will host leaders from Canada and Mexico at the Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s (CEC) 31st annual Council Session and Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) Public Forum in Wilmington, North Carolina, from June 24-26, 2024. The theme of this year's session is “Strengthening Environmental Justice through Community Empowerment.”
