Washington state Governor Jay Inslee Tuesday signed House Bill (HB) 1240, prohibiting the sale, manufacture, import and distribution of assault weapons in the state. The ban includes AR-15s, AK-47s and many other kinds of semiautomatic weapons. According to the bill, “ssault weapons are civilian versions of weapons created for the military and are designed to [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday that it secured a $365,000 settlement with General Motors Company (GM) over the company’s alleged discrimination against non-US citizens. The settlement resolves the DOJ’s contention that “there is reasonable cause to believe that engaged in a pattern or practice of unfair documentary practices on the basis of [...]

The Minnesota Court of Appeals Monday upheld the conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd during a 2020 arrest. In doing so, the court denied Chauvin’s request for a new trial or reversal of his conviction. In the decision, the court rendered holdings on twelve issues and concluded that [...]

National Public Radio (NPR), an American nonprofit media organization, Wednesday announced its 52 accounts will go silent on Twitter after being labelled “state-affiliated media.” This is the same label Twitter gives to state propaganda platforms in autocratic countries, including Russia and China. NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik said the designation “denigrates credibility and undercuts the [...]

Twelve environmental groups Tuesday joined to sue the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and EPA Administrator Michael Regan over pollution guidelines set forth earlier this year. The groups alleged that the EPA’s Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15 (Plan 15), issued in January 2023, failed to tighten limits on the release of toxins in wastewater from industrial [...]

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said the US government is working to determine whether Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is being wrongfully detained for espionage in Russia. During a press briefing in Brussels, Vivian Salama of the Wall Street Journal asked Blinken whether he plans to approve the “wrongfully detained” designation for [...]

The government of Bulgaria Monday made its first ever voluntary contribution to the Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) in the amount of €20,000 announced. The donation demonstrates Bulgaria’s support of the TFV and its belief in advancing restorative justice. Bulgarian Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands Konstantin Dimitrov delivered remarks regarding the contribution, saying: [...]

EU ministers Tuesday adopted legislation to phase out sales of new carbon-emitting cars and vans by 2035. The approved law amends Regulation 2019/631 and sets higher standards for reducing carbon emissions. Under the new legislation, the EU’s carbon emission reduction targets will be raised to 55 percent for cars and 50 percent for vans by [...]

The US Supreme Court Monday agreed to hear a case challenging hotel accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  The case, Acheson Hotels, LLC v. Laufer, is the only new case from Monday’s order list that the court agreed to add to its docket for the current term. The plaintiff in the case, Deborah Laufer, [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Thursday blocked President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal employees. The decision came from an en banc rehearing of the appeal, which was previously decided in favor of the government by a three-judge panel of the same court. The case turned on the central issue [...]