The US Department of Labor (DOL) Tuesday announced a final rule that allows Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) plan fiduciaries to consider climate change and other social and governance factors when they select retirement investments and exercise shareholder rights. The final rule is “Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights.” In response [...]

Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, a Norway-based Iranian human rights group, Sunday reported that Iranian forces continue to use lethal force against demonstrators protesting the death of 21-year-old Mahsa Amini. Hengaw follows the nationwide protest developments on the ground with instantaneous reports, photos and videos. A recent video showed Iranian forces opening fire at protesters [...]

The US Senate Wednesday passed a procedural vote on the Respect for Marriage Act, which would protect same-sex marriage in the US. The act would repeal a provision of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and would recognize any marriage valid under state law. Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) introduced the act in the US House [...]

A new bill Wednesday introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives would limit medical care for transgender children under 18. The bill, House Bill 454, is called the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act. The bill’s primary co-sponsors are Representatives Gary Click and Diane Grendell. The bill makes it illegal for medical health professionals to [...]

Illinois and Tennessee Tuesday voted on Election Day ballot measures to add protections to workers’ rights to organize and engage in collective bargaining. These measures add to the majority of US states with right-to-work laws. In Illinois, 58.5 percent of voters said yes to adding Section 25, titled “Workers’ Rights,” to Article I of the [...]

The Peruvian Ministry of Environment (MINAM) Friday issued a public statement rejecting the Congress of the Republic’s approval of Bill 412, which exempts bankrupt mining companies from complying with environmental certifications. Congressman César Manuel Revilla of the Group Parliamentarian Popular Force presented the bill in October 2021. It establishes special measures for companies in assets restructuring [...]

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court Tuesday ordered Pennsylvania county boards of elections to refrain from counting, segregate and preserve any mail-in ballots contained in undated or incorrectly dated envelopes. The court is split on whether failing to count these votes would violate the Materiality Provision of the Civil Rights Act. The Materiality Provision prohibits disenfranchising voters [...]

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson Tuesday sued the grocery store chains Albertsons and Kroger for violating the Washington Consumer Protection Act (CPA). The case is filed in the Washington King County Superior Court. On October 14, Albertsons and Kroger agreed to merge. Albertsons said it will issue a $4 billion “Special Cash Dividend” to its [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Friday temporarily stayed the Biden administration’s federal student loan forgiveness plan. Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and South Carolina sued President Joe Biden, asserting the plan poses a threat of imminent harm in the form of lost tax revenue, is an unlawful regulatory action and that [...]

A group of Wisconsin taxpayers Wednesday filed an emergency appeal to the US Supreme Court to temporarily block the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness program. The writ was filed explicitly to Justice Amy Coney Barrett. The Brown County Taxpayers Association argued that the Biden administration’s program has “no legal justification” and is an “assault on [...]