The US House of Representatives on Thursday approved further legislation to broaden federal gun control measures. The new bill, titled Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019, attempts to address the “Charleston loophole” in the Brady Bill. Currently, this loophole permits automatic clearance for the sale of guns when the FBI fails to complete requisite background [...]

The US House of Representatives on Tuesday voted 245-182 to block President Donald Trump’s recent national emergency declaration. The concise resolution cites the National Emergency Act and Trump’s proclamation before stating that the national emergency declaration “is hereby terminated.” If the resolution were to become law, it would prevent border security funding beyond the $1.4 billion recently allotted [...]

The US Senate on Monday blocked a bill that would have required health care to be provided to infants born alive following failed abortion attempts. The procedural vote required 60 votes to proceed but received only 53, with the Senate split mainly along party lines. Democrat opposition to the bill emphasized the need for reduced Congressional [...]

Federal prosecutors on Thursday unsealed a criminal complaint against John Fry, an employee at the Internal Revenue Service, for unlawful disclosure of Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) related to Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney for Donald Trump. The complaint includes a detailed affidavit by Linda Cieslak, Special Agent of the US Department of Treasury. In [...]

The Parliament of Denmark on Thursday voted 76-24 to pass an immigration bill that will increase restrictions on residence permits and tighten penalties for violating residence rules and obligations. With the new bill, residence permits will provide fewer assurances to refugees. The bill amends the wording of the Aliens Act so that “residence permits granted for [...]

US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Tuesday called for the court to review its ruling in New York Times v. Sullivan, a libel case that challenged freedom of press protections. Writing a concurrence to a denied petition for certiorari, Thomas argued that the current threshold for plaintiffs is “almost impossible” because: Under this Court’s [...]

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear arguments about the indirect movement of pollutants through groundwater to navigable waters. The case, County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund, previously made its way through the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, where the court was asked to determine whether nonpoint sources of pollution [...]

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday published an action plan to reduce manmade Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) from drinking water. The action plan lays out various short term and long term actions and proposals, including increased research and efforts to clean-up and prevent future contamination. One of the priorities for the EPA [...]

US President Donald Trump on Friday announced a state of emergency to obtain $8 billion for a border wall between the US and Mexico. A significant amount of the funds are expected to be taken from the Department of Defense budget, but Trump was not firm regarding funding or spending plans. The declaration was couched in [...]

US President Donald Trump on Monday signed the American AI Initiative, an executive order that directs federal agencies to prioritize investments in artificial intelligence (AI) research and development. The order cites the “paramount importance maintaining the economic and national security of the United States and shaping the global evolution of AI in a manner consistent [...]