The Massachusetts Senate passed legislation regulating e-cigarettes on Thursday. The regulation bans the sales of flavored e-cigarette products and levies a 75 percent excise tax on e-cigarettes. If signed into law by Republican Governor Charlie Baker, it will be the strictest regulation on e-cigarettes in the country. E-Cigarette use has greatly increased, especially among young [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of California ruled Tuesday that asylum-seekers at the US border before mid-July would not be subject to the asylum limitations on non-Mexican nationals that had not first sought asylum in Mexico. The relevant ban mandates: Additional limitation on eligibility for asylum. Notwithstanding the provisions [...]
Three refugee resettlement agencies filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging an executive order from US President Donald Trump that requires states and localities to sign off before refugees are settled in their jurisdiction. HIAS, Church World Service and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service brought the action in the US District Court for the District of Maryland. [...]
Car giant General Motors (GM) filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday against its competitor, Fiat Chrysler alleging Fiat Chrysler illegally bribed union officials, resulting in an unfair advantage in labor discussions over the course of a decade. The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as United Auto Workers [...]
The US House Judiciary Committee approved a bill on Wednesday that would remove marijuana from the list of Schedule I narcotics, effectively legalizing it at the federal level if passed into law. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act passed by a vote of 24-10 following the Committee’s markup, thereby sending the bill to the [...]
The US House Intelligence Committee heard testimony Wednesday morning from Gordon Sondland, US Ambassador to the EU, followed by testimony from Laura Cooper, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian Affiars, and David Hale, undersecretary of state for political affairs, in the evening. In his opening statement, Sondland emphasized that he agreed [...]
The US Senate approved HR 3289 Tuesday in an attempt to address human rights violations in Hong Kong. The bill would create reporting requirements for Hong Kong officials, including annual reporting of human rights treatment in the area until 2027. The president would be in charge of imposing sanctions in the event that Hong Kong [...]
Phillip Williams filed a class action complaint against Burger King Corporation on Monday in Florida’s Southern District court alleging misleading marketing of Burger King’s “Impossible” Whopper—the fast food chain’s new meatless and vegan burger option. Williams is alleging violations of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, section 501.201, arguing that the patties of the [...]
The Pennsylvania legislation advanced two abortion bills Monday that would require burial or cremation of fetal remains and prohibit abortion following a Down syndrome diagnosis. The Pennsylvania House approved House Bill 1890, known as the Final Disposition of Fetal Remains Act. Under this legislation, health care facilities would be required to provide burial or cremation [...]
Two impeachment hearings were held on Tuesday as the House Intelligence Committee continued their inquiry into US President Donald Trump’s conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from July. During the first hearing, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman and Jennifer Williams testified. Lt. Col. Vindman and Williams listened in on Trump’s call to Zelensky. Williams, an adviser [...]
