The US Senate Tuesday passed a bill that expands healthcare for veterans by a vote of 86-11 despite facing unexpected challenges last week. The bill, referred to as Honoring our PACT Act of 2022, was initially passed but had to be put on hold when the House addressed an error in the bill. The bill [...]

Vladimir Mau, a former ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was released from house arrest Wednesday while he awaits the outcome of two fraud charges. Mau is a well-known economist who has previously spoken in support of Putin, including arguing for the invasion of Ukraine. The fraud charges are related to his time as the [...]

Kansas voters Tuesday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment which would have removed abortion protections from the Kansas state constitution. The Kansas Secretary of State unofficially reported that 59 percent of voters rejected the amendment while 41 percent would have adopted it. Anti-abortion advocates hoped to amend the state constitution to stipulate that “the constitution of the state [...]

A bipartisan group of Senators Tuesday proposed legislation Tuesday to codify the right to abortion, formally established in Roe v. Wade, in federal law. The bill is sponsored by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Susan Collins (R-ME) and is the first senatorial proposal to have broad bipartisan support. The [...]

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the state of Idaho for attempting to ban medically necessary abortions. The DOJ claims that Idaho’s abortion ban conflicts with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). EMTALA requires hospitals that receive Medicare funding to provide necessary treatment, including abortions, to patients [...]

“Civilization is the never-ending process of creating one world and one humanity.” Lewis Mumford, In the Name of Sanity (1954) Biological Sameness and Species Unification The unity and interdependence of humankind is not subject to reasonable challenge. Beginning with our biological sameness, species’ commonality includes a broad variety of human needs and expectations. In the [...]

The United States House Oversight Committee Tuesday subpoenaed gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson to gather more information about the sale of its AR-15-style rifles. Smith & Wesson’s AR-15-style rifles have been used in multiple mass shootings, including a July 4 shooting in Highland Park, IL. According to the letter informing CEO Mark P. Smith of [...]

Arian Taherzadeh Monday pled guilty in federal court to conspiracy and other charges. Taherzadeh admitted that he, along with co-defendant Hadier Ali and one other unnamed defendant, created a fake Department of Homeland Security (DHS) group. Under this guise, Taherzadeh illegally obtained money and important documents for more than two years. Taherzadeh was arrested in [...]

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey Monday announced cities and counties across the state agreed to a $400 million settlement with three opioid distributors. More than 100 local governments accused AmerisourceBergen Drug Co., Cardinal Health Inc. and McKesson Corp. of fueling the opioid crisis in West Virginia. West Virginia has a long history of litigation [...]

Trial began Monday with opening remarks in the merger case United States v. Penguin Random House. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is challenging the recent purchase of publishing house Simon & Schuster by Penguin Random House as a violation of US antitrust law. Penguin Random House began the purchase process of Simon & Schuster [...]