The City of Seattle on Monday approved legislation that codifies financial policies and requires the revenue from the city’s Sweetened Beverage Tax to go to healthy food initiatives for low-income communities. Mayor Jenny Durkan had threatened to veto the legislation, planning to use some revenue to fund existing programs, but City Council voted 7-1, a [...]

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, resigned on Friday after being called in for questioning by a war crimes court in The Hauge. The court is investigating ex-members of the Kosovo Liberation Army for their actions during the war from 1998-99 that led to Kosovo’s independence from Serbia. Haradinaj was a guerrilla commander in [...]

An Iranian official stated Monday that the country had arrested 17 Iranians on the charge of spying for the US. This official has only been identified as Iran’s director of counterintelligence. US President Donald Trump addressed the claim, tweeting: The Report of Iran capturing CIA spies is totally false. Zero truth. Just more lies and [...]

A federal judge on Friday ruled that the Trump administration can expand the sale of short-term health insurance policies that do not meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The final rule, originally promulgated by the Department of Labor, Treasury, and Human and Health Services in August 2018, redefined the requirements of a [...]

A three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday sent a case accusing President Donald Trump of violating the Emoluments Clause of the US Constitution back to the lower court. In its order, the appeals court rejected the Department of Justice’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought [...]

US Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced a bill on Thursday that proposes to fast-track FDA approval for drugs and medical devices already authorized in other countries. Known as the Reciprocity Ensures Streamlined Use of Lifesaving Treatments Act, or the RESULT Act, the bill advocates for the reciprocal approval of drugs. In [...]

The US government on Wednesday suspended Turkey’s involvement with the F-35 fighter jet program, citing concerns with Turkey’s purchase of a Russian-built missile defense system. In a statement issued by White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, the US government said that Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system presented a security risk for the [...]

The German Federal Ministry of Health on Wednesday approved a broad measure that would require proof of measles vaccination to access to community facilities, including daycares and schools. The bill comes as a reaction to continued measles infections despite an effective vaccine. In 2018 there were 651 cases of measles reported, and within four months [...]

The US House of Representatives on Thursday voted 231-199 to approve a bill that could increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. HR 582 (or the “Raise the Wage Act”) is set-up to gradually increase the minimum wage until 2025, when the $15 minimum would be achieved. Tipped workers, new hires younger than [...]

In a press release on Tuesday, the European Commission (EC) opened an investigation into Amazon for possible anti-competitive conduct to “assess whether Amazon’s use of sensitive data from independent retailers who sell on its marketplace is a breach in EU competition rules.” Commissioner Vestager stated that the EC is seeking to ensure that “large online [...]