US Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced a constitutional amendment Tuesday that would abolish the electoral college and provide for direct election of the president and vice president. Since 2000, two presidential elections differed in the outcome of the popular vote versus the Electoral College, including the most recent election in which Hilary Clinton won the popular [...]
UN human rights experts on Tuesday condemned the Indian government for the deportation of three Rohingya to Myanmar despite international law which prohibits the practice. According to the UN experts, India has separated and forcibly returned Rohingya families to Myanmar, including the recent deportation of a father and three of his children. Five other family members [...]
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on Tuesday announced the terms of a settlement with PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG), requiring PPG to pay a $1.2 million civil penalty for environmental contamination. For decades, from the 1920’s until 1970, PPG dumped polluted materials from a glass manufacturing plant into the Allegheny River in Armstrong County. [...]
The Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved legislation regulating the use of assault weapons in the wake of the last year’s Tree of Life massacre that killed 11. In a 6-3 vote, the City Council passed a bill restricting the use of an assault weapon in a public place and would also ban armor-piercing ammunition and high-capacity magazines. [...]
The Attorneys General for Montana and Ohio filed an amicus brief on Monday with the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit asking the court to only invalidate the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and to leave the rest of the act in place. The brief was filed in the case State [...]
Japan’s amended Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, which allows foreigners who qualify for Specified Skills visas to work in Japan, went into effect on Monday. Originally passed on December 8, the new legislation permits foreign workers to enter Japan to work in designated sectors, including construction, manufacturing, hospitality, aviation, nursing and agriculture, for a five-year [...]
New Zealand’s Parliament on Tuesday voted overwhelming in favor of a bill proposed containing new gun regulations, aiming to vote it into law by the end of next week. The vote occurred one day after the Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Bill was introduced. The bill seeks to amend New Zealand’s Arms Act [...]
Venezuela’s Supreme Court ruled Monday that Juan Guaidó, head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, is in contempt, and requested the pro-Maduro National Constituent Assembly to withdraw the opposition leader’s parliamentary immunity. The court found Guaidó to be in contempt after concluding that he violated travel restrictions imposed by the court in January. According to Voices of America, Guaidó traveled to several South [...]
US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) filed a lawsuit Monday against the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) to recover personal loans he made to fund his campaign. Under current election law, candidates may fund their campaigns by loaning personal funds to the campaign at a “commercially reasonable” interest rate, but the FEC caps loan repayment at $250,000 [...]
A delegation of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday for an 11-day visit. The SPT will examine the treatment meted out to people deprived of their liberty in the Indian Ocean island nation and the safeguards in place for their protection from torture. It will hold meetings [...]
