A battle is raging In Amazon’s Bessemer, Alabama, warehouse. On Monday, February 8, 2021, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will mail ballots to 5,805 workers at the facility. These folks then have seven weeks to decide whether they want the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) to represent... Read More »
Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force and Air National Guard veteran, San Diego resident, and ardent Trump supporter, died from being shot during the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. She had entered the building in the crowd that aimed to disrupt the certification of the presidential election. After... Read More »
Ty G. Garbin, a 25-year old airplane mechanic, pleaded guilty to conspiracy in federal court on January 27, 2021. He and five other men were charged in federal court with plotting to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan. The other defendants are Adam Fox, Barry Croft Jr., Kaleb Franks, Daniel... Read More »
On January 20, his final day in office, Trump issued a proclamation to exempt the U.A.E. from a 10% tariff on aluminum imports and indicated that a quota would suffice. Tariffs were first imposed in 2018, and in exempting the U.A.E., Trump cited “an important security relationship.” Trump also signed... Read More »
In an attempt to avoid an impeachment trial, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) are instead working to build support for censuring Trump for his rhetoric before the Capitol riots. This push began Wednesday, just a day after five Republicans sided with Democrats in a procedural vote... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) found pay disparities at Google’s offices in Seattle and Kirkland, Washington, and in Mountain View, California. These disparities affected women software engineers. The OFCCP also found differences in hiring rates that “disadvantaged female and Asian applicants” for engineering... Read More »
Janet Yellen was confirmed as the first female Treasury secretary on Monday, January 25, 2021. She won unanimous backing from both parties on the Senate Finance Committee and was confirmed by the full Senate on an 84-15 vote. Her confirmation comes 232 years after Alexander Hamilton became the first Treasury... Read More »
President Biden issued the “Modernizing Regulatory Review” Executive Order with the intent to update the review process by obtaining feedback from OMB and other agencies. This feedback will address “how the regulatory review process can promote public health and safety, economic growth, social welfare, racial justice, environmental stewardship, human dignity,... Read More »
On Friday, California State Senator Scott Wiener introduced Senate Bill 243. The bill aims to change the legal standards for expert testimony and forensic evidence to make it easier for falsely accused individuals to challenge wrongful convictions. Wiener said that approximately 200 people are facing extended jail sentences for serious... Read More »
Two lawsuits accused President Trump of violating the emoluments clauses of the Constitution by making profits from his New York and Washington hotels and restaurants. Monday, the Supreme Court declined to hear Trump’s request to consider the lower-court orders. Those orders had said the lawsuits could go forward on the... Read More »
Euroconsumers, comprised of five European consumer rights organizations, is coordinating a third class-action lawsuit against Apple, Inc., it announced Monday. The lawsuit, filed by Italian watchdog group Altroconsumo, is about planned obsolescence in iPhone technology. The suit “seeks compensation of at least €60 on average for owners of iPhone 6,... Read More »
A report from the Justice Department’s inspector general released Thursday, January 7, 2021, showed that top DOJ officials knew that their policy of arresting all illegally-border-crossing adults would result in separation of migrant families, but they went ahead with the policy anyway. The report noted, “We concluded that the Department’s... Read More »
President Trump created a policy that altered the census count by excluding unauthorized immigrants. President Biden, in one of his first executive actions, reversed that policy. The change allows the U.S. census to follow more than two centuries of precedent in determining representation in the Electoral College and in Congress.... Read More »
As part of his determination to begin a sustained effort to safeguard the nation’s air and water, combat climate change at home and abroad, and protect endangered species, President Biden returned the U.S. to the Paris climate accord in his first moments in the Oval Office. He said, “I thought... Read More »
President Biden issued executive orders on his first day in office aimed at minimizing climate change and protecting human health and the environment. Not coincidentally, he reversed multiple Trump initiatives and restored or expanded some Obama initiatives. His mandates, set forth in an executive order, will require multi-month reviews of... Read More »
