Category: Policy

New Cybersecurity Order Issued for US Pipeline Operators

WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday announced new requirements for U.S. pipeline operators to bolster cybersecurity following a May ransomware attack that disrupted gas delivery across the East Coast. In a statement, DHS said it would require operators of federally designated critical pipelines to implement “specific mitigation measures” to prevent ransomware attacks and other…


Michigan May Join Arizona, Florida in Limiting Local Control of Short-Term Rentals

LANSING, Mich.—Michigan may soon become the latest of a handful of vacation destination states to enact laws protecting the short-term residential rental industry. Since the advent of online booking and collection services such as Airbnb and VRBO, short-term rentals have become big business in states like Arizona, Florida, Idaho, and Tennessee, all of which have…


Trans Individuals Sue Montana Over Proof of Sex Change Requirement to Amend Birth Certificates

Two Montanans who claim to be transgender filed a lawsuit against the state over a law that requires those wishing to change their sex on birth certificates to prove that they’ve had sex reassignment surgery. The measure, known as Senate Bill 280, signed in April by Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican, provides that the sex…


U.S. Attorney General Curbs Seizure of Journalists’ Phone, Email Records

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday reversed a long-standing Department of Justice (DOJ) policy by formally banning federal prosecutors from seizing the records of journalists in most leak investigations. The policy change addresses the issue first brought up by Garland in June when he said the DOJ would stop the practice of seizing reporters’ records…


US Attorney General Curbs Seizure of Journalists’ Phone, Email Records

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday reversed a long-standing Department of Justice (DOJ) policy by formally banning federal prosecutors from seizing the records of journalists in most leak investigations. The policy change addresses the issue first brought up by Garland in June when he said the DOJ would stop the practice of seizing reporters’ records…


Biden: US Will Protect Haiti Embassy, Won’t Send Troops

WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden said Thursday that the U.S. will bolster security at its embassy in Haiti following last week’s assassination of that country’s president, but sending American troops to stabilize the country was “not on the agenda.” Haiti’s interim government last week asked the U.S. and the United Nations to deploy troops to protect key…


Michigan Senate Repeals Emergency Powers Law, Whitmer Unable to Veto

Michigan’s Senate on Thursday approved a petition that repeals Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s emergency powers, with another approval expected by the state’s lower chamber. Whitmer, a Democrat, cannot veto the petition. The Michigan Senate’s 20-15 vote came two days after the Board of State Canvassers certified the petition, which was started by a group called Unlock…


FBI Mishandled Case of Convicted Sex Offender Larry Nassar: Justice Department Watchdog

The FBI mishandled allegations of sexual abuse against the now-convicted sex offender, former USA Gymnastics national team doctor Larry Nassar, a Justice Department watchdog concluded. Nassar, the main doctor for Olympic gymnasts, was sentenced to 60 years in prison in 2017 on federal charges of possessing child sex abuse material. He was named in hundreds of lawsuits…


FBI Mishandled Case of Convicted Sex Offender Larry Nassar: Watchdog

The FBI mishandled allegations of sexual abuse against the now-convicted sex offender, former USA Gymnastics national team doctor Larry Nassar, a Justice Department watchdog concluded. Nassar, the main doctor for Olympic gymnasts, was sentenced to 60 years in prison in 2017 on federal charges of possessing child sex abuse material. He was named in hundreds of lawsuits…


Maine Bans New Wind Power Projects in State Waters

Maine’s governor has signed a bill that bars any new offshore wind projects in waters under state jurisdiction, about a week after the state legislature approved the legislation. The bill, which became effective immediately because it was introduced as an emergency measure, says that offshore wind power projects “may provide significant economic and environmental benefits to…