On December 21, 2020, the FDIC ordered New York-based Apple Bank for Savings to pay a fine of $12.5 million. The order was made public on January 29, 2021. The fine was assessed due to the bank’s failure to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and with an FDIC... Read More »
President Biden plans to make good on his campaign promise of giving Americans pandemic relief through another round of stimulus checks. Last Friday, the House gave the green light on a budget blueprint comprised of $1.9 trillion in pandemic relief, and over the weekend, the bill was moved through the... Read More »
The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg, has been confirmed by the Senate in a vote of 86 - 13 to be the Secretary of Transportation for the Biden White House. Pete Buttigieg, who many continue to call "Mayor Pete," tweeted in response shortly after the confirmation, “I... Read More »
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 »
Under the umbrella of nonprofit the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers, a consortium of frustrated US businesses took legal action against the United States Postal Services (USPS) to halt price hikes. Already fuming at the sixty-four percent drop in on-time delivery reported by the USPS in December, the participating organizations include... 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 »
COVID-19 vaccinations will soon be headed to local pharmacies in communities across the nation as the White House kicks off the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. The new program, which pledges access and equity, is set to begin on February 11 with 6,500 participating pharmacies. At a February 2 briefing, Jeff... Read More »
A shootout early Tuesday morning in Sunrise, Florida, has resulted in the death of two FBI agents and the injury of three others. The fatal shootout happened after FBI agents along with other members of law enforcement executed a federal court-ordered search warrant. The subject of the search warrant was... 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 »
General Motors (GM) announced that as of 2035, it would no longer make any gas-powered cars or trucks. Once known for its gigantic SUVs, the company has become a pioneer in the automobile industry by pledging to make only electric vehicles in the near future. As the largest US automaker,... Read More »
In his next steps in changing course from the previous administration's immigration policies, President Biden has asked the Supreme Court to cancel arguments on two cases filed against the Trump administration's immigration policies. The cases tackle President Trump's construction of the border wall and his “Remain in Mexico” asylum program.... 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 »
Way back in 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, “It seems to me to be equally plain that no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country." Roosevelt’s words remain alive and well today as a... Read More »