The Biden administration set a new precedent in environmental enforcement during the 2024 fiscal year, including the first-ever arrest for violations of anti-climate change regulations under the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its annual enforcement report on Thursday, showcasing significant increases in penalties, prosecutions, and pollution reduction initiatives.
Synagro, a waste recycling company owned by Goldman Sachs, is lobbying Congress to shield itself from lawsuits over per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination stemming from its sludge-based fertilizers. The lobbying efforts are part of an industry-wide push to avoid liability for synthetic chemicals that have polluted farmland and residential areas.
The U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to uphold Tennessee's child-protection law restricting transgender treatments for minors, a development that has alarmed transgender activists and progressives. The law bars the use of hormones, puberty blockers, and surgeries for physically healthy children seeking to transition, arguing that these experimental treatments carry significant long-term risks.
Chase Strangio, the transgender ACLU attorney arguing before the Supreme Court to challenge Tennessee’s SB1, stirred controversy during a CNN appearance on Wednesday by claiming that children as young as two years old can know they are transgender. Tennessee’s SB1 law bans puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sex-change surgeries for minors, a move the ACLU claims violates the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson suggested during oral arguments Wednesday that Tennessee’s law banning puberty blockers for minors could constitute sex discrimination. The case, United States v. Skrmetti, involves a Biden-Harris administration challenge to the law, which the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld.
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments on the legality of Tennessee’s 2023 law banning gender transition procedures for minors. The case has become a flashpoint in the national debate over transgender rights, parental authority, and the state’s role in protecting children from controversial medical treatments.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have voiced their desire to end the semiannual daylight saving time (DST) clock changes, with Ramaswamy calling the policy “inefficient and easy to change.” Their comments came after Musk shared an X (formerly Twitter) poll showing widespread public support for abolishing the "annoying" time change. Many political figures, including Donald Trump Jr., echoed their sentiments, with many calling for permanent daylight saving time to be adopted.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in U.S. v. Skrmetti, a pivotal case challenging Tennessee’s 2023 ban on gender-affirming care for minors to include hormone treatments and puberty blockers.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. John James (R-MI) introduced a bill late last month that aims to partner with parents to protect children from online content that may harm minors.
