Government

Axios reports: The Department of Justice (DOJ) is planning to sue Live Nation, one of the largest ticketing and live events companies in the country, on antitrust grounds, a regulatory source familiar with the DOJ’s plans told Axios. The company faced intense scrutiny from lawmakers and consumer advocacy groups over botched ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in late …

The Washington Post reports: The FBI has opened a criminal investigation focusing on the massive container ship that brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last month — a probe that will look at least in part at whether the crew left the port knowing the vessel had serious systems problems. Authorities are reviewing the events leading up …

Via press release from the TSA: Transportation Security Administration (TSA) intercepted 1,503 firearms at airport security checkpoints during the first quarter of 2024, which ended March 31. This total represents an average of 16.5 firearms per day detected at TSA checkpoints, comparable to firearm detections during the same time period in 2023, when TSA officers intercepted 1,508 firearms at airport …

The New York Times reports: Every time a rocket soars into the sky carrying satellites or supplies for the International Space Station, air traffic controllers on the ground must take crucial steps to ensure that commercial and passenger aircraft remain safe. The controllers, hired by the Federal Aviation Administration, close the airspace, provide real-time information on rockets and their debris …

Reuters reports: The White House on Tuesday directed NASA to establish a unified standard of time for the moon and other celestial bodies, as the United States aims to set international norms in space amid a growing lunar race among nations and private companies. The head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy instructed the space agency …

The National Highway & Traffic Safety Administration writes: For the past decade, distracted driving has taken U.S. roadways by storm, endangering not only the distracted drivers, but their passengers, pedestrians and others using the road. When we’re behind the wheel, we must focus on one task: safe driving. Anytime you shift your attention from driving, you’re distracted. Distracted driving comes …

The New York Times reports: The Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday that hospitals must obtain written informed consent from patients before they undergo sensitive examinations — like pelvis and prostate exams — especially if the patients will be under anesthesia. A New York Times investigation in 2020 found that hospitals, doctors and doctors in training sometimes …

Roll Call reports: Federal officials told Maryland lawmakers that it could cost at least $2 billion to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed after being struck by a malfunctioning freighter. Although a very early estimate, it sets a steep price tag for President Joe Biden’s promise Tuesday to cover the total cost of reconstruction — especially as Transportation …

Axios reports: Hispanics and people of Middle Eastern and North African heritage may be more accurately counted in future U.S. census forms and other governmental data thanks to a new rule announced Thursday. Critics have long said the government’s approach to asking about people’s race or ethnicity is confusing or misrepresentative — and has huge stakes for the distribution of …

Los Angeles’s ABC affiliate reports: Homeland Security agents on Monday raided a Holmby Hills mansion associated with rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and his production company. The exact reason for the raid was unclear but Combs has recently been associated with legal troubles that include lawsuits over alleged sexual assaults and sex trafficking. HSI agents were conducting their operations in …

The Associated Press reports: The Senate passed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills in the early morning hours Saturday, a long overdue action nearly six months into the budget year that will push any threats of a government shutdown to the fall. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The vote was 74-24. …

NBC News reports: The House voted 286-134 Friday to pass a sweeping $1.2 trillion government funding bill, sending it to the Senate just hours before the deadline to prevent a shutdown. All 100 senators will need to greenlight a vote to pass the bill before the midnight deadline. If that doesn’t happen, the government would be forced into a partial …

The Washington Post reports: As Congress considers legislation that could ban TikTok in the United States, lawmakers are receiving a surge of threatening messages connected to popular video app. U.S. Capitol Police are investigating an “uptick” in reports of “threats and concerning messages” linked to the TikTok discussions, according to a law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of …

Bloomberg News reports: The US Justice Department is preparing to announce an antitrust lawsuit against Apple Inc. Thursday, according to two people familiar with the matter The suit is expected to be filed in federal court in New Jersey, said one of the people. The US is accusing Apple, the world’s second-most-valuable tech company, of violating antitrust laws by blocking …

Ars Technica reports: The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday finalized a ban on the only type of asbestos still used in the US, chrysotile asbestos. This move was decades in the making. Chrysotile asbestos, aka “white asbestos,” is still imported, processed, and used in the US for diaphragms (including those used to make sodium hydroxide and chlorine), sheet gaskets, brake …

The Hill reports: Congressional leaders have struck a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the remainder of fiscal year 2024, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Hill, closing out the six bills due by Friday’s shutdown deadline. Negotiators are still working out the details and legislative text of the DHS agreement, the source …

Law & Crime reports: Prosecutors said they want fallen ‘crypto king’ Sam Bankman-Fried sent to prison for up to half a century, less than the probation department’s recommended 110 years and a lot more than what his defense attorney wants — 6 1/2 years max. In the government’s 116-page sentencing memo, prosecutors said a sentence of between 40 and 50 …

USA Today reports: After Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested without evidence that baseball legend Hank Aaron’s death in 2021 was caused by a COVID-19 vaccine, the Biden administration pounced. “Wanted to flag the below tweet and am wondering if we can get moving on the process for having it removed ASAP,” the digital director for the White House’s COVID response …

Reuters reports: SpaceX is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a classified contract with a U.S. intelligence agency, five sources familiar with the program said, demonstrating deepening ties between billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s space company and national security agencies. The network is being built by SpaceX’s Starshield business unit under a $1.8 billion contract signed in 2021 …

CBS News reports: Federal agents have located a person of interest in over 100 swatting calls, which included calls targeting Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure and Security Agency Director Jen Easterly and other senior Biden administration officials, according to law enforcement officials. Officials say the person of interest lives in Serbia; charges have not yet been filed, but …