Government

FDA Warns: People Are Accidentally Drinking Poppers

Via press release from the FDA: A single mistake can prove fatal. We continue to receive reports of people dying or being severely injured after consuming poppers that resemble, and often mistaken for, popular energy shots. Drinking or inhaling poppers seriously jeopardizes your health. Health care providers are reporting increases in deaths and hospitalizations related to intentional ingestion or inhalation …

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Treasury Dept: US Can Only Pay Bills Through June 1st

Reuters reports: The U.S. Treasury Department reiterated Monday it expects to be able to pay the U.S. government’s bills only through June 1 without a debt limit increase, leaving just 10 days for White House negotiators and congressional Republicans to reach a deal. In her third letter to Congress in three weeks, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said it was “highly …

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Bill Would Block All Reps’ Pay If US Defaults On Debt

NBC News reports: A bipartisan bill set to be unveiled Thursday by Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., would block members of Congress from getting paid if the U.S. enters debt default or if the government shuts down. The No Pay for Congress During Default or Shutdown Act, shared in advance with NBC News, would withhold lawmakers’ pay …

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Biden: Debt Ceiling Talks Likely To Resume Tomorrow

The Associated reports: President Joe Biden and congressional leaders will likely resume talks on Tuesday at the White House over the debt limit, the President said Sunday, as the nation continues to edge closer to its legal borrowing authority with no agreement in sight. The meeting was initially supposed to be Friday, but was abruptly postponed so staff-level talks could …

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US To End Vaccine Requirement For Foreign Visitors

Reuters reports: The United States will end its COVID-19 vaccination requirements for international travelers and federal workers on May 11, when the coronavirus public health emergency ends, the White House said on Monday. In February, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to lift the requirement that most foreign air travelers be vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the few remaining pandemic …

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Environmentalists Sue FAA After TX SpaceX Explosion

NBC News reports: Five environmental and cultural heritage groups are suing the Federal Aviation Administration, alleging that the agency violated the National Environment Policy Act when it allowed SpaceX to launch the largest rocket ever built from its Boca Chica, Texas facility without a comprehensive environmental review. SpaceX’s Starship Super Heavy test flight on April 20 blew up the company’s …

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NYC Transit Steps Back From “Unreliable” Twitter

New York City’s ABC affiliate reports: The MTA is the latest organization to take a step back from Twitter. Although the MTA will still be active on Twitter, it will no longer provide service alerts and information through the platform. “The MTA has terminated posting service information to Twitter, effective immediately, as the reliability of the platform can no longer …

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OOPS: FL Sends Loud Alert To All Cellphones At 4:45AM

Miami’s ABC affiliate reports: Good morning, Florida! Early Thursday morning, Florida residents were awoken by a loud alert on their phones. Across the state, Floridians’ phones sounded off around 4:45 a.m. The loud sound, which is usually associated with an Amber Alert or severe weather, woke millions. When residents looked at their phones, the screen read: “TEST – This is …

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FAA Orders Nationwide Ground Stop For Southwest

CNN reports: The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a nationwide ground stop for Southwest Airlines flights, citing “equipment issues.” “Southwest Airlines requested the FAA pause the airline’s departures,” the agency told CNN in a statement. Southwest Airlines reported technology issues Tuesday morning and said it would “hopefully be resuming our operation as soon as possible.” Southwest called the problem “intermittent …

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DOJ Investigates Leak Of Key US Intel Documents

CNN reports: The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the leaks of a trove of apparent US intelligence documents that were posted on social media in recent weeks. The investigation comes as new documents surfaced Friday covering everything from US support for Ukraine to information about key US allies like Israel, widening the fallout from the already alarming …

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Mass Shooting Victims To Settle With DOJ For $144M

NBC News reports: The victims of the 2017 mass shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, in which 26 were killed, have reached a “tentative agreement” with the Justice Department to settle a case against the federal government for $144.5 million. If given approval, which is expected, it would end a yearslong legal battle over a federal judge’s ruling …

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Proposed Bill Would Grant TSA Its Own No-Fly List

Axios reports: After nearly 2,500 reports of unruly passengers on flights last year, Congress is considering a new no-fly list. Senate and House members proposed legislation Wednesday that would allow the Transportation Security Administration to ban people convicted or fined for assaulting or interfering with airline crews. The Protection from Abusive Passengers Act would prohibit individuals on the list from …

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FDA Approves Narcan For Over-The-Counter Sales

The New York Times reports: Narcan, a prescription nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses, can now be sold over the counter, the Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday, authorizing a move long-sought by public health officials and treatment experts, who hope wider availability of the medicine will reduce the nation’s alarmingly high drug fatality rates. By late summer, over-the-counter …

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MTA Seizes 20 Vehicles Owing $600,000 In Evaded Tolls

Via press release from the MTA:  The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that its Bridge and Tunnel officers stopped and seized 20 vehicles belonging to persistent toll violators at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge on Monday, March 20. The scofflaws accounted for nearly $600,000, in unpaid tolls and fees. These efforts go a long way towards securing toll revenue of which …

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US Veterans Affairs Dept Adopts Gender-Neutral Motto

The Washington Post reports: For decades, the mission statement of Veterans Affairs came from a line from President Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address on March 4, 1865 — “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” — a phrase adopted by the department in 1959. On Thursday, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis …

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DC Bill Would Create Pride-Themed License Plates

Via press release: Today, Councilmember Robert White reintroduced the Pride Plates Amendment Act of 2023 which creates a special purpose fund to support the work of the Office of LGBTQ Affairs (OLGBTQA) and directs the DC Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to offer a new line of Pride license plates, with fees from the new plates supporting the OLGBTQA fund. …

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Feds Move To Protect Deposits At Silicon Valley Bank

The Washington Post reports: The Biden administration announced Sunday night that all depositors at the failed Silicon Valley Bank would have access to all their money on Monday morning, approving an extraordinary intervention aimed at averting a crisis in the financial system. Authorities said they were also extending protection to depositors of a second bank, Signature Bank of New York, …

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Feds Probe Tesla Over Steering Wheels Coming Off

The Associated Press reports: U.S. auto safety regulators have opened an investigation into Tesla’s Model Y SUV after getting two complaints that the steering wheels can come off while being driven. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the probe covers an estimated 120,000 vehicles from the 2023 model year. The agency says in both cases the Model Ys were …

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DOJ And DOT Will Sue To Block JetBlue-Spirit Merger

Reuters reports: The U.S. Department of Justice is expected to file an antitrust lawsuit to block JetBlue Airways Corp’s $3.8 billion takeover of low-cost rival Spirit Airlines as soon as Tuesday, Bloomberg News reported on Monday. The Department of Transportation, which is also reviewing the deal, is expected to take parallel action to stop the planned transaction, Bloomberg said. JetBlue …

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FDA Moves To Limit Imports Of “Zombie Drug” [Video]

Via press release: Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it has taken action to restrict the unlawful entry of xylazine active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dosage form drug products into the country to address a growing public health concern. The chemical xylazine has increasingly been found in illicit drugs such as illicitly manufactured fentanyl and other drugs …

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