Government

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 …

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 …

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. …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

NBC New reports: The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a “close call” between a JetBlue flight that was preparing to land and a Learjet that took off without clearance Monday night at Boston Logan International Airport, the agency said in a statement. According to a preliminary review, the pilot of a Learjet 60 took off without clearance while JetBlue Flight …

CBS News reports: Some of the biggest makers of cereals, frozen and packaged food have submitted dozens of claims to the Food and Drug Administration objecting to new rules that would exclude food with high amounts of added sugar and salt from being labeled as “healthy” on packaging. Some manufacturers have even called the regulations unconstitutional, saying they violate companies’ …

Bloomberg News reports: President Joe Biden instructed federal agents responding to the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, to go door-to-door to conduct health surveys with impacted families, a White House official said Monday. Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention visited approximately 350 household over the weekend, according to …

The Associated Press reports: Soy, oat, almond and other drinks that bill themselves as “milk” can keep using the name, according to draft federal rules released Wednesday. Food and Drug Administration officials issued guidance that says plant-based beverages don’t pretend to be from dairy animals – and that U.S. consumers aren’t confused by the difference. Dairy producers for years have …

NBC News reports: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have agreed to create a bipartisan task force that will establish a process to remove members from committees, aides for the two lawmakers told NBC News. McCarthy, R-Calif., has already begun the process of reaching out to members to join the committee and Jeffries, D-N.Y., will also offer …

Axios reports: The crew of the Norfolk Southern train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, attempted to stop it after receiving a “critical” alert about an overheating wheel bearing just before the crash, an investigation found. The preliminary findings from the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation released Thursday came as residents push for answers from officials over the health dangers. …

Axios reports: The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) acting chief has issued a “safety call to action” after several narrowly-averted catastrophes in the past few months have raised serious concerns throughout the aviation community. It’s a public acknowledgement that the agency is acutely aware of those incidents, and is taking steps to investigate and learn from them. In an agency memo, …

Gothamist reports: The National Transportation Safety Board has subpoenaed an American Airlines crew involved in a runway incident at John F. Kennedy Airport. The crew was onboard an American Airlines plane headed for London in mid-January when it crossed an active runway at JFK without air traffic clearance. The move caused a Delta Air Lines plane headed for Santo Domingo …

The Wall Street Journal reports: The Federal Trade Commission is preparing a potential antitrust lawsuit against Amazon that in the coming months could challenge an array of the tech giant’s business practices as anticompetitive, according to people familiar with the matter. The commission in recent years has been examining Amazon practices including whether it favors its own products over competitors’ …

The Washington Post reports:  The Biden administration began “extraordinary measures” Thursday to prevent the federal government from breaching its debt limit and hurtling toward default, a grim scenario with the potential to destabilize markets and devastate the economy. Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen told lawmakers that officials will alter certain federal investments to preserve the nation’s credit until summer — …

ABC News reports: One of the world’s strictest anti-tobacco laws has been imposed in Mexico, setting in force a total ban on smoking in public places, including hotels, beaches and parks. The new law, which is part of the country’s General Law for Tobacco Control reform, came into force on Sunday. It will also see the total ban on the …

CNN reports: The Federal Aviation Administration announced it is starting a probe into how a commercial airliner taxied in front of a flight that was taking off from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport Friday evening. The crew of a Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 aborted its takeoff, ultimately stopping within 1,000 feet of the taxiing American Airlines Boeing 777, the …

Winston-Salem’s NPR affiliate reports: For the first time, “GAYPRIDE” is available as a vanity license plate in North Carolina. It’s one of over 200 terms that were removed from the state’s prohibited plates list after a review late last year. As recently as last year, the “Do No Issue” list included “GAYPRIDE,” “LESBIAN,” and “QUEER” – entries that prompted DMV …