Featured Stories
Submissions Open for Thunder Dome 2027 Innovation Competition
HURLBURT FIELD, Florida, July 18 -- The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command issued the following statement on July 17, 2026:
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Submissions open for Thunder Dome 2027 Innovation Competition
Calling all AFSOC innovators for the fourth annual Thunder Dome. The submissions window for ideas is now open for AFSOC's innovation competition known as Thunder Dome. All submissions received by Sept. 13, 2026, will be considered.
This competition is open to any member within the command, and ideas can be submitted at https://gain.il4.afwerx.dso.mil/usaf/afsoc-thunderdome-2027, which is a CAC
... Show Full Article
HURLBURT FIELD, Florida, July 18 -- The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command issued the following statement on July 17, 2026:
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Submissions open for Thunder Dome 2027 Innovation Competition
Calling all AFSOC innovators for the fourth annual Thunder Dome. The submissions window for ideas is now open for AFSOC's innovation competition known as Thunder Dome. All submissions received by Sept. 13, 2026, will be considered.
This competition is open to any member within the command, and ideas can be submitted at https://gain.il4.afwerx.dso.mil/usaf/afsoc-thunderdome-2027, which is a CAConly enabled site.
Finalists will be selected based on multiple factors including impact on readiness/advantage, alignment with AFSOC strategy, and feasibility of execution. Finalists will present their ideas on Nov. 19, 2026, for the chance to receive funding to further develop their innovative solutions and put them into action across the command.
To ensure we maintain our decisive advantage against evolving global threats, events like Thunder Dome empower Air Commandos to lean into our ethos of grassroots innovation by tackling issues impacting readiness and AFSOC's ability to operate across the spectrum of competition, ensuring we remain relevant through adaptation.
We must invest today in the capabilities we will need tomorrow. We look forward to seeing the great ideas Air Commandos share in this year's competition.
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Original text here: https://www.afsoc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4549329/submissions-open-for-thunder-dome-2027-innovation-competition/
Statement on IOSCO Compliance for Federal Reserve Bank of New York Administered Reference Rates
NEW YORK, July 18 -- The Federal Reserve Bank of New York issued the following statement on July 17, 2026:
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Statement on IOSCO Compliance for Federal Reserve Bank of New York Administered Reference Rates
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York (New York Fed) today updated its Statement of Compliance with the IOSCO Principles for Financial Benchmarks (the Principles).
The New York Fed's Audit Group independently reviewed the organizational and operational framework used to administer the Effective Federal Funds Rate (EFFR), Overnight Bank Funding Rate (OBFR), Tri-Party General Collateral Rate
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, July 18 -- The Federal Reserve Bank of New York issued the following statement on July 17, 2026:
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Statement on IOSCO Compliance for Federal Reserve Bank of New York Administered Reference Rates
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York (New York Fed) today updated its Statement of Compliance with the IOSCO Principles for Financial Benchmarks (the Principles).
The New York Fed's Audit Group independently reviewed the organizational and operational framework used to administer the Effective Federal Funds Rate (EFFR), Overnight Bank Funding Rate (OBFR), Tri-Party General Collateral Rate(TGCR), Broad General Collateral Rate (BGCR), Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR), SOFR Averages, and SOFR Index with respect to governance, quality of the benchmark, quality of the methodology, and accountability.
The Audit Group determined that these reference rates are in compliance with the Principles.
In 2013, IOSCO published the Principles, which were then endorsed by the Financial Stability Board as being standards of best practice for benchmark administration. The purpose of releasing an updated version of this statement is to maintain transparency surrounding the administration of these benchmarks in a manner consistent with the Principles.
The New York Fed will continue to assess the compliance of all of its reference rates with the Principles on an annual basis and issue a Statement of Compliance accordingly.
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Original text here: https://www.newyorkfed.org/markets/opolicy/operating_policy_260717
State Dept.: U.S. Welcomes Mauritius's Signing of the Artemis Accords
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The U.S. State Department issued the following news release on July 17, 2026:
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United States Welcomes Mauritius's Signing of the Artemis Accords
The Department of State congratulates the Republic of Mauritius on joining the Artemis Accords. Mauritius is the 70th country to sign the Accords to date, pledging its commitment to peaceful exploration and use of space.
Mauritius's Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science and Research, Mr. Navindsing Jugmohunsing, signed the Accords on behalf of the Republic of Mauritius on July 17, 2026. U.S.
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The U.S. State Department issued the following news release on July 17, 2026:
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United States Welcomes Mauritius's Signing of the Artemis Accords
The Department of State congratulates the Republic of Mauritius on joining the Artemis Accords. Mauritius is the 70th country to sign the Accords to date, pledging its commitment to peaceful exploration and use of space.
Mauritius's Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science and Research, Mr. Navindsing Jugmohunsing, signed the Accords on behalf of the Republic of Mauritius on July 17, 2026. U.S.Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Sarah Troutman and U.S. Charge d'Affaires to Mauritius Craig Halbmaier witnessed and celebrated the signing at a ceremony in Ebene. The United States and Mauritius share longstanding partnerships spanning diplomacy, science, education, security, trade, and economics. Both countries see growing commercial opportunities in space and technology, and the Artemis Accords create new avenues to strengthen collaboration in these emerging industries.
The United States and seven other countries established the Artemis Accords in 2020 to serve as a set of practical principles to guide responsible space exploration. Mauritius joins the United States and 68 other nations in affirming the Accords' principles for sustainable civil space activity. The Department of State and NASA lead the United States' outreach and implementation of the Accords.
For more information, including a full list of signatories to the Accords, please visit Artemis Accords (https://www.state.gov/bureau-of-oceans-and-international-environmental-and-scientific-affairs/artemis-accords). For media inquiries, please submit a request here (https://iipstate.my.site.com/DOSMediaInquiries/s/).
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Original text here: https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/07/united-states-welcomes-mauritiuss-signing-of-the-artemis-accords/
SEC Charges Ex-Director of Public Company, 3 Friends in Connection With Alleged Insider Trading
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following litigation release (No. 2:26-cv-12451; E.D. Mich. filed July 17, 2026):
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Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jamal Chammout, et al., Civil Action No. 2:26-cv-12451 (E.D. Mich. filed July 17, 2026)
On July 17, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Ali El Siblani, a former senior executive and director of Desktop Metal, Inc., a then-publicly traded company, and three of El Siblani's friends, Jamal ("Jimmy") Chammout, Ali Jawad, and Rabih Rakha, all of Michigan, alleging that El Siblani's friends
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the following litigation release (No. 2:26-cv-12451; E.D. Mich. filed July 17, 2026):
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Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jamal Chammout, et al., Civil Action No. 2:26-cv-12451 (E.D. Mich. filed July 17, 2026)
On July 17, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Ali El Siblani, a former senior executive and director of Desktop Metal, Inc., a then-publicly traded company, and three of El Siblani's friends, Jamal ("Jimmy") Chammout, Ali Jawad, and Rabih Rakha, all of Michigan, alleging that El Siblani's friendsunlawfully traded based on material nonpublic information in advance of an August 11, 2021 announcement that Desktop Metal would acquire The ExOne Company at a premium to the market price. El Siblani, Jawad, and Rakha have agreed to settle the SEC's charges against them.
The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, alleges that from at least June through August 2021, Desktop Metal entrusted El Siblani with highly sensitive information about its proposed acquisition of ExOne, including the significant premium the company planned to pay ExOne shareholders. According to the complaint, rather than keeping this material non-public information to himself--as required under Desktop Metal's internal policies--El Siblani breached his fiduciary duty to Desktop Metal and its shareholders by tipping his close friends Chammout, Jawad, and Rakha before the acquisition was publicly announced. The SEC's complaint alleges that shortly after communicating with El Siblani, each of the tippees simultaneously started building substantial positions in ExOne securities and kept buying stock right up until the announcement. After the acquisition was publicly announced, the tippees are alleged to have quickly sold off their ExOne positions and obtained illicit profits in the amounts of: $218,036 for Chammout, $218,082 for Jawad, and $61,006 for Rakha.
The SEC's complaint charges El Siblani, Chammout, Jawad, and Rakha with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The SEC's complaint seeks permanent injunctive relief and civil penalties against all defendants, disgorgement with prejudgment interest against Chammout, Jawad, and Rakha, and an order barring El Siblani from service as an officer or director of a public company.
Without admitting the allegations in the SEC's complaint, El Siblani, Jawad, and Rakha have agreed to the entry of final judgments, subject to court approval, that would permanently enjoin them from violating Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, order El Siblani to pay a civil penalty of $497,124, and prohibit him for four years following entry of the judgment from serving as an officer or director of a public company, order Jawad to pay disgorgement of $218,082, prejudgment interest of $72,364, and a civil penalty of $218,082, and order Rakha to pay disgorgement of $61,006, prejudgment interest of $20,243, and a civil penalty of $61,006.
The SEC's investigation was conducted by Taryn Lewis and Nicolas Magena and supervised by Brian Fagel of the SEC's Chicago Regional Office. The SEC's litigation will be led by Timothy Leiman and Jonathan Polish and supervised by Eric Phillips, also of the Chicago Regional Office. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
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Resources
* SEC Complaint (https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/complaints/2026/comp26589.pdf)
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Original text here: https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-26589
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis: Lower-Income Minnesotans Struggle in Uncertain Economy
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, July 18 -- The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis issued the following analysis:
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Lower-income Minnesotans struggle in uncertain economy
Contacts at community organizations describe worsening conditions for many households
Article Highlights
- Fewer jobs, resources available for low-income people
- Credit delinquencies and evictions are up
- Community contacts describe high levels of stress
Authors
Juliet Cramer, Associate Data Scientist, Community Development and Engagement
Ben Horowitz, Senior Policy Analyst, Community Development and Engagement
Ayushi
... Show Full Article
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, July 18 -- The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis issued the following analysis:
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Lower-income Minnesotans struggle in uncertain economy
Contacts at community organizations describe worsening conditions for many households
Article Highlights
- Fewer jobs, resources available for low-income people
- Credit delinquencies and evictions are up
- Community contacts describe high levels of stress
Authors
Juliet Cramer, Associate Data Scientist, Community Development and Engagement
Ben Horowitz, Senior Policy Analyst, Community Development and Engagement
AyushiNarayan, Economist, Community Development and Engagement
Alene Tchourumoff, Senior Vice President, Talent and Engagement, Learning Management Support Office, and Community Development and Engagement
Maxine Xu, Data Scientist, Community Development and Engagement
Traditional indicators describe a Minnesota labor market that's continuing to cool relative to the hot conditions of 2022 and 2023. Similarly, some statistics tracking household financial stress have worsened in recent years. Community contacts paint a starker picture. What can data points like these tell us about the experiences of low-income households in today's economy?
The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis researches economic conditions within the Ninth Federal Reserve District and beyond to inform community leaders, practitioners, and policymakers. The work is part of our mission to pursue a growing economy and stable financial system that work for all of us. Understanding how changing labor markets and shifting prices impact lower-income households is crucial to that mission and is a focus of our work in the Minneapolis Fed's Community Development and Engagement division.
For the first time in a long time, Minnesota's labor market falls behind
The unemployment rate in Minnesota has grown to a seasonally adjusted 4.4 percent, as shown in Figure 1--a rate not seen since 2014, outside of the peak years of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021. In 2026, for the first time since 2007, Minnesota's unemployment rate is higher than the national rate. Numbers of unemployment insurance claims, meanwhile, remain low by historical standards. This suggests that the increase in the unemployment rate may be coming from a slowdown in hiring rather than an increase in the number of people who have been laid off.
Interviews suggest that labor market conditions for low- and moderate-income communities could be weaker than we see in the headline data. In late 2025 and through the spring of 2026, we talked to leaders at more than 25 organizations that help people find and keep jobs. Many said they felt their lower-income working clients had job stability. Reports on lower-income job seekers were more pessimistic.
Nearly every interviewee told us things were harder for lower-income job seekers than they were in 2024. There's a shrinking number of entry-level and low-wage jobs, they said, as employers cut back such posts for reasons ranging from adoption of artificial intelligence to caution over general economic uncertainty.
"Businesses are very engaged with us but have stepped back in terms of providing entry-level positions that allow new hires to build experience," explained one rural interviewee. "We used to see 40 to 50 opportunities that provided on-the-job training per year. Now we see hardly any."
Some have observed an increase in competition for such openings by higher-skilled job seekers. Community contacts told us that workers across the wage spectrum were getting increasingly desperate.
"I'm a glass-half-full eternal optimist," one nonprofit executive told us. "But 2025 has been a wild year. Our participants are hurting. There's more fear about staying afloat than we've ever seen."
Policy supports fade and income growth slows
Average hourly earnings declined from $39.83 an hour in July 2025, when they hit their non-inflation-adjusted peak, to $38.66 an hour in June 2026. Adjusted for inflation, June 2026 real earnings are near 2018 levels.
Households' overall economic resources aren't just determined by their wages. Tax and social-safety-net policies also play a role. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal and state governments sent historic levels of cash benefits to families across the income spectrum. These included increases to unemployment insurance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments, and refundable tax credits. More people were also made eligible for many of these programs and tax credits.
These temporary increases in cash transfers were brief, ending between 2021 and 2023. More recently, federal policy has trended toward decreased benefit levels and narrowed eligibility for safety-net programs. For example, average monthly SNAP benefits declined from $230 in 2023 to $188 in 2025, and reduced health insurance subsidies led to higher monthly premiums for many households.
The U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey provides estimates of households' total income after taxes. Reflecting federal tax-policy changes and slowed wage growth, the estimates indicate many households had less inflation-adjusted, post-tax income to spend in 2024 than they did in 2020. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that tax and safety net changes implemented recently could decrease the resources available to lower-income households, while increasing them for households above the fortieth income percentile.
Inflation's unequal impact
Changes in hiring, wages, and public policy have accompanied a period when inflation has been higher than the Federal Reserve's 2 percent target. Inflation was 3.5 percent year-over-year in June 2026, as measured by the Consumer Price Index. While this commonly used measure published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tells us how prices have increased over time, it doesn't tell us how the impact of price increases varies across income groups.
At one point in time, the BLS put out a measure that accounts for differences in how households spend their money across different income levels. Using this measure, between January 2005 and June 2023 the cumulative impact of inflation on the lowest-income households' spending power was 11 percentage points greater than it was for the highest-income households.
Since 2022, we've met periodically with focus groups made up of people from low- to moderate-income households and asked them about price changes, the labor market, and other economic conditions in the Ninth Federal Reserve District. In these household focus groups, we've heard many individual stories that reflect the broader data. The price of necessities like food and housing is nearly always the first thing people mention when we ask about their biggest economic concerns.
These concerns are often tied to a perceived disconnect between the wages that available jobs pay and the cost of basic necessities. "I supposedly make a good living," one single mother of two in a small city told us. "I'm making almost $50,000 before taxes, and I'm still living on food giveaways." The number of visits to food shelves in Minnesota more than doubled from 2021 to 2025.
Separately, in our interviews with our workforce development contacts, we ask what resources they wish they had to better support their clients. They often tell us that flexible resources for small-dollar needs, like a rideshare voucher or a data plan for a cell phone, can have a big impact. According to some interviewees, requests for these resources have grown more numerous and the needs more serious in recent years.
"Before, we used our flexible funds to help people get interview clothes," explained one program manager in a rural area. "Now we're paying those people's rents. It's a different focus--people are struggling more with basic survival."
Loan delinquencies rise
When we started our focus group discussions in 2022, most participants said they were experiencing financial strains of the early pandemic era. But we also occasionally heard stories from people who'd leveraged pandemic aid to build their savings or pay off debt. By contrast, in our most recent focus groups, held in August 2025, when we asked people whether they'd saved any money over the past year, several of the groups erupted in laughter.
"I try to save, but in reality there's always a bill that needs paying," one working mother told us after the laughter in her group died down. "You can't even save five dollars. It's like the universe says, 'Oh, she's trying to get better, let me go and do something over here.' You turn around and the car needs to be filled up, your kid goes through a growth spurt and needs new clothes."
In the absence of savings, people may turn to credit to make ends meet. The level of debt Minnesotans hold right now is roughly consistent with pre-pandemic levels. For example, in Minnesota's lowest-income communities, median credit card debt after adjusting for inflation was $1,521 in the fourth quarter of 2019 and $1,145 in the first quarter of 2026.
However, the share of credit accounts that are severely delinquent (that is, 90 days or more past due), which dipped during the early years of the pandemic, is now higher than it was in pre-pandemic times. As shown in Figure 2, in the fourth quarter of 2019, 7.7 percent of Minnesota borrowers had at least one severely delinquent loan (excluding student loans)./* In the first quarter of 2026, that number was 9.2 percent. For Minnesota borrowers residing in low- to moderate-income census tracts, severe delinquency rates were higher to begin with and had larger increases. In the fourth quarter of 2019, these rates were 15.6 and 9.6 percent, respectively. In the first quarter of 2026, they were 18.0 and 11.6 percent.
The price of borrowing has also increased over time, with important ramifications for people who carry a debt balance month to month. For example, from the third quarter of 2012 to the first quarter of 2022, the average annual percentage rate (APR) for a credit card fluctuated between a low of 16.7 percent and a high of 20.4 percent. Rates then began to increase, and by the first quarter of 2026 the average APR was 24.0 percent. At a recent Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond event, a senior economist from Wells Fargo noted that when compared to disposable income, households' interest costs for non-mortgage debt payments across the country are higher than at "any point since the peak of the financial crisis."
Early signs of distress in housing data
If we single out mortgage debt in Figure 2 above, we see that severe delinquencies among mortgagors were on the decline before the pandemic. But home loans have since followed a similar trajectory to auto loans and credit card debt. The share of severely delinquent mortgagors in Minnesota reached a low of 0.3 percent in each quarter of 2022. It more than doubled to 0.7 percent in the first quarter of 2026, with even larger levels of increase in low- and moderate-income census tracts. Some of the most recent increases could be a result of programmatic and reporting changes for mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration. Today's overall rate of severely delinquent mortgages remains well below the 4.3 percent seen nationally in the first quarter of 2009, at the height of the Great Recession, but it still reflects a noteworthy increase.
Mortgage delinquencies aren't the only measures of housing-related financial distress. Eviction rates can reflect stress in the rental market. A statewide moratorium put evictions on hold for most renters in Minnesota from March 2020 through June 2022. Evictions quickly rose in late 2021 and 2022 and were elevated for much of 2023 as property owners and the courts worked through a backlog created by the pause. Statewide, evictions declined in 2024, then surpassed 2023 levels in 2025. Relative to 2025, evictions in the first six months of 2026 were 3.6 percent higher in the seven-county Twin Cities area and 4.7 percent lower in Greater Minnesota.
Data on electric and gas utility payments, meanwhile, show that the share of accounts overdue in the three months ending on May 31, 2026, was similar to pre-pandemic levels, as Figure 3 shows. Compared to pre-pandemic levels, the residential aggregate arrears (amounts overdue) have increased and have remained steadily elevated since 2021. However, the past few years have seen several spikes in utility-disconnection rates. Increased shutoffs may be explained by policy changes that made it procedurally easier for energy providers to disconnect their customers.
Lower-income household finances are not static
In our interviews with them over the past several years, community contacts have consistently described worsening conditions for their lower-income clients or neighbors.
"I'm seeing a lot of the same warning signs now that we saw in 2008," one executive working in a tribal government told us earlier this year. "We're seeing increased demand for all kinds of aid--even for burial assistance for loved ones. People just aren't making enough money to live comfortably anymore and that's the bottom line." Such struggles in Minnesota reflect the results from at least one national survey.
In its annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System asks a nationally representative sample about their financial circumstances. One question asks people how they feel about their current economic situation compared to the previous year. In 2019, 14 percent of respondents felt worse off. By 2022, the share of people who felt worse off had increased to 35 percent. The share declined to 28 percent in 2025--still twice the level of pre-pandemic times. For people with a high school education or less, who tend to earn less money than people with post-secondary educations, the share only declined one percentage point between 2022 and 2025, from 40 to 39 percent.
Comments from our focus groups underscore that price and income changes have real ramifications for people's overall well-being. One mother told us she'd had to cancel her child's third birthday party because she couldn't afford a cake. Several people told us about similarly tough decisions.
"The unknown expenses are what worry me," one person told us. "My aunt and uncle passed away recently. I'm trying to figure out, can I even afford to travel for their funerals to be with my family?"
Monitoring economic conditions in lower-income communities
Over the course of the next few months, staff at the Minneapolis Fed will reconvene our household focus groups, continue to meet with other community contacts, and revisit data on labor markets and household finances in our district. We'll continue to share what we see in the data and what we hear from the communities we serve. It's all part of the Minneapolis Fed's mission to pursue a growing economy and stable financial system that work for all of us.
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Endnote
*/ We are not including student loans in our analysis because recent policy changes to pandemic-related pauses on student loan payments and delinquency reporting skew overall trends.
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Original text here: https://www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2026/lower-income-minnesotans-struggle-in-uncertain-economy
Fayus Inc. Dba Yusol International Foods Expands Recall of OLA-OLA POUNDED YAM Due to Undeclared Milk Allergen
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration issued the following recall notice:
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Fayus Inc., dba Yusol International Foods Expands Recall of OLA-OLA POUNDED YAM Due to Undeclared Milk Allergen
Summary
Company Announcement Date: July 17, 2026
FDA Publish Date: July 17, 2026
Product Type: Food & Beverages
Allergens Reason for Announcement:
May contain undeclared milk in the form of sodium caseinate
Company Name: Fayus, Inc.
Brand Name: Ola-Ola
Product Description: Pounded Yam (2lb, 4lb, 5lb, 10 lb)
Company Announcement
Fayus
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration issued the following recall notice:
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Fayus Inc., dba Yusol International Foods Expands Recall of OLA-OLA POUNDED YAM Due to Undeclared Milk Allergen
Summary
Company Announcement Date: July 17, 2026
FDA Publish Date: July 17, 2026
Product Type: Food & Beverages
Allergens Reason for Announcement:
May contain undeclared milk in the form of sodium caseinate
Company Name: Fayus, Inc.
Brand Name: Ola-Ola
Product Description: Pounded Yam (2lb, 4lb, 5lb, 10 lb)
Company Announcement
FayusInc., doing business as Yusol International Foods (Sacramento, CA) is expanding its recall of OLA-OLA POUNDED YAM to include product sizes 2lbs, 4lbs, 5lbs, and 10lbs due to product labeling omission of an undeclared milk allergen for sodium caseinate, a milk derivative. People who have an allergy, or severe milk sensitivity to milk, run the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product. No illness or injuries have been reported in connection with this issue.
The recall was initiated, and later expanded, as a result of an internal investigation discovering that some packaged OLA-OLA POUNDED YAM had been distributed in packaging that did not disclose the presence of sodium caseinate - derived from milk, a milk allergen, due to a temporary breakdown in the company's production and packaging processes. In addition, The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) sampled the 4lb product and confirmed the omission of the milk allergen from the product label. A subsequent investigation, and CFIA sampling of the 10lb product, revealed that additional packaging sizes may be affected.
This recall includes the following product packaging sizes with the expiration dates between November 2028 through May 2029: 2lbs (0.907kg), 4lbs (1.815kg), 5lbs (2.267kg), and 10lbs (4.53kg). OLA-OLA POUNDED YAM was distributed through distribution outlets in the African and Caribbean markets between December 2025 - May 2026 in Canada, Australia and the following United States:
* California
* Georgia
* Illinois
* New Jersey
* New York
* Texas
The recalled products are packaged in a clear plastic bag. This recall does not apply to packaging that declares the milk allergen. See example packaging below for correct and incorrect packaging. Consumers should check expiration dates on the front of the packaging, as well as the allergen declaration labeling, to determine if they have the affected product.
Questions or Exchange Requests:
Distribution outlets may exchange the affected product for correctly packaged and labeled product, or for a relabeled/reconditioned package of the product. Consumers with a milk allergy, or severe sensitivity to milk, should not consume the affected product. Fayus Inc. apologizes for any inconvenience and remains committed to the safety and quality of its products. Consumers who have purchased the products and have questions may contact the company at info@yusolfood.com or call 916-383-1124 Monday - Friday 11am - 3pm PST.
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Original text here: https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/fayus-inc-dba-yusol-international-foods-expands-recall-ola-ola-pounded-yam-due-undeclared-milk
FEC Issues Digest for Week of July 13-17, 2026
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The Federal Election Commission issued the following weekly digest:
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Commission meetings and hearings
No open meetings or executive sessions were scheduled this week.
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Litigation
Bernegger v. FEC (Case No. 25-4072) On July 6, Plaintiff filed a Motion for an Order Directing the Clerk to Enter Default Under Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(a), or in the Alternative, for Entry of Default by the Court in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Campaign Legal Center v. FEC (Case No. 26-1559) On July 10, the Commission filed an Answer in the U.S. District Court
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The Federal Election Commission issued the following weekly digest:
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Commission meetings and hearings
No open meetings or executive sessions were scheduled this week.
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Litigation
Bernegger v. FEC (Case No. 25-4072) On July 6, Plaintiff filed a Motion for an Order Directing the Clerk to Enter Default Under Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(a), or in the Alternative, for Entry of Default by the Court in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Campaign Legal Center v. FEC (Case No. 26-1559) On July 10, the Commission filed an Answer in the U.S. District Courtfor the District of Columbia.
CREW v. FEC (Case No. 22-35) On July 15, the U.S. Court for the District of Columbia issued a Minute Order directing the Clerk of Court to terminate this case from the active docket in light of the Joint Stipulation of Dismissal filed by the parties on July 9.
DCCC v. FEC (Case No. 24-2935) On July 16, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a Minute Order that the parties shall appear before the court on July 22, 2026, for a status conference to discuss the need for and scope of any further briefing on the pending motions.
Esrati v. FEC (Case No. 26-1498) On July 10, Plaintiff filed an Opposition to the Commission's Motion to Dismiss in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
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Reports Due in 2026
The Commission has posted the 2026 Congressional Pre-Election Reporting Dates. Reporting schedules for all filers in 2026 are also available.
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Election Dates
The Commission has posted a list of 2026 Congressional Primary Dates.
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Upcoming educational opportunities
For more information on upcoming training opportunities, see the Commission's Trainings page.
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Upcoming reporting due dates
July 20: July Monthly Reports are due. For more information, see the 2026 Monthly Reporting schedule.
The Commission has posted information regarding reporting deadlines as some states reschedule congressional primary elections to account for redistricting.
The Commission has posted filing information regarding the Georgia 13th District Special General Election, scheduled for July 28, 2026, and Special Runoff Election (if necessary), scheduled for August 25, 2026.
The Commission has posted filing information regarding the California 14th District Special Runoff Election, scheduled for August 18, 2026.
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Additional research materials
Contribution Limits: In addition to the current limits, the Commission has posted an archive of contribution limits that were in effect going back to the 1975-1976 election cycles.
Federal election results are available. The data was compiled from the official vote totals published by state election offices.
FEC Notify: Want to be notified by email when campaign finance reports are received by the agency? Sign up here.
The Combined Federal State Disclosure and Election Directory is available. This publication identifies the federal and state agencies responsible for the disclosure of campaign finances, lobbying, personal finances, public financing, candidates on the ballot, election results, spending on state initiatives, and other financial filings.
The Presidential Election Campaign Fund Tax Checkoff Chart provides information on balance of the Fund, monthly deposits into the Fund reported by the Department of the Treasury, payments from the Fund as certified by the FEC, and participation rates of taxpayers as reported by the Internal Revenue Service. For more information on the Presidential Public Funding Program, see the Public Funding of Presidential Elections page.
The FEC Record is available as a continuously updated online news source.
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Original text here: https://www.fec.gov/updates/week-of-july-13-17-2026/
