Featured Stories
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill Threatens to Block Russian Diesel Shipments
WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary:
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New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill Threatens to Block Russian Diesel Shipments
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President Trump's October 9 agreement with Russian President Putin to provide 800,000 tons of diesel to the United States has hit an obstacle, with New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill threatening to block ships from her state.
Her threat comes as three tankers carrying about 140,000 metric tons of Russian diesel approach the U.S. Atlantic coast, with at least one slated to enter near the Port of New
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary:
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New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill Threatens to Block Russian Diesel Shipments
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President Trump's October 9 agreement with Russian President Putin to provide 800,000 tons of diesel to the United States has hit an obstacle, with New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill threatening to block ships from her state.
Her threat comes as three tankers carrying about 140,000 metric tons of Russian diesel approach the U.S. Atlantic coast, with at least one slated to enter near the Port of NewYork and New Jersey around November 7, 2026.
The "Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act," passed by Congress in April 2022 after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, prohibits imports of Russian energy products, including diesel, subject to provisions governing the removal of restrictions.
Sherrill's legal authority to prohibit unloading the diesel is also uncertain, leaving it unclear what will happen to the diesel en route.
New Jersey's governor Mikie Sherrill has threatened to block ships carrying Russian diesel from making deliveries in the state under the Trump administration's temporary sanctions waiver. She has sent warning letters to a dozen state port and terminal operators (including IMTT, Kinder Morgan, and Phillips 66) advising them to turn away tankers carrying Russian diesel. Sherrill claims the deliveries violate federal law and warned businesses and individuals involved in purchasing or unloading Russian fuel that accepting deliveries would expose them to civil and criminal penalties equal to the value of the imported goods, potentially amounting to millions of dollars. Tanker traffic is reportedly was approaching the region, including the Malta-flagged vessel Agioi Fanendes--carrying roughly 40,000 metric tons of Russian diesel--with an expected arrival near the Port of New York and New Jersey around November 7, 2026, after leaving Primorsk, Russia, on October 23. Another tanker, the PVT Azura, was reportedly carrying nearly 109,000 barrels of diesel toward Norfolk, Virginia, however, due to terminal operators refusing to offload the fuel following the legal warnings and market uncertainty, the tankers have since reportedly turned away.
The Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act, passed by Congress in April 2022 after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, prohibits imports of Russian energy products, including diesel, subject to provisions governing the removal of restrictions. According to Sherrill, the administration cannot unilaterally bypass those requirements without obtaining the necessary congressional review and certifying that Russia has met conditions related to its invasion of Ukraine. Sherrill accused President Trump of undermining American security by allowing renewed Russian fuel imports, arguing that purchases of Russian diesel would generate revenue for Russia, which is continuing to attack Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. She also cited a five-year statute of limitations, meaning businesses could potentially face penalties long after President Trump leaves office. But Sherrill's legal authority to prohibit unloading is also uncertain.
President Trump announced that Russia would initially supply 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by another 500,000 tons in November. That amount will have limited impact on global supplies, but it could get Russia to the negotiating table, which is the desired outcome. Energy Secretary Chris Wright defended the arrangement as "trying to put a carrot in front of Russia." On November 3, AAA reported U.S. diesel prices at $6.29 per gallon. While the U.S. Navy has helped oil flows from the Middle East reach pre-war levels despite Iran's hold on the Strait of Hormuz, gasoline and diesel prices remain high as Middle East shipments are below pre-war levels and global refineries have limited capacity because many have been shuttered where governments, particularly in Europe and the United States, have focused heavily on meeting U.N. net-zero climate goals.
U.S. refineries are running at over 90% and delaying maintenance to produce petroleum products needed domestically and abroad. While China has surpassed the United States in refining capacity, it has banned exports of petroleum products for several months during the Iran conflict, keeping its oil for domestic use instead and adding pressure to diesel prices, which are set on the global market. Even the European Union is seeking to reverse two decades of declining oil refining capacity after acknowledging it is short on refineries. About a quarter of the bloc's refineries have closed over the past 20 years, reducing overall capacity by approximately 10% and making the bloc dependent on imports, much of which now comes from Middle Eastern refineries, which are obstructed by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and damage to infrastructure.
While Europe is still deciding how to handle reduced refining capacity, the United States has expanded refinery capacity and is about to build a new refinery and restore a shuttered refinery, both in Texas and both using light, sweet oil produced in large volumes from shale formations in the United States. America First Refining will build a 168,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Brownsville, Texas, a deep-water port with direct rail and sea access, supported by investment from India's Reliance Industries. Reliance owns and operates the world's largest refinery. Valero will reopen a shuttered refinery in Houston with a daily processing capacity of 165,000 barrels, which may be operational by the end of next year.
Conclusion
President Trump's October 9 agreement with Russian President Putin to provide 800,000 tons of diesel to the United States has reached an obstacle, with New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill threatening to block ships from her state. Her warning comes as three tankers carrying about 140,000 metric tons of Russian diesel approach the U.S. Atlantic coast, with at least one initially slated to enter near the Port of New York and New Jersey around November 7, 2026. Sherrill claims the deliveries violate federal law and warned businesses and individuals buying or unloading Russian fuel that accepting deliveries could expose them to civil and criminal penalties equal to the value of the imported goods, potentially amounting to millions of dollars. The Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act, passed by Congress in April 2022 after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, prohibits imports of Russian energy products, including diesel, subject to provisions governing the removal of restrictions. Sherrill's legal authority to prohibit unloading the diesel is also uncertain, leaving it unclear what will happen to the diesel en route.
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Original text here: https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/fossil-fuels/gas-and-oil/new-jersey-governor-mikie-sherrill-threatens-to-block-russian-diesel-shipments/
NRDC Reaction to the Defeat of Prop. 45, the Anti-CEQA Bill
NEW YORK, Nov. 11 -- The Natural Resources Defense Council issued the following news release:
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NRDC Reaction to the Defeat of Prop. 45, the anti-CEQA Bill
November 9, 2026
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California voters overwhelmingly rejected Proposition 45 by a margin of more than a million votes and growing. The measure would have fast-tracked a broad range of polluting projects while reducing stakeholder input and transparency.
The projects eligible for streamlining would have included, but were not limited to geothermal, fuel cells, freeway expansion, small hydroelectric generation, digester
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Nov. 11 -- The Natural Resources Defense Council issued the following news release:
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NRDC Reaction to the Defeat of Prop. 45, the anti-CEQA Bill
November 9, 2026
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California voters overwhelmingly rejected Proposition 45 by a margin of more than a million votes and growing. The measure would have fast-tracked a broad range of polluting projects while reducing stakeholder input and transparency.
The projects eligible for streamlining would have included, but were not limited to geothermal, fuel cells, freeway expansion, small hydroelectric generation, digestergas, biomass, landfill gas, ocean wave, ocean thermal, or tidal current, along with their associated transmission lines. Prop 45 would also have made it easier for data centers to bypass CEQA environmental review, leaving Californians with limited information about projects and less oversight.
The following is a statement from Esther Portillo, Western States Environmental Health Director at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):
"The environmental community and our allies worked hard to defeat Proposition 45, while big tech and billionaires spent $56 million campaigning in support of it. Californians made their decision at the ballot box to protect their right to transparency and to ensure their voices are heard in decisions about development projects that could affect their health and environment."
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NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).
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Original text here: https://www.nrdc.org/reaction/nrdc-reaction-defeat-prop-45-anti-ceqa-bill
[Category: Environment]
Letter to Philippine President on Upcoming ASEAN meetings and Myanmar
NEW YORK, Nov. 11 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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Letter to Philippine President on Upcoming ASEAN meetings and Myanmar
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Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
President of the Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace
Manila, Philippines
Re: Upcoming ASEAN meetings and Myanmar
Dear President Marcos,
We are writing on behalf of Human Rights Watch concerning the upcoming meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the East Asia Summit, and associated ASEAN partner summits, in Manila. We urge you, as the chair and host of those
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Nov. 11 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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Letter to Philippine President on Upcoming ASEAN meetings and Myanmar
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Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
President of the Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace
Manila, Philippines
Re: Upcoming ASEAN meetings and Myanmar
Dear President Marcos,
We are writing on behalf of Human Rights Watch concerning the upcoming meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the East Asia Summit, and associated ASEAN partner summits, in Manila. We urge you, as the chair and host of thosemeetings, to strengthen ASEAN's response to the human rights and humanitarian crises in Myanmar.
Human Rights Watch is an independent, non-governmental organization that reports on and advocates for human rights in over 100 countries around the world. We have promoted respect for international human rights and humanitarian law in Myanmar for more than three decades.
Nearly six years since the February 2021 military coup, the human rights situation in Myanmar remains dire. The Myanmar military continues to commit atrocities that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity throughout the country.
Airstrikes against civilians have escalated since the junta organized sham elections that led to junta leader Min Aung Hlaing installing himself as president earlier this year. Between the announcement by the polls in August 2025 and the closure of phased polling in January 2026, more than 700 civilians died, 476 in airstrikes. Midday on September 28, 2026, the military dropped two bombs on a market in Kyauktaw town, Rakhine State, killing 50 people, including children. The attack was the deadliest airstrike in Rakhine State since the coup. Strikes on civilian targets have continued throughout 2026.
Junta authorities have arrested more than 32,000 people for opposing military rule since the coup, and nearly 15,000 remain in detention. More than 2,300 people have reportedly died in junta custody, although the actual figure is likely higher. Detainees face torture and ill-treatment in interrogation centers and prisons and are tried in closed courts without due process. Over 6,600 of those arrested since the coup have been women, and Human Rights Watch recently documented that many have experienced sexual violence and the dangerous and sometimes deadly denial of prenatal and obstetric medical care in prison.
More than four million people are internally displaced, many of them repeatedly, sheltering in makeshift camps, forests, and open fields with little access to food, clean water, or health care. Skyrocketing prices, foreign aid cuts, and restrictions on medical care and humanitarian supplies have exacerbated malnutrition, waterborne illness, and preventable deaths.
Yet in recent months, several governments in ASEAN and the region have hosted Min Aung Hlaing, who during his tenure as commander-in-chief directed abusive military operations across the country, both before and after the 2021 military coup. We also note that your foreign secretary, Ma. Theresa Lazaro, met a senior official in the junta-led authorities in Naypyidaw in late October.
We support ASEAN's decisions as a bloc to not endorse Myanmar's sham elections, which were essentially an attempt by the junta to crush all political opposition, obtain democratic legitimacy, and derail hopes for genuine democratic civilian rule. We urge you as chair of ASEAN to maintain the bloc's position by continuing to bar junta officials--including Min Aung Hlaing--from representing Myanmar at ASEAN meetings.
Allowing Min Aung Hlaing and other senior junta leaders to attend ASEAN meetings and represent Myanmar would severely undermine the credibility of ASEAN and its members on issues of regional and international security and human rights.
On November 19, 2026, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, will deliver its judgment in the landmark case brought by Gambia against Myanmar for alleged violations of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. As you know, as the military's commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing oversaw the sweeping campaign of massacres, rape, and arson against the ethnic Rohingya in northern Rakhine State that, in the ICJ case, Gambia alleged constitute genocide. His public statements and actions during the violence in 2017 were introduced to the court as evidence of genocidal intent during merit hearings earlier this year.
Regardless of the outcome, this is a historic case. The Myanmar military's well-documented crimes against the Rohingya and other ethnic minority groups in Myanmar span decades, but until now, the government's atrocities had largely been beyond the reach of justice. Although this is not a criminal case, it represents a critical step to crack the wall of impunity that surrounds the Myanmar military.
Min Aung Hlaing is also implicated in crimes being investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC). In November 2024, the then-ICC prosecutor requested the court's judges to issue an arrest warrant against Min Aung Hlaing for his role in the alleged crimes against humanity of deportation and persecution of the Rohingya in 2017. ICC judges have yet to issue a public decision on the arrest warrant request.
Since the 2021 coup, the United Nations Security Council and Human Rights Council, the European Union, and concerned governments around the world have asked ASEAN to lead the response to the ever-deepening human rights and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.
A decision by the bloc to re-admit junta leaders to represent Myanmar would have a devastating effect on ASEAN's credibility, whose charter commits members to "respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms." It would also sow deep mistrust between the people of Myanmar and the region's leaders and jettison an approach championed by previous ASEAN chairs to ensure a solution to the crisis that is "Myanmar-owned" and "Myanmar-led."
During ASEAN meetings, we urge you to focus the attention of governments on better addressing Myanmar's dire humanitarian and human rights situation and protecting the rights of Myanmar's people, including those who have fled to neighboring countries.
We propose the following key actions:
Advocate for humanitarian access and provide humanitarian aid
ASEAN should press the junta not to impede access to aid for groups at risk. Myanmar is obligated under international humanitarian law to not withhold consent for relief operations on arbitrary grounds. ASEAN should channel its own assistance through independent local groups, rather than only through junta authorities, given the military's track record of corruption and misuse of disaster assistance funding and materiel. Effective aid delivery hinges on engaging local partners that have the networks and experience to navigate a difficult environment and reach those most in need.
Protect refugees from Myanmar
Conditions for safe, dignified, and voluntary return to Myanmar do not currently exist for refugees who have fled the country. In May 2024, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) issued guidance stating that people fleeing Myanmar "are likely in need of international refugee protection." ASEAN members and other countries should affirm not to forcibly return refugees to Myanmar. They should explore ways of allowing refugees to regularize their status, including through the granting of work rights. Refugees should be allowed to seek work opportunities to help support themselves and their families.
Comply with sanctions targeting the Myanmar military
ASEAN members should commit to complying with targeted sanctions against junta officials and junta-controlled companies that have been imposed by ASEAN partners, including the European Union, United Kingdom, and United States, including by freezing assets and blocking transactions to sanctioned entities, both in Myanmar and in other ASEAN jurisdictions.
Ensure accountability for the Myanmar military's atrocities
The Myanmar junta's continuing war crimes and crimes against humanity have been fueled by decades of impunity and insufficient global efforts to end its violations and hold perpetrators to account. ASEAN should support the work of international accountability mechanisms, and its members should be ready to take necessary steps to facilitate the implementation of the upcoming ICJ judgment. Members of the bloc that are states parties to the Rome Statute (Cambodia and Timor-Leste), while supporting the ICC in the face of the US government's unprecedented attack against the court, should commit to fulfilling their obligation to execute the ICC's arrest warrants, regardless of whom they target. The Philippines should rejoin the ICC. ASEAN members whose courts are considering legal cases against the Myanmar military under the principle of universal jurisdiction--Indonesia, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste--should allow judicial authorities to make their determinations free from any political interference.
Thank you for your attention to these important matters.
Sincerely,
Elaine Pearson
Asia Director
Human Rights Watch
Cc: Philippines Foreign Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro
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Original text here: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/11/11/letter-to-philippine-president-on-upcoming-asean-meetings-and-myanmar
In Mississippi, Black Votes Still Count for Less, Advocates Lament
NEW YORK, Nov. 11 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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In Mississippi, Black Votes Still Count for Less, Advocates Lament
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Voters elected Johnny DuPree to the Mississippi Senate. His 2025 win marked the first time that Hattiesburg residents would have a Black senator representing them in Jackson, even though over half of the city's population is Black. Now, because of machinations with the legislative map, that representation could be in jeopardy.
DuPree may be one of the first Black politicians to bear the brunt of the Supreme Court's consequential
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Nov. 11 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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In Mississippi, Black Votes Still Count for Less, Advocates Lament
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Voters elected Johnny DuPree to the Mississippi Senate. His 2025 win marked the first time that Hattiesburg residents would have a Black senator representing them in Jackson, even though over half of the city's population is Black. Now, because of machinations with the legislative map, that representation could be in jeopardy.
DuPree may be one of the first Black politicians to bear the brunt of the Supreme Court's consequentialApril ruling in Louisiana v. Callais. But he won't be the last. An NPR analysis predicts that post Callais redistricting could portend the largest drop in Black representation across the country since the collapse of Reconstruction.
Some politicians are already sharpening their knives. Gov. Tate Reeves has said it is a matter of when, not if, the tenure ends for Rep. Bennie Thompson, who is the sole Black member of the state's congressional delegation holding one of Mississippi's four House seats.
In Mississippi, like in many other states in the aftermath of the Callais U.S. Supreme Court ruling, a state-level Voting Rights Act has been introduced in the Legislature. However, voter suppression policies aimed at Black voters, along with hostile majorities in the state's legislative chambers, make the legislation's pathway for enactment incredibly narrow.
DuPree's district only had a Black majority because a federal court found that parts of the state's 2022 legislative maps violated the Voting Rights Act. The 2025 maps sought to correct a historic injustice. With that map likely gone because of Callais, the Black majority district it created could be wiped away too. For DuPree, the erasure is unsurprising given the state's tradition of voter suppression.
In an October interview, he quipped, "Here we go again."
Black Mississippians have been saying some version of that since 1890. In an interview earlier this year, community organizers Oleta Fitzgerald and Phaedra Robinson told Human Rights Watch, "Courts are stacked, the Legislature is stacked. It's always been a fight for us in Mississippi, and it feels like they want to go back to the good old days."
Until 1944, Mississippi, representative of the one-party rule that dominated Jim Crow states, held its November general elections after a Democratic Party primary in which only white people were allowed to participate.
The legislative maps are one front, but not the only one. Take a look at Section 241 of the state Constitution, which was drafted back in 1890 to codify Jim Crow era restrictions. That constitutional section imposes a lifetime bar on voting for crimes the delegates believed Black people were more likely to commit.
In 2022, the full U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed the original provision was "steeped in racism" but upheld it anyway.
The Sentencing Project estimates at least 43,700 Black Mississippians couldn't vote in the 2024 elections because of that rule. Getting your vote back takes a governor's pardon or a two-thirds vote of the Legislature. Between 2000 and 2015, only 335 people managed to claw back their right to vote.
That's not all.
Mississippi ranks dead last nationally in the Cost of Voting Index, which measures how hard states make it to vote. The state requires photo identification at the polls, offers no early voting for most residents and no online registration.
Following the adoption of the 1890 Mississippi Constitution, near-universal registration among Black eligible voters dropped to around 7% and stayed that way until 1964. Within three years of the Voting Rights Act, nearly 60% of Black Mississippians were registered. Black Mississippians still register at rates among the highest in the country. That progress came from federal enforcement action and the Voting Rights Act. Those federal protections are exactly what Trump administration policies and Supreme Court rulings have been dismantling.
Within hours of the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder, which gutted parts of the Voting Rights Act, Mississippi announced it would move forward with restrictive voter ID rules. It also requires notarizing both absentee ballot applications and ballot envelopes.
A new law Gov. Reeves signed in April called the SHIELD Act took effect July 1. It lets local officials demand a birth certificate, passport or naturalization papers from applicants and current voters whose citizenship they cannot confirm. Those documents cost money and time. Rural and low-income Mississippians, many of them Black women running households, often don't have either to spare.
The U.S. has human rights obligations under international law that point the way back onto a better path. The United Nations Human Rights Committee has said that drawing electoral boundaries should not distort the distribution of voters or discriminate against any group.
In 2014 it also said the US "should ensure that all states reinstate voting rights to felons who have fully served their sentences." The Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination prohibit laws with racially discriminatory effects even when they look neutral.
Mississippi organizers have outlasted worse. Medgar Evers was shot in his own driveway in 1963 after a meeting about voter registration.
Today, Black women across this state are the ones knocking on doors and arranging childcare, so mothers and grandmothers can get to the polls.
As the winds at the federal level shift, it's all the more important to pass the Mississippi Voting Rights Act, which would enshrine powerful and critical voting rights protections into state law.
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Original text here: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/11/11/in-mississippi-black-votes-still-count-for-less-advocates-lament
Hope for World's Forests and Their Defenders at COP31
NEW YORK, Nov. 11 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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Hope for World's Forests and Their Defenders at COP31
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The Netherlands' commitment at the United Nations climate change conference (COP31) today that it will invest up to half a billion dollars in the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) is a major step towards protecting the world's most biodiverse ecosystems and the rights and livelihoods of millions of people who depend on them.
When I attended COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, 137 countries committed to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Nov. 11 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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Hope for World's Forests and Their Defenders at COP31
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The Netherlands' commitment at the United Nations climate change conference (COP31) today that it will invest up to half a billion dollars in the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) is a major step towards protecting the world's most biodiverse ecosystems and the rights and livelihoods of millions of people who depend on them.
When I attended COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, 137 countries committed to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradationby 2030. While that list of signatories has grown, the funding needed to meet these goals has remained inadequate. This endangers our collective ability to ensure forests, which absorb and store planet warming emissions, can act as an emergency brake to the climate crisis.
The TFFF seeks to tackle that problem by pooling money from governments and private actors to invest in a profit-yielding fund; the profit then supports payments for eligible tropical countries that demonstrably protect their forests. The goal is to have a self-sustaining fund that sidesteps the capricious ebbs and flows of aid. Initially championed by Brazil, it is now financially backed by multiple governments and private actors.
In response to demands from territorial leaders and civil society organizations, including Human Rights Watch, at least 20 percent of TFFF payments to tropical forest countries are earmarked for Indigenous peoples and local communities. The fund excludes investments "that cause significant environmental impact," including "activities related to coal, peat, oil and gas."
Today's announcement brings the total investment pledged towards the TFFF to US$ 7.8 billion. While this remains short of the original 10 billion target, the fund is already planning to invest its initial sponsor capital and make its first payments to tropical forest countries next year.
Earlier this month, the Brazilian government, in their capacity as the previous climate conference president, also released a practical roadmap to enhance efforts to halt and reverse deforestation and degradation, building on input from 180 actors, including Human Rights Watch. It aims to align international efforts towards tested methods.
The roadmap recognizes strengthening "rights holders' authority over lands, territories and resources, supporting long-term forest stewardship and reducing pressures from encroachment, competing claims and unauthorized forest conversion" as an effective policy intervention. After a decade working with environment, land, and Indigenous rights defenders who put their lives on the line to protect their territories, I couldn't agree more with this analysis.
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Original text here: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/11/11/hope-for-worlds-forests-and-their-defenders-at-cop31
EU Proposed Digital Fairness Act Adds Another Layer to Europe's Web of Regulation
MCLEAN, Virginia, Nov. 11 [Category: Business] -- Chamber of Progress, a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting a progressive future, posted the following news:
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EU Proposed Digital Fairness Act Adds Another Layer to Europe's Web of Regulation
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Vague Consumer Rules and New Digital Enforcer Complicate Business in Europe
The European Commission today published its proposal for a new Digital Fairness Act (DFA), introducing new rules targeting loosely defined "dark patterns", "addictive design" features, digital subscriptions, personalisation, and influencer marketing. The
... Show Full Article
MCLEAN, Virginia, Nov. 11 [Category: Business] -- Chamber of Progress, a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting a progressive future, posted the following news:
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EU Proposed Digital Fairness Act Adds Another Layer to Europe's Web of Regulation
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Vague Consumer Rules and New Digital Enforcer Complicate Business in Europe
The European Commission today published its proposal for a new Digital Fairness Act (DFA), introducing new rules targeting loosely defined "dark patterns", "addictive design" features, digital subscriptions, personalisation, and influencer marketing. Theproposal would replace the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, extending consumer protection rules beyond purchasing decisions to how consumers interact with digital services.
"There's some good stuff here, but some overreach as well. Are we all really being exploited by discounts and product suggestions?" said Vice President for Europe Kay Jebelli. "This alphabet soup of digital regulation flies in the face of promised simplification and harms our competitiveness, making it especially difficult for the smallest challengers."
Chamber of Progress has previously joined a wide range of industry voices calling for proportionate, evidence-based consumer protection rules that preserve innovation and consumer choice. The proposal's restrictions on digital design features risk adding regulatory burdens, rather than addressing demonstrable consumer harm. Adding another EU-level enforcer of overlapping digital rules adds to existing complexity and reconfirms the need for new mechanisms for cooperation between digital regulators in Europe, and Chamber of Progress' call for a compliance "one-stop-shop".
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Original text here: https://progresschamber.org/news/eu-proposed-digital-fairness-act-adds-another-layer-to-europes-web-of-regulation/
CEO Innovation Policy Update 11.11.26
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Nov. 11 [Category: Biology] -- The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council posted the following news:
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CEO Innovation Policy Update 11.11.26
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MassBio CEO & President Kendalle Burlin O'Connell originally posted this update to LinkedIn.
The lame-duck session is underway and a new Congress is set for January with Democrats taking control of both the House and Senate. Key leaders are already laying early groundwork for oversight of recent Trump Administration drug pricing deals. Meanwhile, the administration is pushing to confirm a new FDA commissioner before the Senate
... Show Full Article
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Nov. 11 [Category: Biology] -- The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council posted the following news:
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CEO Innovation Policy Update 11.11.26
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MassBio CEO & President Kendalle Burlin O'Connell originally posted this update to LinkedIn.
The lame-duck session is underway and a new Congress is set for January with Democrats taking control of both the House and Senate. Key leaders are already laying early groundwork for oversight of recent Trump Administration drug pricing deals. Meanwhile, the administration is pushing to confirm a new FDA commissioner before the Senatechanges hands and NIH proposed some of its most significant updates in years to how clinical research is funded and monitored, and the WuXi AppTec reversal is a reminder that the rules governing U.S.-China biotech ties are still in flux.
Congressional Democrats Demand Disclosure of MFN Drug Pricing Agreements: Senior Democratic lawmakers have requested unredacted copies of the Trump administration's most-favored-nation pricing agreements from all 27 participating pharmaceutical manufacturers. The requests represent a concrete step toward expanded congressional scrutiny of the administration's drug pricing arrangements, which are likely to see significant attention when the new Congress convenes in January.
NIH Proposes Changes to Clinical Research Oversight Requirements: NIH is seeking public comment on proposed revisions to its data and safety monitoring policy, which has not been comprehensively updated since 1998. The proposal would extend monitoring requirements beyond clinical trials to all NIH-supported clinical research, while adopting a more risk-based approach intended to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens. Notably, the changes would eliminate the blanket requirement for Data and Safety Monitoring Boards for all Phase III and multisite clinical trials, allowing monitoring requirements to be tailored to individual study risks. The proposal could affect how academic research institutions and clinical investigators manage federally funded studies. Public comments are due January 6, 2027.
NIH Moves to Streamline Clinical Trial Funding Opportunities: On November 10, NIH announced plans to reorganize its clinical trial funding opportunities around the type of study being conducted rather than specific diseases or scientific topics. The new framework would establish broader funding announcements covering early-stage trials, multisite studies, pragmatic trials, and clinical research networks, with more consistent application requirements across NIH institutes. NIH says the changes are intended to simplify the funding process, reduce administrative complexity, and improve coordination across research programs. The transition will be implemented in phases, with implications for Massachusetts academic medical centers, research institutions, and investigators seeking federal support for clinical studies.
White House Pushes to Confirm FDA Commissioner: The Trump administration is accelerating efforts to confirm Heidi Overton as FDA commissioner before Democrats assume control of the Senate in January. Overton faces a narrowing confirmation window and concerns from key Republican senators, including Senate HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, who met with her this week. A hearing could be set for as early as next week.
Pentagon Removes WuXi AppTec from List of Chinese Military Companies: On November 10, the Department of Defense formally removed WuXi AppTec from its Section 1260H list of Chinese military companies, following an August federal court ruling that blocked enforcement of the designation. WuXi had been added to the list in June. The decision carries important implications for implementation of the BIOSECURE Act, which restricts federal procurement and funding involving designated biotechnology companies of concern. While WuXi AppTec's removal reduces its immediate regulatory exposure, the Pentagon has reserved the right to relist the company, and the administration is expected to publish its list of biotechnology companies of concern by December 18. The development underscores continued uncertainty surrounding U.S.-China biotechnology restrictions and their potential implications for domestic drug development.
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Original text here: https://www.massbio.org/news/recent-news/ceo-innovation-policy-update-11-11-26/
