SACRAMENTO, California, Dec. 13 -- Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-California, issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2024: Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments: Emel Wadhwani, of Sacramento, has been appointed Chief Counsel at the California Department of Resources, Recycling, and Recovery. Wadhwani has been Assistant Chief Counsel at the State Water Resources Control Board since 2018. She was Acting Deputy Secretary for Law Enforcement and General Counsel at the Calif  more

SACRAMENTO, California, Dec. 13 -- Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-California, issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2024: California invested nearly $13 billion in just the last year to enhance transportation safety, increase accessibility for people who walk and bike, support infrastructure in underserved communities across both rural and urban parts of the state, and create a more sustainable highway system that is resilient to climate change. With the California Transportation Commission clos  more

HARTFORD, Connecticut, Dec. 13 -- Connecticut Attorney General William Tong issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2024: Attorney General William Tong announced today that 16 attorneys general have formed a multistate coalition to hold irresponsible firearms industry members accountable for their devastating impact on gun violence. This multistate coalition, the first of its kind, aims to reduce gun violence through the coordinated enforcement of state civil liability and consumer prote  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 -- The Federal Trade Commission issued the following news release: The Federal Trade Commission sued the largest U.S. distributor of wine and spirits--Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, LLC (Southern)--alleging the company violated the Robinson-Patman Act, harming small, independent businesses by depriving them of access to discounts and rebates, and impeding their ability to compete against large national and regional chains. This loss of competition ultimately harms consu  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2024: * * * Launches new business online account features $4.7 billion recovered for U.S. taxpayers as part of new initiatives; continued progress made on Paperless Processing and Simple Notice Initiatives * * * The Internal Revenue Service today provided the regular quarterly update to the Strategic Operating Plan, outlining key milestones in criminal investigat  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation issued the following order (MDL No. 2741) on Dec. 12, 2024: * * * In Re: Roundup Products Liability Litigation TRANSFER ORDER Before the Panel: Plaintiffs in the Western District of Oklahoma Aldridge action listed on Schedule A move under Panel Rule 7.1 to vacate our order that conditionally transferred Aldridge to the Northern District of California for inclusion in MDL No. 2471. Defendant Monsanto Company opposes the mot  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: * * * Arrests Result from Joint Task Force Alpha Investigation and Joint Operation in U.S. and Guatemala * * * An international enforcement operation today resulted in the arrest of five Guatemalan human smugglers linked to the Dec. 9, 2021, mass casualty event in Chiapas, Mexico, where a semi-trailer truck containing at least 160 migrants -- many of whom were Guatemalan nationals -- crashed, resulting in  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Dec. 11, 2024: A California man pleaded guilty today to not paying employment taxes to the IRS. According to court documents and statements made in court, John Comeau, of Santa Clara, was the CEO of Vivid Inc., a company that provided metal coating services across various industries in Campbell, California, and elsewhere. From at least the first quarter of 2010 through the end of 2019, Vivid withheld Soc  more

LANSING, Michigan, Dec. 13 -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2024: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a multistate coalition of 16 attorneys general to hold irresponsible firearms industry members accountable for their devastating impact on gun violence. This multistate coalition, the first of its kind, aims to reduce gun violence through the coordinated enforcement of the States' respective civil liability and consumer protecti  more

TRENTON, New Jersey, Dec. 13 -- New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin issued the following news release on Dec. 12, 2024: * * * New Jersey Leading Partnership to Reduce Gun Violence Through Civil Enforcement of State Laws * * * Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced today that 16 Attorneys General have formed a multistate coalition to hold irresponsible firearms industry members accountable for their devastating impact on gun violence. This multistate coalition, the first of  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- The U.S. State Department issued the following remarks by Secretary Antony J. Blinken at a portrait unveiling of the 68th Secretary of State John Kerry: * * * MR ROSENZWEIG: May I have your attention, please? Ladies and gentlemen, please, can I have your attention? Good afternoon. I'm Ethan Rosenzweig, the acting chief of protocol of the United States. Welcome to this wonderful celebration and unveiling. If you'll please join me in watching your video monitors to start th  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Transportation Security Administration issued the following news release: * * * Travelers can now use their West Virginia mobile driver's license at airport security checkpoints * * * CHARLESTON, W.Va. -The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is now accepting West Virginia-issued mobile driver licenses (mDLs) at checkpoints with digital ID readers nationwide. Travelers who have downloaded the West Virginia Mobile ID ap  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 -- The White House issued the following transcript of news briefing on Dec. 11, 2024, by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Jared Bernstein: * * * (Continued from Part 1 of 2) Q Yeah, two quick ones. One on the U.S. Steel matter. Is the -- can you give us an update on the timeline? And is the president committed to making a decision one way or the other before he leaves office, or is it -- MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah. Q -- a possib  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 -- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued the following news: Low salmon returns have closed salmon fishing in California and limited it elsewhere on the West Coast. But Oregon anglers have enjoyed robust sportfishing on a strong wild salmon species. Oregon Coast coho salmon are a bright spot among West Coast salmon, supporting popular fall recreational fishing over the last 3 years. Oregon Coast coho offers a speciall chance to fish for wild salmon so p  more