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[1/2] Students and pedestrians walk through the Yard at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., March 10, 2020. Democratic President Joe Biden's administration had defended that long-standing practice in the court cases against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. The ruling left some questions unanswered, and more legal challenges by conservative activists are expected targeting diversity initiatives in education and corporate America. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said promoting campus diversity remained important even after the ruling. But the departments said universities may consider how race has affected an applicant's life, such as in an applicant's essay.

Persons: Brian Snyder, Biden, Joe Biden's, Miguel Cardona, ”, Nate Raymond, Jarrett Renshaw, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Harvard University in, REUTERS, U.S, Supreme, Education, Justice, Democratic, Harvard University, University of North, America, Justice Department, Department's, Civil, Harvard, Thomson Locations: Harvard University in Cambridge , Massachusetts, U.S, University of North Carolina, Boston, Washington

"We are confident in the legality of our nearly universally supported plan of reorganization, and optimistic that the Supreme Court will agree," the company added. Members of the Sackler family have denied wrongdoing but expressed regret that OxyContin "unexpectedly became part of an opioid crisis." They said in May that the bankruptcy settlement would provide "substantial resources for people and communities in need." In a court filing, the administration told the Supreme Court that Purdue's settlement is an abuse of bankruptcy protections meant for debtors in "financial distress," not people like the Sacklers. According to the administration, Sackler family members withdrew $11 billion from Purdue before agreeing to contribute $6 billion to its opioid settlement.

Persons: George Frey, Joe Biden's, Sackler, OxyContin, Biden, John Kruzel, Andrew Chung, Dietrich Knauth, Will Dunham Organizations: Purdue Pharma, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S, Supreme, Purdue, . Trustee, The, Circuit, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, Stamford , Connecticut, Washington, New York

A pharmacist holds a bottle OxyContin made by Purdue Pharma at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah, U.S., May 9, 2019. At issue is whether U.S. bankruptcy law allows Purdue's restructuring to include legal protections for the Sackler family, who have not filed for personal bankruptcy. They said in May that the bankruptcy settlement would provide "substantial resources for people and communities in need." In a court filing, the administration told the Supreme Court that Purdue's settlement is an abuse of bankruptcy protections meant for debtors in "financial distress," not people like the Sacklers. According to the administration, Sackler family members withdrew $11 billion from Purdue before agreeing to contribute $6 billion to its opioid settlement.

Persons: George Frey, Joe Biden's, Sackler, OxyContin, Biden, John Kruzel, Andrew Chung, Dietrich Knauth, Will Dunham Organizations: Purdue Pharma, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S, Supreme, Purdue, Circuit, U.S . Trustee, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, Stamford , Connecticut, Washington, New York

☆ Lingering inflation worries keep Biden approval stagnant at 40%: Reuters/Ipsos poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Josephine Walker | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The three-day online poll, which asked Americans if they approve or disapprove of the way Biden is handling his job, matched the July reading of 40%. The economy, unemployment and jobs remained Americans' top concern with a fifth of respondents citing that as the most important problem facing the U.S. today. A separate Reuters/Ipsos poll last week found that worries about the economy could cost Biden support in the 2024 election, when he faces a likely rematch with Republican former President Donald Trump. The latest poll's approval rating for Biden of 40% was just four points higher than the 36% lows he hit in mid-2022. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online, in English, Aug. 4-6 and collected responses from 1,032 adults, using a nationally representative sample.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin Lamarque, Joe Biden's, Biden, White, Donald Trump ., Josephine Walker, Scott Malone, Alistair Bell Organizations: Social Security, Medicare, OB Johnson, Community Center, REUTERS, Reuters, Democratic, Republican, Thomson Locations: Hallandale Beach , Florida, U.S

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden holds up a ghost gun kit while announcing new measures by his administration to fight ghost gun crime at the White House in, Washington, U.S., April 11, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File PhotoAug 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday granted a request by President Joe Biden's administration to reinstate - at least for now - a federal regulation aimed at reining in privately made firearms called "ghost guns" that are difficult for law enforcement to trace. A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Tuesday found that 70% of Americans support requirements that ghost guns have serial numbers and be produced only by licensed manufacturers. There were about 20,000 suspected ghost guns reported in 2021 to the ATF as having been recovered by law enforcement in criminal investigations - a tenfold increase from 2016, according to White House statistics. Biden's administration on July 27 asked the justices to halt O'Connor's ruling that invalidated a Justice Department restriction on the sale of ghost gun kits while it appeals to the New Orleans-based 5th U.S.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin Lamarque, Joe Biden's, District Judge Reed O'Connor, John Roberts, Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, O'Connor, Sellers, Alito, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: White, REUTERS, U.S, Supreme, District, Conservative, Control, Bureau, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Gun Control, Justice, Coalition, Reuters, White House, Circuit, Appeals, Firearms Policy Coalition, Constitution, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Fort Worth , Texas, New Orleans, Texas, United States, U.S, New York

☆ US to send Kyiv first $200 mln of arms freed by $6.2 bln 'accounting error'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Mike Stone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Wolfgang... Read moreWASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's administration will announce $200 million of new weapons aid for Ukraine as soon as Tuesday, U.S. officials told Reuters, as it begins to dole out $6.2 billion of funds discovered after a Pentagon accounting error over-valued billions of Ukraine aid, two U.S. officials said on Monday. Ukraine needs weaponry that can be shipped from U.S. stocks in a matter of days or weeks so it can keep up its fight to repel Russia's invasion - the accounting error worked to Kyiv's benefit because more equipment can be sent. Washington is currently working on a supplemental budget request to continue to aid Kyiv, the U.S. officials said. Tuesday's expected announcement of $200 million would be the first tranche of the $6.2 billion windfall of previously authorized Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), the officials said. Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Boris Pistorius, Lloyd Austin, Jens Stoltenberg, Wolfgang, Read, Joe Biden's, Tuesday's, Lockheed Martin, Mike Stone, David Gregorio Our Organizations: German, NATO, Ramstein Air Base, REUTERS, Reuters, Pentagon, Lockheed, Lockheed Martin Corp, Patriot, RTX Corp, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, U.S, Ramstein, Miesenbach, Germany, WASHINGTON, Kyiv, Washington

☆ Biden’s administration is ‘aggressively’ pushing for federal workers to return to in-person work by the fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Per Axios, the Biden administration will take a hardline approach to remote work for federal workers. The White House chief of staff said federal workers should return to offices by September or October. The policy shift follows a pledge that Biden made during his March 2022 State of the Union speech. According to a new report by Axios, citing an email sent from Biden's chief of staff Jeff Zients to cabinet members, Zients said that federal workers would aim to return to in-person work between September and October. As it stands, Biden's administration is seeking to buck a trend upheld by the administrations of Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and his own, where federal offices have downsized over time and digitized more records.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden's, Axios, Jeff Zients, Zients, —, Michael Bloomberg, Barack Obama, Donald Trump Organizations: White House, Service, New, New York City Locations: Wall, Silicon, Washington, New York

REUTERS/Mike Blake/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - The United States should extend electric vehicle tax credit benefits to Vietnam if it wants to encourage a landmark investment from the country in U.S.-based manufacturing, the head of the main U.S. business lobby for Southeast Asia said. Rules included in the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) aimed at reducing U.S. dependence on Chinese EV battery supply chains currently only benefit countries that have free trade agreements with Washington - a list that excludes Vietnam. VinFast responded to President Joe Biden's call for electric vehicles to be manufactured in the United States, Osius told Reuters in an interview on Thursday, "Now they will have some asks. They will want to be part of the EV supply chain and they won't want to be discriminated against in favor of other EV producers." The United States signed a deal in March with Japan on critical minerals that ensures Japanese cars will benefit from the tax credit.

Persons: Mike Blake, Ted Osius, VinFast, Joe Biden's, Osius, EVs, Biden, Donald Trump, David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis, David Shepardson, Don Durfee, Diane Craft Organizations: Los Angeles Auto, REUTERS, EV, Washington, VinFast, U.S, U.S ., ASEAN Business Council, Reuters, United, EU, Economic, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, United States, Vietnam, Southeast Asia, North Carolina, Japan, Britain, New Delhi, China, Washington, Indonesia, Asia, Pacific

☆ Yellen calls Fitch downgrade 'entirely unwarranted' amid US economy's strength
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a climate finance roundtable discussion at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, Saturday, July 8, 2023. "Fitch's decision is puzzling in light of the economic strength we see in the United States," Yellen said. "I strongly disagree with Fitch's decision, and I believe it is entirely unwarranted." Fitch had cited a deterioration in U.S. governance that started during the prior Trump administration in making its decision, according to U.S. Treasury officials. The company has a contract to develop scanning technology to convert paper documents so that they can be digitally processed.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Mark Schiefelbein, MCLEAN, Biden, Yellen, Joe Biden's, Fitch, Trump, Richard Francis, Donald Trump, Francis, Biden's, David Lawder, Paul Simao Organizations: Treasury, U.S, Embassy, . Treasury, Fitch, Internal Revenue Service, Reuters, U.S . Capitol, AAA, Republicans, Century Technologies, Thomson Locations: Beijing, Virginia, Washington, United States, U.S, McLean , Virginia

REUTERS/Bing Guan/File PhotoAug 1 (Reuters) - A U.S. regulation restricting ownership of gun accessories known as pistol braces is likely illegal, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday, a victory for a gun rights group challenging the rule. Circuit Court of Appeals found that U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives finalized the rule in January without giving the public a meaningful chance to comment on it. The court did not immediately block enforcement of the rule, instead sending the case back to U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas. Pistol braces were first marketed in 2012 as a way of attaching a pistol to the shooter's forearm, stabilizing it and making it easier to use for disabled people. The disputed rule classifies some guns equipped with pistol braces as short-barrel rifles, based on several factors including their size and weight and the manufacturers' marketing materials.

Persons: Dimitri Karras, Bing Guan, District Judge Reed O'Connor, O'Connor, Joe Biden's, Cody Wisniewski, Jerry Smith, Don Willett, Stephen Higginson, Smith, Willett, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, Higginson, Barack Obama, ‘, Higginson ‘, ’, Brendan Pierson, David Gregorio, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, REUTERS, Circuit, Appeals, . Bureau, Explosives, District, Coalition, ATF, U.S . Department of Justice, Fifth, Congress, Republican, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Oceanside , California, U.S, New Orleans, Fort Worth , Texas, New York

☆ What is a superseding indictment?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Special Counsel Jack Smith filed two new documents charges against Trump in a superseding indictment. Superseding indictments allow for additions and changes to a case in light of new evidence. A superseding indictment is a criminal complaint brought by a grand jury that changes, adds to, or replaces an original indictment in the wake of new evidence. The superseding indictment brought in the documents case this week also added a third defendant, maintenance worker Carlos De Oliveira, to the case, as well as additional charges against Trump aide Walt Nauta, who pleaded not guilty to the counts against him earlier this month. He faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in New York in addition to the classified documents case.

Persons: Jack Smith, Smith, Donald Trump, Trump, Carlos De Oliveira, Walt Nauta, Carl Tobias, Tobias, De Oliveira Organizations: Trump, Service, University of Richmond, Associated Press Locations: Wall, Silicon, Mar, New York

July 28 (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Friday temporarily blocked a lower court's decision to strike down a regulation aimed at reining in privately made firearms known as "ghost guns" that are difficult for law enforcement to trace. The administration asked the justices to halt a Texas-based federal judge's nationwide ruling that invalidated a Justice Department restriction on the sale of ghost gun kits while it appeals to the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. The administration warned that allowing the judge's ruling to stand would enable an "irreversible flow of large numbers of untraceable ghost guns into our nation's communities." The rule clarified that ghost guns qualify as "firearms" under the federal Gun Control Act, requiring serial numbers and manufacturers be licensed. Several plaintiffs, including two gun owners and two gun rights advocacy groups, challenged the rule in federal court in Texas.

Persons: Samuel Alito, Alito, Joe Biden's, Sellers, Judge Reed O'Connor, Andrew Chung, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Supreme, Circuit, Appeals, Department, federal Gun Control, Thomson Locations: Texas, New Orleans, Texas . U.S, New York

☆ Moderate US economic growth expected in second quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

According to a Reuters survey of economists, GDP growth likely increased at a 1.8% annualized rate last quarter after rising at a 2.0% pace in the first quarter. Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, likely remained a pillar of support, although the pace of growth slowed from the second quarter's robust 4.2% rate. Further contribution to GDP growth was expected from government spending. Inventory investment is a wild card, though most economists are penciling in a contribution to GDP growth of at least five tenths of a percentage point. Business sharply reduced inventory accumulation in the January-March quarter in anticipation of weaker domestic demand, slicing 2.14 percentage points off GDP growth that period.

Persons: Dean Maki, they're, Mike Skordeles, Joe Biden's, Sean Snaith, Richard de Chazal, William Blair, Lucia Mutikani, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Federal Reserve, Point72, Management, Labor Department, Truist Advisory Services, Investment, University of Central Florida's Institute, Economic, Fed, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Stamford , Connecticut, Atlanta, United States, London

☆ Guatemalan presidential contender Torres visits Washington ahead of August run-off
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GUATEMALA CITY, July 27 (Reuters) - Guatemalan presidential candidate Sandra Torres will meet with U.S. officials in Washington on Thursday, her party said, ahead of a run-off vote next month that has raised international concerns over alleged interference by authorities. Torres' National Unity of Hope (UNE) party said the former first lady of Guatemala is slated to discuss migration, trade and security with U.S. State Department representatives. Torres' rival, Bernardo Arevalo of the Semilla party, who finished second in the vote, has not said whether he also plans to visit Washington. President Joe Biden's administration has raised various concerns over Guatemala's election process, including criticizing raids by authorities last week of Semilla offices. A senior Biden administration official previously said the United States planned to host Torres and Arevalo for talks in Washington this week to show support for free and fair elections.

Persons: Sandra Torres, Torres, Bernardo Arevalo, Joe Biden's, Arevalo, Sofia Menchu, Daina Beth Solomon, Mark Porter Organizations: GUATEMALA CITY, U.S, National Unity of, U.S . State Department, The State Department, Atlantic Council, Biden, Thomson Locations: GUATEMALA, Washington, Guatemala, United States

That risk has been put under the spotlight by the burning car carrier drifting off the Dutch coast. While all logistics companies deal with the risk of EV lithium-ion batteries burning with twice the energy of a normal fire, the maritime industry hasn't kept up with the developing technology and how it creates greater risk, maritime officials and insurers said. There were 209 ship fires reported during 2022, the highest number in a decade and 17% more than in 2021, according to a report from insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) (ALVG.DE). The European Maritime Safety Agency said in a March report the main cargo types identified as responsible for "a large share of cargo fire accidents included ... lithium-ion batteries." Firemen typically put out EV battery fires on roadsides by clearing the area around the burning vehicle and flooding the underside with water, something difficult to do on a RoRo, Dillon said.

Persons: hasn't, EVs, Shoei, Nathan Habers, Douglas Dillon, John Frazee, Marsh, Dillon, Frazee, KVNR's Habers, Joe Biden's, Lisa Baertlein, Anthony Deutsch, Victoria Waldersee, Ben Klayman, Diane Craft Organizations: Allianz, ANGELES, Dutch coastguard, RTL, Allianz Global Corporate, Specialty, Maritime Safety Agency, Royal Association of Netherlands, Tri, Maritime Safety Association, Auto, Firemen, EV, International Maritime Organization, Reuters, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Dutch, EVs, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, China, Europe, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Berlin

☆ US economic growth accelerates in second quarter; inflation retreats
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Gross domestic product increased at a 2.4% annualized rate last quarter. Excluding food and energy, prices rose at a 2.6% pace following a 4.2% rate of increase in the first quarter. Though the pace of growth slowed from the first quarter's robust 4.2% rate, it was enough to add more than a full percentage point to GDP growth. Government spending also contributed to GDP growth. A measure of domestic demand increased at a solid 2.3% rate after surging at a 3.2% pace in the first quarter.

Persons: Amira Karaoud, Christopher Rupkey, Joe Biden's, Lucia Mutikani, Nick Zieminski, Andrea Ricci Organizations: REUTERS, Commerce, Federal Reserve, Gross, Reuters, Fed, Consumer, Labor Department, Conference, Treasury, Investment, Thomson Locations: Louisville, U.S, WASHINGTON, New York, United States

July 26 (Reuters) - The Biden administration has asked a federal appeals court to lift an order sharply curbing government officials' communications with social media companies as a lawsuit accusing U.S. officials of seeking to censor certain views about COVID-19 and other topics online makes its way through the courts. Circuit Court of Appeals, the administration argued that a lower court judge's July 4 decision was overly broad and would hurt the government's ability to fight misinformation on platforms in a crisis. "The government cannot punish people for expressing different views," lawyers for U.S. President Joe Biden's administration wrote. The government must be allowed to seek to persuade people of its views, even where those views are the subject of controversy." His preliminary order came in a lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden's, Terry Doughty, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Brendan Pierson, Susan Heavey Organizations: U.S, New, Circuit, Appeals, District, Facebook, YouTube, Democratic, Republican, Department of Health, Human Services, Federal Bureau of, Thomson Locations: New Orleans, U.S, Monroe , Louisiana, Louisiana, Missouri, New York

☆ Biden cancels debt for students who attended defunct Colorado college
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, July 25 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's administration will cancel $130 million in debt for 7,400 student borrowers who enrolled at the now-defunct CollegeAmerica in Colorado from 2006 through July 1, 2020, the Education Department said. Biden said in a statement that borrowers at CollegeAmerica "were lied to, ripped off, and saddled with mountains of debt." He said his administration has approved $14.7 billion in relief for 1.1 million borrowers "whose colleges took advantage of them or closed abruptly". Biden has made addressing mounting U.S. student debt a top priority since taking office in January 2021, including by pursuing a plan to provide $430 billion in loan relief. Reporting by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Chris Reese and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Biden, Rami Ayyub, Chris Reese, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Education Department, Thomson Locations: Colorado

☆ US calls Israel parliament vote 'unfortunate', urges work toward consensus
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Matt Spetalnick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"It is unfortunate that the vote today took place with the slimmest possible majority," she added. Opposition members of parliament boycotted the vote backed by lawmakers of Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition. [1/2]Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, Monday, July 17, 2023. But U.S. officials have yet to set a date or concur with Israeli statements that they would meet at the White House as soon as September. Biden had delayed extending the invitation out of concern over what aides said were Netanyahu's judicial overhaul plan and Jewish settlement construction in the occupied West Bank.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu's, Joe Biden's, Israel, Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ohad, Netanyahu, Donald Trump, Jean, Isaac, Herzog, Matt Spetalnick, Bill Berkrot, Grant McCool Organizations: U.S, House Press, White, West Bank, The U.S, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: U.S, Jerusalem, Israel, United States

There's no need to identify the country, all you need to do is control the item," a Japanese industry ministry official told Reuters. Two of them, deposition machinery maker Kokusai Electric and Japan's leading chip tool maker Tokyo Electron (8035.T), said they expect Japan's controls to have a limited business impact. COORDINATIONDovetailing Japan's controls with those of the U.S. and the Netherlands will require close coordination. He has met with Japanese trade officials and believes Tokyo is committed to curbing certain exports. Tokyo remains worried that targeting China will provoke damaging retaliation, such as a ban on Japanese electric cars, a third Japanese industry official said.

Persons: Emily Benson, Kevin Wolf, Jim Lewis, Lewis, Joe Biden's administrationis, Tim Kelly Karen Freifeld, Kentaro Sugiyama, Toby Sterling, Yoshifumi, Lincoln Organizations: TOKYO, Reuters, Center, Strategic, International Studies, Tokyo, Advantest Corp, Nikon Corp, Canon Inc, Screen Holdings, U.S . State Department and Commerce Department, Center for Strategic, U.S, U.S . Commerce Department, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Beijing, Japan, U.S, China, backdown, Washington, Netherlands, Amsterdam

☆ Russia hits Ukraine's grain for fourth day, practises seizing ships
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Moscow has described the attacks as revenge for a Ukrainian strike on a Russian-built bridge to Crimea - the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. Russia's defence ministry on Friday said its Black Sea fleet had practised firing rockets at "floating targets" and apprehending ships. The president of Turkey, which brokered the deal alongside the U.N. said, he hoped planned talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin could lead to the restoration of the initiative. Western leaders have accused Russia of seeking to loosen sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine, which already exempt exports of Russian food. Russian grain has moved freely through the Black Sea to market throughout the conflict and traders say Russia is pouring wheat onto the market.

Persons: Oleh Kiper, Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Putin, WAGNER, Russia's Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Yuriy Malashko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Joe Biden's, Zelenskiy, Anna Pruchnicka, Philippa Fletcher, Peter Graff Organizations: Press Service, Operational Command, Ukrainian Armed Forces, NATO, Poland KYIV, UN, Washington, . Security, Ukraine, United, U.S, West, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Odesa region, Russia, Poland, Odesa, Moscow, Crimea, Ukrainian, Washington, Turkey, Gulf, Cyprus, POLAND, Polish, Belarus, People, Zaporizhzhia, Kostiantynivka, Donetsk, Iranian, United States, Russia's, Kyiv, KYIV

The U.S. Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have mounted an unprecedented number of legal challenges to mergers since Biden came to office in 2021. The Justice Department lost a merger in the insurance industry but won an effort to stop a book publisher merger. Deal advisers said companies had already braced for a tough antitrust regime under Biden and some had been emboldened by the regulators' recent court losses. "The (regulators' guidelines) do provide more transparency but that transparency also reveals some concerns that they are quite hostile to consolidation. The new antitrust guidelines also reflect the White House's focus on labor issues.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Joe Biden's, Biden, Department's, Kenneth Schwartz, Flom, Fiona Schaeffer, Milbank, Elizabeth Warren, Warren, Diane Bartz, Richard Chang, Chizu Nomiyama, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, U.S . Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard Inc, FTC, Meta, Justice Department, JetBlue Airways, Spirit Airlines Inc, Amazon.com, Amazon, Flom LLP, Global, LSEG, Intelligence, Democrat, Congress, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, WASHINGTON, Skadden, Slate

MEXICO CITY, July 18 (Reuters) - Precursor chemicals used by Mexican cartels to make the deadly opioid fentanyl do not come from China, its embassy in Mexico said on Tuesday, rejecting U.S. officials' accusations. China had denied the illegal trafficking of fentanyl to Mexico in an April statement, though it did not address precursor chemicals. The embassy on Tuesday said China was "actively coordinating and strengthening" supervision of drug-making substances with Mexico. The U.S. embassy in Mexico and Mexico's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Last week, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned 10 people with suspected ties to the Sinaloa Cartel's fentanyl network, as well as a company accused of importing chemicals from China.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Mexico Ken Salazar, Salazar, Kylie Madry, Isabel Woodford, Robert Birsel Organizations: MEXICO CITY, U.S . Drug, Administration, U.S . Treasury, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, China, Mexico, U.S, United States, Canada, The U.S, Sinaloa

☆ It's a 'grave mistake' for Biden to resume student-loan payments without first giving borrowers debt relief, 179 advocacy groups say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Student-loan payments are set to resume in October without broad debt relief. Nearly 200 organizations called on Biden to deliver relief before payments resume. Biden has started the process to enact debt relief again, but it could take months. But payments are still scheduled to resume in October, and the advocacy groups do not want borrowers to foot another bill without any relief. However, interest would still accrue during that time, so borrowers' balances would still grow — and even more so without any broad debt relief.

Persons: Biden, NAACP —, Joe Biden, —, Education James Kvaal, Virginia Foxx Organizations: Service, Protection Center, NAACP, Education Department, Higher, Administration, —, Education, Republican Locations: Wall, Silicon

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