Latest News
President Heralds Start of “Trump Accounts” That Also Create Legal Issues
President Donald Trump rolled out "Trump Accounts" last week to benefit American children but also appears to have created a new workload for attorneys.
Trump Accounts are tax-advantaged investment accounts seeded with $1,000 in government contributions for children under the age of 18.
They are designed to build long-term generational wealth through investment in managed U.S. stock market funds.
"Those accounts will begin to grow along with our booming economy,” Trump said during a White House ceremony and press conference. “We're giving this money to children so they can have a good life."
The accounts operate under guidelines established under Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill approved by Congress last year.
Congressional Staffers Request Changes to Sexual Misconduct Procedures
A group of congressional staff members is asking for revisions on how their sexual harassment complaints are handled following revelations of misconduct by lawmakers.
The Congressional Progressive Staff Association told House and Senate leaders in a letter last week that there are lapses in their legal options and in government investigations.
The association represents more than 1,500 congressional staff members.
They say the increased awareness of misconduct following the resignations of Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, demonstrates the need for procedural reforms.
They want greater access to legal representation, longer deadlines to file complaints and a streamlined process to begin investigations.
Vice President Targets H-1B Visas for Anti-Fraud Campaign
Vice President J.D. Vance announced plans last week for a crackdown on H-1B visa fraud in a new direction for the White House task force trying to halt looting of government programs.
H-1B visas authorize highly-skilled foreigners to work in the United States. The visas allow the workers to stay in the United States for three years initially but with extensions to as much as six years.
Vance said that in many cases employers are using the foreign workers to avoid paying higher wages to Americans.
Employers are supposed to hire workers for skilled jobs in the scientific, computer, healthcare and other industries under the H-1B program only when they cannot find qualified Americans for the jobs.
Vance said the Americans usually are available but some employers found they can make more money by underpaying foreigners. About 71 percent of approved H-1B beneficiaries come from India.
Legal Briefs
ABC Defends “The View” in FCC Backlash over Political Comments
Television network ABC is pushing back against the Federal Communications Commission with a regulatory filing saying "The View" should retain its status as a news program.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is threatening to take away the classification, thereby making The View subject to an “equal time” regulation.
The View often combines entertainment with political commentary, some of it critical of President Donald Trump and other conservatives.
Carr says the hosts are abusing their news organization status with their political commentary.
As a result, politicians with different opinions should be given equal time on the show to explain their feelings about issues discussed on The View, he says.
The FCC requires that if a television or radio station allows a candidate for public office to use its airwaves, it must give an equal opportunity to all other qualified candidates for the same office, unless the appearance is part of a bona fide news program, documentary, or interview.
In addition, the FCC's "public interest" mandate requires broadcast licensees to operate in the "public convenience, interest, or necessity," such as by providing civic programming.
Carr and the FCC say The View is misleading the public by claiming to fulfill its public interest obligations. The questionable comments came from The View hosts like Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg and Sara Haines.
The FCC granted The View status as a "bona fide news program" in 2002.
D.C. in Brief
Virginia Data Center Developer Withdraws from Legal Battle Over Huge Project
The most contentious land use battle in recent Virginia history over a $30 billion data center in the outskirts of Washington, D.C., came to an abrupt end last week.
Quality Technology Services (QTS), a prominent data center developer owned by private equity giant Blackstone Inc., filed a formal notice with the Virginia Supreme Court to withdraw its petition of appeal.
The move ends five years of legal wrangling and kills the Prince William Digital Gateway project that the developers said could have become the largest data center campus in the world.
By withdrawing its final legal challenge, QTS leaves intact a sweeping March ruling by the Virginia Court of Appeals that voided the project’s local zoning approvals.
The developer’s surrender marks a victory for a coalition of Prince William County homeowners, environmental groups, and historic preservationists.
"Finally, after five years of fighting, relentless community action that included two electoral recalls and two massive lawsuits, the Digital Gateway has taken its last gasp before it was finally laid to rest," said Elena Schlossberg, executive director of the Coalition to Protect Prince William County.
The Digital Gateway was initially envisioned as a 2,100-acre technology corridor along Pageland Lane, cutting through rural terrain and sitting adjacent to the Manassas National Battlefield Park. The proposed 1.7-gigawatt development would have contained up to 37 industrial data center buildings.
By comparison, it would have covered the equivalent of 175 Super Walmarts.
The project appeared to clear its highest hurdle in December 2023, when the Prince William County Board of County Supervisors approved the necessary rezonings following a marathon 27-hour public hearing that drew hundreds of angry residents.
However, the legal foundation of the approval quickly cracked
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