I. Introduction Much of U.S. governance is held together by goodwill, unwritten norms, and the ideals that “that would never happen” and “no one would ever do that.” Every hope of continued reliance on these norms was “shattered” on January 6, 2021, when armed insurrectionists invaded the U.S. Capitol. Under the direction of the President, [...]
Search Results for: 2017-08-01
US President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Tuesday titled “Executive Order Addressing the Threat Posed By Applications and Other Software Developed or Controlled By Chinese Companies.” The order, signed during Trump’s final two weeks in office, bans eight connected software applications. The apps that are banned under this order include Alipay, CamScanner, QQ [...]
Trump administration opens bids for oil and gas lease sales in Arctic refuge
The Trump administration on Monday announced formal proceedings to sell oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil companies. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Alaska State Office issued a call for nominations and comments on several lease tracts considered for the upcoming Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Lease Sale, approximately [...]
Trump nominates Amy Coney Barrett to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Supreme Court seat
President Donald Trump Saturday announced Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to the US Supreme Court seat left vacant by the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. During the announcement in the White House Rose Garden, Barrett promised that “should I be confirmed, I will be mindful who came before me,” and added that “the flag [...]
A few months ago, the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences set a price tag on their drug remdesivir, the first medication shown to be effective for treating coronavirus. The price was set at $520 per vial or $3,120 per treatment course. Experts have called the price “not exorbitant,” and some expected a higher price tag. Yet, [...]
Several pharmaceutical companies are beginning middle or late stage trials of experimental COVID-19 vaccines in Brazil and South Africa, leaving trials in other developed countries for sometime later. Meanwhile, in the United States, Black and other minority recruitment for trials lag: Michael said several factors have led to “a perfect storm of not goodness” for [...]
The TikTok Controversy Should Be a Catalyst for a Deeper Look at China's Data Governance Policies
To Americans, TikTok means many things. For some, it is only an onomatopoeia. To others, it is the defining social media app of their generation. For Republicans and Democrats, it may be the one foe that can actually unite the two parties. But the policy world should let it act as a catalyst for a [...]
Sandwiched between COVID and Economic Sanctions: Is India’s Renewable Energy on the Right Track?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated India’s largest solar power plant of capacity 750 MW in Rewa, a small district in Madhya Pradesh, asserting India’s ability to be a global green energy hub internationally. It is specifically flattering because of its timing during a wave of pessimism in the energy sector. This comes as a [...]
Extrajudicial Killings in India: Rule of Law v. Police Impunity
Extrajudicial killings are acts of violence carried out by law enforcement agencies without any judicial authorization. This is usually done by the state to enforce what may be called ‘instant justice’ by circumventing the elaborate procedure established through the criminal justice system. Even though it must be seen as an aberration to the well-entrenched principle [...]
New US rule on environmental regulation limits oversight in 'modernization' move
President Trump Wednesday announced his administration’s final rule in a multi-year “modernization” of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the nation’s foundational law for environmental protection. A press release from the President’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) stated that “the announcement comes after a multi-year review of its NEPA regulations, and after receiving over 1.1 [...]