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Science & Space — NASA — Centers & Facilities

NASA’s Hubble, Webb Find Far-out Solar System Objects ‘Remember’ Past

Published 5 min read

For the first time, scientists used the joint power of NASA’s Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes to study some of the most far-flung bodies in our solar system, Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs). Some of these are the smallest and faintest ever directly seen. The researchers unexpectedly found fewer small TNOs than they expected, and that…

U.S. Civil Service — Independent Agencies — Federal Trade Commission

FTC Takes Action Against Payment Processor Humboldt Merchant Services for Knowingly Facilitating Payment Processing for Sham Merchants

Published 3 min read

Under proposed order, defendant will be required to pay $12 million, stop payment processing for certain categories of merchants Payment processing company Humboldt Merchant Services will pay $12 million and be permanently banned from processing payments for merchants with a heightened risk of potential fraud to settle allegations that Humboldt processed payments for merchants that…

U.S. Civil Service — Independent Agencies — Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

EEOC’s Resolution of 13 Race and Age Discrimination Charges Against the St. Louis Sheriff’s Office Reinforces Federal Agency’s Commitment to Protecting All Workers Equally

Published 4 min read

ST. LOUIS — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced an agreement with the St. Louis Sheriff’s Office to resolve 13 charges of discrimination alleging race and age discrimination. The St. Louis Sheriff’s Office is responsible for the security of the courtrooms of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri and for serving court…

U.S. Government — GAO — Reports & Decisions

Banking Services: Cannabis Businesses Face Access Challenges

Published 4 min read

What GAO Found In 2014, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)—a federal agency that helps combat financial crimes—issued guidance on how financial institutions can serve cannabis-related businesses (CRB) while complying with Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) requirements. This guidance instructs institutions to gather thorough information on CRB customers and file suspicious activity reports for certain transactions…

U.S. Government — GAO — Reports & Decisions

Chemical Security: DHS Should Provide Options for Voluntary Vetting of Facility Personnel for Terrorist Ties

Published 5 min read

What GAO Found The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is the sector risk management agency (SRMA) for the U.S. chemical sector, responsible for implementing programs to assist facility owners and operators in identifying and mitigating security risks. In 2007, DHS established a regulatory program to mitigate security risks for…

Washington

Coming in November: A big election for WA’s Supreme Court

Published 6 min read

Five races for seats on Washington’s state Supreme Court are set to get much more attention over the next two months.  These races typically pass by without much notice as incumbent justices often sail to reelection to the nine-member court that decides appeals from lower courts, including on the legality of controversial state laws. It…