Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced additional economic measures on Wednesday to help Canadians affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic. These measures build on actions that have been taken since the beginning of the outbreak. As part of the Canadian government’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, up to $27 billion will be used in direct support [...]

Maryland lawmakers gave final approval on Monday to a bill that requires all purchasers of rifles and shotguns to submit to background checks. State law already requires buyers to undergo a federal background check through the NICS Index when purchasing rifles from licensed dealers. The bill extends that requirement to private sales and permanent gifts. [...]

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) implemented new boat restrictions on water east of Boston on Monday to protect migrating North Atlantic right whales. NOAA announced a new voluntary vessel speed restriction zone after North Atlantic right whales were spotted 18 nautical miles east of Boston. The whales are currently migrating along the Atlantic [...]

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) chief Matt Albence said on Wednesday that it would take 140 years at the current deportation rate to remove every immigrant who has illegally entered the US during the past two years. Over 900,000 new cases have been added to ICE’s non-detained docket over the past couple of years. [...]

Iran officials announced on Wednesday that they will temporarily release 54,000 prisoners to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Prisoners must test negative for the virus and post bail before they will be released. However, prisoners sentenced to more than five years of imprisonment will not be released. Currently, there have been more than 90,000 [...]

The European Commission proposed a new draft climate law on Wednesday that would commit the EU to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The European Climate Law aims “to ensure that all EU policies contribute to this goal and that all sectors of the economy and society play their part.” It would legally bind EU [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled Tuesday that Ohio election officials do not have to provide absentee ballots to inmates arrested after the deadline to request a ballot. Police arrested Mays and Nelson Sr. the weekend before Election Day 2018. They sued Ohio’s Secretary of State for access to absentee ballots [...]

The Arizona House of Representatives approved a bill on Tuesday that would prohibit transgender women and girls from playing on female school sports teams. House Bill 2706 would require interscholastic or intramural sports teams sponsored by educational institutions to be expressly designated, based on biological sex, as male, female or mixed sex. Athletes who are [...]

The Wisconsin District IV Appeals Court on Thursday reversed the Ozaukee County Circuit Court’s ruling that ordered more than 200,000 names struck from the rolls because the individuals may have moved. In 2015 the Wisconsin legislature directed the Wisconsin Elections Commission to enter into an agreement with the Electronic Registration Information Center, Inc. (ERIC), a [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) stated support Thursday for a Kentucky wedding photographer who filed suit over an ordinance that bans local businesses from discriminating against gay customers. This case involves the competing interests of an individual’s right to free speech and the government’s interest in combating discrimination in commercial transactions. Louisville-Jefferson County Metro [...]