Consider writing about:
A May 11 alert issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) regarding Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; what to know about the IRGC’s suspected links to terrorism and its related money laundering activities; red flags that financial institutions are advised to watch for; related compliance obligations and liability risks for the financial services sector.
Related information:
Consider writing about:
A new rule implemented by the U.S. Department of Education on May 1st regarding student loans; when the rule takes effect; the department’s rationale for the new limits; how the new caps stand to affect students, educational institutions, and specific professions or industries; confusion or unanswered questions that have arisen around the Education Department’s action; what to know about lawsuits challenging the department rule; how student loans have trended over the years; potential financial alternatives for students who may be facing new loan restrictions and resulting financial hardship.
Related information:
Consider writing about:
Recent guidance from the New York Department of Financial Services regarding cybersecurity risks involving frontier AI models; why the NYDFS is sounding the alarm over this matter; key recommendations by the NYDFS on preparing for AI-related cyberthreats; how financial regulators’ stance has been evolving regarding cybersecurity in general, and AI-fueled cyber risks in particular; instructive enforcement actions related to financial institutions’ perceived cybersecurity lapses.
Related information:
https://www.dfs.ny.gov/reports_and_publications/press_releases/pr202605121
Consider writing about:
What happens if someone dies without having created a will. Take your pick of several potential approaches for examining this issue, whether by presenting a cautionary tale (real-life or hypothetical) regarding the fate of an estate that lacks a will, or describing state-specific laws that pertain to such situations, or using the passing of a celebrity as a jumping-off point for describing the consequences of dying without a will. How are these types of situations likely to play out for dependents, other relatives, or other would-be heirs? What courses of action might affected parties pursue after they discover that the deceased left no will?
Consider writing about:
Common legal issues involving children as they head off to college. Among the points to consider exploring: matters involving parental authority and consent; medical authority issues; health care proxy forms; access to reproductive health services; power of attorney; handling of finances and digital assets; and more.
Consider writing about:
A measure passed by Illinois legislators last month regarding frontier AI models; what to know about this type of AI technology; goals of the Illinois legislation, and what it could mean for AI developers; how Illinois’ Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act compares to AI-related measures signed into law in other states.
Related information:
Consider writing about:
Litigation filed against Gilead Sciences by users of the biopharmaceutical company’s HIV medicine; what to know about a case recently heard by the California Supreme Court; what the outcome of this csae could mean for the pharmaceutical industry specifically and, more broadly speaking, for manufacturers’ duty of care, other obligations, and liability risks regarding their existing products and their related product development options and actions.
Consider writing about:
A defense verdict in favor of Johnson & Johnson in a bellwether trial regarding allegations that the company’s talc products caused ovarian cancer; key factors that may have contributed to the outcome of the Los Angeles trial; how the issues and outcome in this trial compare to those in other lawsuits against J&J over its personal care products; and perhaps a comparison of talc-related legal developments, and relevant product liability laws, in the United States to those in other countries.
Related information:
https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/healthcare/articles/j-j-beats-lawsuit-alleging-222409519.html
Consider writing about:
Trends involving the energy industry and Alaska’s Arctic region; current, historical, or projected energy operations in that area; Trump administration efforts to promote drilling in the Arctic; key obstacles that could discourage companies from renewing or embarking on energy explorations in that area; related questions regarding whether the Trump administration is out of touch with industry challenges or preferences.
Related information:
Consider writing about:
Recent or otherwise noteworthy developments involving utility companies’ potential liability for damage to local communities caused by large wildfires; outcomes of settled lawsuits; any emerging or heightened trends seen across such cases; how utilities’ wildfire-related liability risks may differ from one jurisdiction to another; how utilities can best prepare for wildfire risks and related liability on their part; what other private or public decisionmakers are doing about the perhaps increasing risk of large wildfires; what responsibility property owners themselves may bear for preventing the spread of wildfires, and whether that role is evolving, either as a matter of more widespread personal preferences and appetite for risk, or as a result of outright mandates by local governments.
Consider writing about:
Plans recently announced by the Trump administration aimed at boosting coal plant production; what to know about a recent Energy Department announcement and other administration initiatives involving the use of coal as an energy source; potential for legal challenges to these plans; rationale for the Trump administration’s continuing emphasis on coal, and how this administration’s focus on coal compares to the energy policies of other governments (whether on the local or international scene).
Related information:
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5910696-trump-coal-power-dpa
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-announces-850m-modernize-coal-capacity-build-new-plants/822109