🦅 Executive Branch |
White House |
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The proclamation says that on January 14, 2026 the President used a law called section 232 to place a 25% tariff (a tax on imports) on a narrow group of advanced computer chips and related products starting January 15, 2026; it also directs the Commerce Secretary and U.S. Trade Representative to try to negotiate trade agreements and report back within 90 days and asks for a data-center update by July 1, 2026. This action affects companies and countries that export those covered chips to the United States and U.S. firms that buy them (though the proclamation says the tariff will not apply when the chips are imported for U.S. data centers, repairs in the U.S., U.S. research and development, startups, many consumer and industrial uses, or other uses the Commerce Secretary approves). The document says the move matters because, according to a December 22, 2025 government report the proclamation relies on, imported chips are a national security risk and the tariff is meant to encourage more U.S. chip-making, change trade patterns, and protect defense and critical industries—though those claims come from the administration’s report and are not treated here as independently proven. Read full document →
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The executive order (dated January 14, 2026) says that, effective 12:01 a.m. Eastern on January 16, 2026, the President has created a second three‑person “emergency board” under section 9A of the Railway Labor Act (a federal law) to look into pay and work disputes between the Long Island Rail Road Company and employees represented by five unions (the Transportation Communications Union; Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen; Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen; International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers). The order says a prior emergency board (created September 18, 2025) finished its report but its recommendations were not accepted by all parties. The new board must get the parties’ final offers within 30 days and then, within 30 more days, report to the President and pick the “most reasonable” offer, and the order says the parties cannot change the disputed working conditions from the time the board was requested until 60 days after the board’s report. This matters because, according to the order, it sets short deadlines, freezes changes to working rules for a set time, and channels the dispute into a formal federal process instead of immediate strikes or other actions. Read full document →
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On January 14, 2026, President Donald J. Trump issued a proclamation that says the Commerce Secretary’s report (sent October 24, 2025) found imports of “processed critical minerals and their derivative products” (PCMDPs) may threaten U.S. national security, and it orders the Commerce Secretary and the U.S. Trade Representative to negotiate with trading partners to change those imports so they “will not threaten” security; the proclamation says they should consider price floors, tariffs, or other limits and must report back within 180 days. This action affects foreign exporters and U.S. importers of those minerals and products, industries that use them (including defense and 16 critical infrastructure sectors), and federal agencies asked to write rules or take steps to carry out the plan. It matters because the proclamation says the United States was 100% import-reliant for 12 critical minerals and 50% or more import-reliant for 29 others as of 2024, and changes could alter supply chains, prices, and how the government and companies get key materials. Read full document →
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Federal Register |
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On January 14, 2026, HUD proposed to remove its rule about “disparate impact” (the idea that a law or practice can be illegal if it hurts one group more than another, even if there was no intent to discriminate) by deleting 24 CFR part 100, subpart G (section 100.500) and changing one sentence in §100.5(b); this is only a proposed rule right now and is open for public comment until February 13, 2026. If this proposal becomes final, HUD would stop using its own written test for disparate impact, and people and businesses covered by the Fair Housing Act—like landlords, real estate agents, lenders, insurers, public housing agencies, and people looking for housing—would no longer rely on HUD’s regulation for how those cases are decided; instead, courts would decide how to apply disparate impact. This matters because it could change how housing discrimination complaints are handled and who enforces the rules, so anyone involved in housing should pay attention and may want to comment by February 13, 2026. Read full document →
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This notice does not change the fuel-efficiency rule itself; it only gives the public more time to comment on the proposed “SAFE Vehicles Rule III” (which covers fuel and safety rules for passenger cars and light trucks for model years 2022–2031). People and groups who want to submit written comments must do so by February 4, 2026 (the earlier deadline was January 20, 2026); NHTSA decided not to add more public hearing events beyond the virtual hearing held on January 7, 2026. This matters because those comments help shape the final rule, which could affect how much new cars cost, how much gas drivers use, and how much pollution comes from cars. Read full document →
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The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) changed 49 CFR part 192 so gas companies can use a modern safety program called “integrity management” instead of always having to lower pressure, pressure‑test at very high pressure, or replace pipe when a line ends up in a more built‑up area (a “Class 3” area—roughly 46 or more nearby buildings or places where 20+ people gather). This new option is effective March 16, 2026, and applies only to gas transmission lines that meet tests in the rule (for example, the pipe must be inspectable with in‑line tools, not be bare or have wrinkle bends, and not have had an in‑service leak or rupture from cracking nearby); operators must notify PHMSA and meet a set of first steps within 24 months (by March 16, 2028 if the change already happened) including a 1.25× MAOP pressure test, verified material records, safety valve upgrades, corrosion checks (test stations no more than 1/2 mile apart), monthly patrols, four leak checks a year, and ongoing inline inspections with tool validation; confirmed operating pressure cannot exceed 72% of the steel’s yield strength (60% for some lines). This matters because it keeps people safer while avoiding many expensive, disruptive pipe replacements and big gas releases—PHMSA estimates about $461 million in annual savings and about 1.3 billion cubic feet of gas not lost each year—while still requiring frequent checks, records that last the life of the pipe, and rapid repairs when needed. Read full document →
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