News & Blog

California’s Big New Rent Control Law
Did you know that half of all California renters — more than 3 million households — spend more than 30% of their income on rent, meeting the federal government’s definition of “rent-burdened?” The newly passed law, AB1482, makes rent control the law of the land throughout California. Previously, rent control was only enacted in individual counties or cities. The new law does not override existing...
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How Trump’s New Rule Could Bar Immigrants Who Receive Public Benefits
Is the Trump administration undermining the famous poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty? Last month the Trump administration revealed a new “public charge” rule that could deny green cards and visa applications to millions of applicants.The new rule takes effect after October 15 and could affect even legal immigrants who receive food stamps and other public benefits. What is the New ‘Public Charge’ Rule?...
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Are the Amazon Rainforest Fires Linked to a Lawsuit Against Large Oil Corporation?
At least 2,500 fires have ravaged the Amazon rainforest with experts warning that a third of the Amazon rainforest’s ecosystem could be irreversibly decimated. Experts warn that the loss of such massive areas of the Amazon rainforest could result in the eradication of species and unleash large amounts of stored carbon. As Brazil’s president has recently sent the nation’s armed forces to help tackle the...
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Why It’s (Legally) Impossible for Donald Trump to “Buy” Greenland
Hilarity has erupted after media outlets reported President Donald Trump’s queried aides about “buying” Greenland. According to CNN citing two sources, Trump asked the White House counsel’s office to look into the legality of purchasing the 836,000-square-mile island from the Kingdom of Denmark. Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no...
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Jeffrey Epstein Wasn’t the Only One: Other Famous Prison Suicides
The apparent suicide of Jeffrey Epstein, a financier and convicted sex offender being prosecuted for everything from human trafficking to child molestation, soaked up headlines on August 10. Although there have been numerous conspiracy theories surrounding his death, Epstein’s reported suicide in prison was hardly original. Many high-profile criminal defendants have committed suicide in jails and prisons across the United States. Let’s review some of...
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Lawsuits Against Hotel Chains Target Hated Resort Fees
Have you ever been lured by a hotel’s advertised price online and booked it, only to be surprised by a hefty “resort fee” at check-in or worse, at check-out? What about a “resort fee” for a pool that was closed in the winter or for spotty wi-fi? Often consumers are “exhausted” at the end of the online searching and booking process and more readily give...
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Fact or Fiction: Under Federal Law Workers Are Protected When They Discuss their Wages
This is true! Does your employer require or dissuade you and your co-workers from discussing your wages? In 2010, nearly half of all workers nationally reported that they were either contractually forbidden or strongly discouraged from discussing their pay with their colleagues, according to results from a 2010 Institute for Women’s Policy Research/Rockefeller Survey of Economic Security. Many argue that pay secrecy policies serve to...
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Why is Johnny Depp Suing Ex-Wife Amber Heard in Virginia Where Neither of Them Live or Work?
Why Johnny Depp Filed Suit in Virginia In addition to their divorce, the two actors are at each other’s throats in a defamation suit filed by Johnny Depp against Amber Heard. But Depp filed the suit in Virginia, where neither of the actors live or work. In the lawsuit, Depp is named as “John C. Depp, II.” In the defamation suit Depp vehemently denied claims...
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Why Is R. Kelly Being Bounced Two Different Federal Courts?
Recording artist ROBERT SYLVESTER KELLY was arrested July 11 on separate indictments by the Northern District of Illinois and the Eastern District of New York. In Illinois federal court, R. Kelly is charged with: “producing and receiving child pornography, and enticing minors to engage in criminal sexual activity.  The charges accuse Kelly of engaging in sex acts with five minors and recording some of the...
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Big Huge Loss for Donald Trump – Court Rules He Cannot Ban Twitter Users
Have you been banned by @realDonaldTrump or the social media accounts of any other public official? Trump was sued by seven people who were blocked from the @realDonaldTrump Twitter account after posting critical comments. Knight First Amendment Inst. at Columbia Univ. v. Trump, 302 F. Supp. 3d 541 (S.D.N.Y. May 23, 2018). The blocked users could not view the president’s tweets, reply directly to them...
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