Exclusive: Meta asks California lawmakers for shield from child harm penalties - POLITICO

The bill from Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, a Long Beach Democrat, threatens fines of up to $1 million per child for platforms found liable for harming kids through negligent product design. It’s set for a Tuesday hearing in Umberg’s committee. 

 Meta’s plea comes as it faces hundreds of lawsuits accusing the company of failing to protect kids’ safety on its platforms. The proposal is the latest example of how the company is maneuvering politically amid pending product safety lawsuits and surging global efforts to slap strict kids’ safety guardrails on social media platforms…

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/26/exclusive-meta-asks-california-lawmakers-for-shield-from-child-harm-penalties-00978728

For-Profit Hospitals Continue to Violate EMTALA With Few Repercussions — ProPublica

Psychiatric hospitals — increasingly owned by for-profit corporations — are illegally turning away patients during crises. Yet only a handful face penalties, with fines that are trivial, a ProPublica investigation found...

https://www.propublica.org/article/psychiatric-hospitals-emtala-mental-health-profit 

 

Trump donor fined for pollution leads a fight to end methane emission penalties

"Trump promised a room full of fossil fuel billionaires that he'd let them pollute our air and water, let them off the hook for dangerous spills, and fight to make them a fortune, even if it means forfeiting critical health protections," Jones said. 

The leaked documents, obtained by research group Fieldnotes and first reported upon by the Washington Post, outline a comprehensive blueprint to overturn climate policies put in place during Joe Biden's presidency. Trump has called the climate crisis a "hoax", attacked a major climate bill signed by Biden as "one of the great scams of all time" and vowed to undo it if elected, with the aid of Republicans in Congress...

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/04/oil-industry-methane-emission-penalties-trump-election

Trump's Legal Challenges, Explained (Tonya Mosley; Fresh Air podcast)

New York Times reporter Alan Feuer is part of a team covering Trump's legal battles. The first of four criminal case trials against the former president is expected to start March 25.

Interview: 

https://www.npr.org/2024/02/22/1233132273/how-trumps-trials-for-91-felony-charges-in-4-states-could-take-over-his-campaign

The Rudy Horizon (Allison Gill and Pete Strzok; Cleanup on Aisle 45 podcast episode #155)

In this episode:

• Letitia James wants additional penalties for Trump, his two adult sons, ​Weisselberg, ​and ​McConney over their fraud; 
• the Second Circuit Court of Appeals denies Trump's motion to stay his E. Jean Carroll trial pending immunity appeal; 
• Judge Kaplan bars Donald Trump from arguing he didn't rape E. Jean Carroll; 
• Mark Meadows wants the federal appeals court to rehear decision rejecting Georgia move; 
• Trump is trying his immunity argument in Georgia; 
• and more!

Interview: 

https://www.podbean.com/ew/dir-2jqww-1cd051e1

How the shoplifting scare is undermining criminal justice reform - Vox

It turns out shoplifting isn't spiraling out of control, but lawmakers are pushing for tougher penalties for low-level and nonviolent crimes anyway…

https://www.vox.com/politics/24025691/shoplifting-scare-criminal-justice-reform

Idaho asks Supreme Court to let abortion law that penalizes doctors to take full effect | CNN Politics

Idaho asked the Supreme Court on Monday to allow its state abortion ban that imposes penalties on doctors who perform abortions to take full effect despite federal requirements for emergency room doctors.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/27/politics/idaho-abortion-supreme-court-appeal/index.html

Sanders, Wyden explore tax penalties on corporations paying below $15 an hour - The Washington Post

The tax provisions represent a backdoor attempt to raise worker pay after the Senate's parliamentarian ruled out the wage hike...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/02/26/wyden-sanders-minimum-wage-tax-penalties/