Alerts

On May 17, the masts of a 300-foot-long Mexican naval training ship carrying 277 people collided with the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge just minutes after leaving the pier where it has been docked at the South Street Seaport in New York City, New York.

Shortly after taking office, President Trump froze funding already allocated to various parties, citing the Administration’s disapproval of issues including climate change and social equity. Additionally, executive agencies removed content discussing climate change from websites.

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

As we approach midyear, the ArentFox Schiff Labor, Employment & OSHA team highlights some of the most pressing legal issues facing employers this year, including artificial intelligence (AI) regulation at the state level, reshaping of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), continuing expansion of state paid family and medical leave laws, challenges to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, and changes to US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance and enforcement.

On May 19, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a novel use of the False Claims Act (FCA) to enforce Trump Administration policies against antisemitism, gender identity and expression, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

On May 9, President Trump issued a new Executive Order (EO) titled “Fighting Overcriminalization in Federal Regulations” to address criminal enforcement of regulatory offenses, particularly strict liability offenses where the offender need not have had a culpable state of mind to be convicted.

On July 1, the Virginia Consumer Protection Act (VCPA), as amended by Senate Bill (SB) 754, will provide additional privacy protections for reproductive and sexual health information. The legislation expands the VCPA to expressly prohibit the unauthorized collection and use of this category of information. Businesses that violate the law may be sued by affected Virginia consumers.

There is nothing more inherently unique and personal to an individual than his or her DNA. Unlike many other types of personal information, a person’s DNA is immutable. It can be the key to unlocking extremely sensitive information, such as predisposition to certain health conditions. Unfortunately, as with all other types of personal information, it can be acquired without authorization — breached.

On April 25, purchasers of Nike non-fungible tokens (NFTs) filed a class action complaint in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York against the sportswear giant alleging that the December 2024 shutdown of RTFKT constituted a “brazen rug pull,” resulting in significant monetary losses for the plaintiffs.

For decades, businesses have focused on “doing more with less,” maximizing efficiency by optimizing resources and streamlining processes to achieve greater output with fewer inputs. This effort often involves leveraging technology, improving productivity, and reducing waste to maintain or enhance performance.

Since January, California officials have seized more than $316 million worth of illegal cannabis and $474,000 in cash through coordinated enforcement actions with state agency partners and local governments.

Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) are unique employee benefit plans designed to invest primarily in the stock of the sponsoring employer.

As car buyers rush to get in front of tariffs — which are widely expected to boost sticker prices — the flood of demand has been pushing new vehicle prices ever higher, with the trend unlikely to stop any time soon, experts said.

On April 8, Maryland enacted House Bill 102, further postponing the implementation of the state’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program. This latest delay, recommended by the Maryland Department of Labor, is intended to provide employers and employees with additional time to prepare for the program’s requirements.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) revised its Criminal Division Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Disclosure Policy (CEP), outlining the benefits a company may earn by voluntarily self-disclosing misconduct, as well as the path to resolution in other cases. The DOJ aimed to simplify the document and clarify the outcomes that companies can expect.

On April 22, at the direction of US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and HHS published identical statements announcing the phase-out of so-called “petroleum-based” synthetic food dyes and their replacement with “natural alternatives.”

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

This week, the US House Ways and Means Committee released tax legislation that includes several provisions relevant to tax-exempt organizations.

On May 12, Matthew R. Galeotti, the head of the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Criminal Division, announced a new white collar enforcement plan, outlined changes to the Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Disclosure Policy, and added new priority areas to the Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program Policy. The DOJ also introduced a new corporate monitor selection policy.

Welcome to the May 2025 issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month. We bring you the most recent and significant insights in an accessible format, concluding with our main takeaways — aka “And the Fox Says…” — on what you need to know.

On May 14, the US House Ways and Means Committee advanced its initial markup version of The One, Big, Beautiful Bill, following 17 hours of a Committee meeting to markup the bill with no changes from the 389-page text that was released on May 12.

President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) banning athletes assigned male at birth from competing in women’s sports. This applies to sports competitions within both educational institutions and athletic associations.

For decades, regulators have tried to quantify harm related to emissions, including the “social cost of carbon” (SCC), but that approach has now changed. The Trump Administration recently released a memorandum seeking to discontinue regulatory use of SCC except as required by law.

After a rollercoaster of activity related to the federal Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), the US Treasury Department (Treasury) announced on March 2 that it will not enforce any penalties or fines associated with beneficial ownership information reporting for US reporting companies.

On May 12, the United States and the People’s Republic of China announced a temporary 90-day agreement to roll back some of the reciprocal tariffs increases imposed in April.