This is a Cross-post from the Capital Thinking blog .  Please contact Stacy Swanson with any questions. On Tuesday, August 11, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced that he has selected Senator Kamala Devi Harris (D-California) as his vice presidential running mate.  Since joining the U.S. Congress in 2017, Harris has in some instances served as a bridge between progressive and moderate Democratic positions and policies.  However, Harris is typically characterized as a liberal,…

This is a Cross-post from The Trade Practitioner blog.  Please contact Frank Samolis and Ludmilla Kasulke with any questions. Despite the Congressional recess and continued focus on COVID-19 economic relief, Trump officials announced several major trade actions over the last week that could impact global trade and supply chains.  Here is a quick round-up of recent developments and what may be coming next. On Thursday, August 6, President Donald Trump signed four executive actions related…

This is a Cross-post from the Conflict Minerals Law blog.   Please contact Dynda A. Thomas with any questions.  In less than 7 months, the EU conflict minerals regulation will take full effect, and importers into the European Union of certain threshold amounts of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold (3TG) and of metals containing 3TG will be subject to it.  As of today, despite Brexit, importers into the UK will be subject to it as well.…

On June 8, 2020, the Federal Reserve (or “Fed”) published updated FAQs (the “FAQ”) and updated term sheets for the Main Street Lending Program (“MSLP”). The new FAQ, which may be further revised, updates prior FAQs that were published on April 30, 2020 and revised on May 27, 2020. The most recent revisions increase the appeal of the program for US businesses in a number of ways, including by (1) lowering the minimum loan size…

Most states and U.S. territories have now begun reopening at least parts of their economies.  The reopening efforts purport to follow a three-phase White House plan, even though not many states have met the plan’s benchmarks, including a “downward trajectory” in coronavirus cases.  The White House guidelines are not mandatory.  Rather, they advise governors to take a state-wide or county-by-county approach to analyzing the progress made in combating the coronavirus hotspots and permitting economic and social…

The announcement from HM Treasury on May 13 2020 to support trade credit insurance has to be very welcome news for many UK businesses and their supply chains.  It is a very significant announcement because trade credit insurance plays a vital role in supply chains, oiling, as it does, the wheels of domestic and global trade. In the UK and the world over, supply chains have been under very significant strain and distress over recent…

This is a Cross-post from the Insurance and Reinsurance Disputes Blog.  Please contact  Aaron C. Garavaglia with any questions.  Back in March, when the novel coronavirus was spreading and local and state governments were issuing stay-home orders, we published a blog post on Civil Authority Orders and COVID-19 Coverage.  Since that time, there have been over 125 lawsuits filed by insured businesses, many of them arguing that the economic damages caused by these…