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Today’s edition of quick hits.
* It’s great to see when quality journalism leads to policy changes: “More than 3,800 children were found to be working at U.S. companies last year in violation of federal law, the Labor Department said Monday in announcing a crackdown on child labor. The new measures, which include the launching of an interagency task force and enhanced tracking of minors who enter the country alone, were announced in the wake of media reports, including by NBC News, on children working grueling jobs in the U.S.”
* A bold move on affordable child care: “On Tuesday, the Commerce Department will announce that any semiconductor manufacturer seeking a slice of nearly $40 billion in new federal subsidies will need to essentially guarantee affordable, high-quality child care for workers who build or operate a plant.”
* Massive Mexican protests: “More than 100,000 people took to the streets of Mexico on Sunday to protest new laws hobbling the nation’s election agency, in what demonstrators said was a repudiation of the president’s efforts to weaken a pillar of democracy.”
* No good will come of this: “The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to resolve a legal challenge brought by business groups that threatens the federal agency charged with protecting consumers from unlawful financial services practices.”
* A case worth watching: “The attorneys general of a dozen Democratic-controlled states sued the Food and Drug Administration on Friday, asking a judge to remove special restrictions that the federal agency has long applied to the first of two drugs used in medication abortion.”
* This again? “First, the group of doctors championed ivermectin as a covid panacea. It failed to live up to the hype. Now, they’re promoting the anti-parasitic to prevent and treat the flu and RSV. The Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance, formed in 2020 to ‘prevent and treat covid,’ is touting ivermectin for common respiratory infections amid a dramatic drop in prescriptions for the drug as clinical trials undermined claims of its efficacy against covid.”
* An update on a story we’ve discussed: “As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs into law a bill stripping Disney of its longtime self-governing status in the state, his new book reveals he warned the entertainment giant about its political activities.”
* Noted without comment: “Fox News host Howard Kurtz, who anchors a weekly show on the media industry, said he has been told not to cover the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed against Fox by Dominion Voting Systems.”
See you tomorrow.