United States: Government, Public Sector

The United States and Colombia have signed two bilateral agreements establishing frameworks for cooperation in critical minerals development and civil nuclear energy. These arrangements create potential opportunities for investment and collaboration in mining, energy infrastructure, and advanced technologies across the region.

On October 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) announced that it had, in July 2026, issued its first civil enforcement penalty under the Outbound Investment Security Program, often referred to as the Outbound Investment Rule (the “OIR”). Treasury levied a $200,000 penalty against Amidi, LLC (“Amidi”) for failing to submit a required notification of an investment by its controlled foreign entity into a “Chinese embodied artificial intelligence company.”

The Department of Energy has released an Expression of Interest seeking input on transferring surplus critical minerals and rare earth elements from five former nuclear weapons production and energy research sites. These materials, including aluminum, lithium, tungsten, and other strategic resources, could help reduce US dependence on foreign mineral imports while supporting domestic advanced manufacturing and defense industries.

On March 31, 2021, the State of New York signed into law the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act. In its Preamble, the statute notes, “it is in the best interest of the state to regulate medical cannabis, adult-use cannabis, cannabinoid hemp and hemp extracts under independent entities…” Cannabis Law § 2.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has declined to modify its traditional Rule 5.4 framework, maintaining restrictions on nonlawyer ownership of law firms and fee-sharing arrangements. While management service organization (MSO) structures remain the compliant vehicle for outside capital investment, the court has simultaneously loosened ABA accreditation requirements and established task forces to explore alternative licensure pathways...

On Oct. 14, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an interim final rule (IFR), effective immediately, cutting the time a refugee has to respond to a Notice of Intent to Terminate (NOIT) refugee status from 30 days to 10 days. 91 Fed. Reg. 65077. Comments are due Nov. 13, 2026 (Docket No. USCIS-2026-0397).

With the ever-growing barrage of rhetoric over just how, when, and if, AI will kill us all, the conversation also lends itself to, do we believe it will be AI that kills us, or a bad actor using AI? If I showed you a picture of East Asia at night from space and pointed out that you can’t see North Korea for the lack of available electricity, (It’s 99% blacked out, and only Pyongyang shows a small cluster of light) would you think for a minute that they would have the tech savvy, and high end software, or even hardware, necessary to steal $6.7 billion in crypto since 2017?

A federal appeals court has upheld the Department of War's authority to exclude Anthropic's Claude AI from its supply chain under FASCSA, finding that concerns about the AI model's potential operational unreliability constitute a reasonable national security risk. The ruling diverges from a prior district court decision and raises significant questions about how federal agencies can restrict AI technologies in government contracting, even absent malicious intent from developers.

On October 14, 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), published a proposed rule (91 FR 65119; DHS Docket No. USCIS-2026-0529) that would remove...

Licensed customs brokers face two critical deadlines in 2027, not just one. While the triennial status report is due in February, the continuing education requirements must be completed by January 31st.

The PFAS landscape is evolving quickly, bringing new challenges and opportunities for organizations across the public and private sectors. This discussion explores recent legal and regulatory developments, funding opportunities for cleanup and infrastructure improvements, and emerging litigation trends.

The current Administration has made clear that tariffs are a priority, whether through broad tariff policies or aggressive task forces targeting alleged customs and trade fraud.