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  Reuters

  California, other states move to block 3M's $10.3 billion PFAS deal

  (Reuters) -A group of 22 states and U.S. territories on Wednesday moved to block a proposed $10.3 billion settlement that would resolve claims against 3M Co over water pollution tied to “forever chemicals,” claiming the deal fails to adequately hold the company accountable. The group, led by California and including Texas, New York and the District of Columbia, filed a motion opposing approval of the settlement in a South Carolina federal court, where thousands of lawsuits against 3M and other companies over per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are being fought. The proposed deal would provide funds over a 13-year period to cities, towns and other public water systems to test and treat contamination of PFAS.

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  AP Finance

  DeSantis appointees reach deal with Disney World's firefighters, capping years of negotiations

  After years of contentious negotiations, the board of Walt Disney World's governing district now made up of Gov. Ron DeSantis appointees approved a contract for its firefighters on Wednesday and also proposed reducing property taxes. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District voted unanimously to approve the three-year contract that covers 200 firefighters and paramedics in the Reedy Creek Professional Firefighters' Association. The contract, among other provisions, would increase wages by 5%, including raising the starting annual wage for firefighter and paramedics from $55,000 to $66,000.

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  AP Finance

  As e-bikes proliferate, so do deadly fires blamed on exploding lithium-ion batteries

  The explosion early on a June morning ignited a blaze that engulfed a New York City shop filled with motorized bicycles and their volatile lithium-ion batteries. As the ubiquity of e-bikes has grown, so has the frequency of fires and deaths blamed on the batteries that power them — sparking a push to better regulate how the batteries are manufactured, sold, reconditioned, charged and stored. Consumer advocates and fire departments, particularly in New York City, are urging the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish national safety standards and confiscate imports that don't comply with regulations at the border, so unsafe e-bikes and poorly manufactured batteries can be taken off the streets and out of homes.

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  Reuters

  US senators seek to reverse 'Buy America' waiver for EV charging stations

  Four Republican U.S. senators on Wednesday sought to reverse a Biden administration decision to waive "Buy America" requirements for government-funded electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Senators Marco Rubio, Roger Marshall, Rick Scott and Kevin Cramer said the Federal Highway Administration waiver of U.S. content requirements for steel, iron and construction materials would result in U.S. taxpayers subsidizing Chinese-made products. "It hurts American companies and empowers foreign adversaries, like China, to control our energy infrastructure," Rubio said.

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  Reuters

  Canada financial regulator proposes new capital guidelines for crypto assets

  The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI)said guidelines were for federally regulated deposit-taking institutions, that includes banks and credit unions, and another for insurers, on the regulatory capital treatment of crypto-asset exposures. OSFI's Superintendent Peter Routledge said banks and insurers need clarity on how to treat crypto-asset exposures when it comes to capital and liquidity and the regulator looks to provide clarity through the new guidelines.

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  AP Finance

  Further federal probes into false Connecticut traffic stop data likely, public safety chief says

  Connecticut's public safety commissioner on Wednesday told state lawmakers to expect a federal investigation into a recent audit's findings that showed hundreds of state troopers submitted false information from 2014 to 2021 on at least 26,000 traffic stops — information ultimately reported to a racial profiling board. State legislators from two committees called the legislative informational meeting after data analysts with the University of Connecticut said the traffic stop reports resulted in too many drivers being identified as white.

• 

  CoinDesk

  Mashinsky's Arrest, Ripple Ruling, Etc.

  I was on vacation for the last week-and-a-half but before I left, I sent a list of things to watch for to my colleagues that in hindsight, was wholly inadequate. Anyway, here's my effort to catch up.

• 

  The Wall Street Journal

  What’s Happening in Israel? Protests and Strikes Over Netanyahu’s Judicial Overhaul

  JERUSALEM—Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets across the country in recent months to demonstrate against a judicial overhaul planned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. On July 24, the ruling coalition pushed through the Israeli parliament, called the Knesset, the first in a series of laws the coalition wants to pass to limit the power of the court system. The law’s passage marks a pivotal juncture for Israeli society, setting up a potential showdown with the country’s Supreme Court, the institution whose power the law was designed to curb.

• 

  Bloomberg

  Congress Wades Into Self-Driving Debate With New US House Bills

  (Bloomberg) -- Congress is wading into the debate over whether automakers should be allowed to sell hundreds of thousands of self-driving cars while manufacturers seek federal permission to expand testing of the technology. Most Read from BloombergPowell Has Stopped Handing Gifts to Wall Street on Fed DaySubway Offers Free Sandwiches That Come With a Lifetime CommitmentFed Raises Interest Rates to 22-Year High, Leaves Door Open for MoreHunter Biden Plea Deal in Limbo After Judge Questions TermsM

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  The Wall Street Journal

  House Lawmakers Spar Over Crypto Bill

  A bill being debated in the House of Representatives would create a special regulatory framework for digital coins that sets them apart from other financial assets. The bill, sponsored by Republican leaders, is unlikely to become law anytime soon due to skepticism about crypto among many House Democrats, regulators and senators from both parties following the collapse of FTX last year. Amid changes to the bill proposed Wednesday was one that crypto antagonist Brad Sherman (D., Calif.) said could have given the industry near-instant regulatory clarity.

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  Reuters

  Senators propose banning stock trades for US Congress, president

  Members of the U.S. Congress, the president, vice president and senior executive branch officials and their relatives will be banned from trading stocks under bipartisan legislation introduced on Tuesday. Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said in a brief hallway interview that she and Republican Senator Josh Hawley formally offered the "Ban Stock Trading for Government Officials Act" after unveiling details of the measure earlier this month. It would build on the decade-old Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) law that aims to combat insider trading by members of Congress and their employees.