On the Clock: Exploring the TikTok Sale

Posted on November 11, 2025Categories National Security, Regulation

The world of social media has rapidly evolved from a way to connect with friends to an integral component of global communication, commerce, and culture. Since 2010, social media platforms have consistently shaped daily life with individuals spending countless hours on their favorite platforms. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have amassed billions of users. With such influence comes heightened regulatory scrutiny over data privacy, national security, and corporate accountability. TikTok has drawn intense regulatory oversight due to its ownership by the Chinese company ByteDance, which has prompted fears of foreign influence and national security risks among U.S. regulators. The culmination of these concerns resulted in the passing of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA). Under the PAFACA, ByteDance is required to sell off TikTok’s U.S. operations. This compelled sale has sparked a debate over the balance between corporate autonomy, data governance, and national security. It has also raised broader questions about future industry-wide regulations, indicating that social media platforms may soon face heightened scrutiny and standardized requirements for data handling and corporate transparency.

Chasing the Points: How Credit Card Rewards Can Distract from Consumer Costs

Posted on November 1, 2025Categories Finance & Banking

Credit card companies have turned rewards and bonuses into flashy marketing showpieces, from generous signup points to promises of skipping airport lines. Yet behind the glossy offers lies a harsher reality in which many cardholders end up paying far more in interest, fees, and forfeited value than they ever receive in rewards. This imbalance raises serious questions about transparency, compliance, and consumer harm.
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Regulatory Challenges in Small Modular Reactor Deployment

Posted on October 30, 2025Categories Energy

As the nuclear energy industry pivots toward small modular reactors (SMRs) to meet the growing demand for a clean, efficient, and reliable energy source, developers face a multilayered regulatory landscape. Navigating the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) licensing process, evolving legislation, and supply chain challenges present both legal and operational risks as the United States attempts to achieve energy independence.
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It’s Time to End Quarterly Reporting: SEC’s Switch to Semiannual Reporting

Posted on October 28, 2025Categories SEC

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is preparing to propose a major shift in how public companies disclose financial results. Under a new rule expected in 2026, issuers could move from the traditional quarterly Form 10-Q filings to a semiannual reporting schedule. SEC Chair Paul Atkins (Atkins) stated that this proposal will allow companies to choose between the two kinds of reporting. The initiative echoes recent calls from the Trump administration, which argues that quarterly disclosure pressures companies to prioritize short-term earnings at the expense of long-term value creation. If adopted, the rule would represent one of the most significant changes to U.S. securities disclosure requirements in over 50 years and could fundamentally reshape how businesses plan, raise capital, and communicate with investors.

A Need for Federal Oversight in Congressional Pay

Posted on October 28, 2025Categories Journal of Regulatory Compliance

On October 1, 2025, 255 days into Donald Trump’s second presidency, the federal government entered a shutdown at midnight. This shutdown was due to congressional failure to pass legislation for the 2026 fiscal year. Almost immediately thereafter, a massive shockwave of ripple effects occurred. Several agencies and personnel have been, and will be, severely impacted for as long as the shutdown stands.
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Modern Marketing v. FDA Enforcement: The Unregulated Frontier of Trendy Skincare and Digital Labeling

Posted on October 28, 2025Categories FDA

“Slugging”, “glass skin”, and “mineral mixing”, oh my! These are just a few of the current trends present in the skincare scene today. With the boom of social media advertising, non-professionals posting advice to TikTok, and companies’ budgets for trendy skincare campaigns in the millions, where do we draw the line between FDA-regulated skincare and “digital labeling” in this new generation of cosmetic advertising?
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NHTSA’s New Rule Expands Seat Belt Compliance

Posted on October 27, 2025Categories Regulation, Transportation

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently finalized a rule requiring seat belt alarms for drivers and front seat passengers. The new rule became effective on March 4, 2025, with ongoing expansion in years to come. This is an amendment to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, or “Occupant crash protection” which required seat belt warnings for drivers seats only. FMVSS No. 208 originally went into effect in 1968 and has had major improvements since its enactment. This particular improvement will require manufacturers to install front seat belt warnings in all new vehicles by September 1, 2026, but manufacturers can begin implementing the new rule before September 1, 2026. FMVSS No. 208 will apply to cars, trucks, multipurpose vehicles and certain kinds of buses. The change comes after the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), which required NHTSA to regulate rear seat belt warnings in vehicles.
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Corporate Non-Compliance in Environmental Regulation

Posted on October 23, 2025Categories Environmental, Uncategorized

Corporations and other firms maximize profits. Without profits, the corporation or the firm fails. Thus, regulations imposed by regulatory agencies become a hindrance. Businesses dealing in fossil fuels and other natural resources especially feel the impacts of these regulations. Specifically, environmental regulation that requires detailed reporting and measurement can become awfully cumbersome for these companies. Not surprisingly, these companies tend to take different paths to avoid abiding by these regulations.
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New Law School on the Block? A Look into the ABA Accreditation Process

Posted on October 22, 2025Categories Education

High Point University (HPU Law), a private university in North Carolina, opened the Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law with its inaugural Class of 2027 last fall. Founded by former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, Mark Martin, HPU Law strives to create a legal learning community of discussion and debate for students to become ethical lawyer-leaders who serve with civility and grace. HPU Law is not yet accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), which is a crucial step in producing attorneys of tomorrow. Accreditation is not automatic nor guaranteed. Rather, schools must comply with an extensive process to receive accreditation.
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What the “Big Beautiful Bill” Means for Student Loans

Posted on October 22, 2025Categories Education

On July 4, 2025, President Donald Trump signed into law The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), or what legislators and the public have deemed as the “Big Beautiful Bill.” OBBBA is a budget reconciliation bill; a bill which utilizes a special process for approval. Instead of the 60 vote supermajority usually required for a bill to pass through the Senate, this process allows for the bill to pass with a simple majority. While the process makes it significantly easier for legislation to pass through Congress, it can only be used for policies that would affect the spending and revenue of the federal government. After months of deliberation, this process allowed OBBBA to pass through the Senate with a 51-50 vote. Days later the bill passed through the House of Representatives, and the following day was signed into law by President Trump. While the president has paraded the spending and revenue bill as “arguably the most significant piece of Legislation that will ever be signed,” some have proposed that its true effects will financially harm Americans and further limit people’s ability to transcend economic classes through higher education.
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