United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

• Today, prominent investor rights law firm Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP (“BLB&G”) filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California alleging violations of federal securities laws by Seagate Technology Holdings plc (“Seagate” or the “Company”) and certain of the Company’s senior executives (collectively, “Defendants”).
• The complaint expands the allegations that were asserted in a previously filed related securities class action pending against Seagate captioned UA Local 38 Defined Contribution Pension Plan v. Seagate Technology Holdings plc, No.
• BLB&G filed this action on behalf of its client, the Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi, and the case is captioned Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi v. Seagate Technology Holdings plc, No.
• These misrepresentations caused the price of Seagate common stock to trade at artificially inflated prices throughout the Class Period.

• Washington, DC, July 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, as the Senate Committee on Appropriations approved its FY 2024 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations bill, Malaria No More CEO Martin Edlund issued the following statement:
  “We appreciate that in a tight fiscal environment, the Senate has joined the House in sparing the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) from cuts.
• The $795 million provided for PMI in this bill will allow critical U.S. malaria programs to continue their life-saving work.
• We are hopeful that the final spending package will include the House mark of $800 million and encourage Congress to prioritize the global malaria response for additional funding in FY 2025.
• The Senate’s allocation of $1.65 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria reflects the reality that U.S. law limits our contribution.

• Guild Mortgage (NYSE: GHLD), a growth-oriented mortgage lending company originating and servicing residential loans since 1960, was recognized as a 2023 Top Guaranteed Rural Housing Lender in the Loan Origination category by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• Guild provides special financing opportunities to homebuyers who live in or would like to purchase a primary residence in rural areas as defined by USDA.
• These loans, also known as Rural Development loans, are designed to assist rural families and individuals with low-to-average income for their area.
• Through these loans, USDA provides 100% financing with reduced mortgage insurance premiums and below-market mortgage rates to help open the door to homeownership for rural Americans.

• That heightened level of delays came shortly after December 2022, when Southwest Airlines experienced an epic meltdown, canceling 71% of its flights.
• Under the new rules, the airlines would need to offer meal vouchers, overnight accommodations and ground transportation to and from a hotel when customers are stranded.
• For the most part, especially since the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978, such efforts have failed, and airlines have been able to set and enforce their own policies.

Limits of Rule 240

• There was, however, something known as Rule 240.
• However, each airline determined its own flight delay and cancellation policies under Rule 240.
• Rule 240 or its equivalent under the contract of carriage varies by airline and primarily focuses on rebooking passengers.
• Consumer advocates encourage passengers to invoke Rule 240, but airlines will likely provide only what is stated in their contract of carriage.

Push for a passenger bill of rights

• In recent decades, consumer advocates and even some lawmakers have sought to enshrine more substantial air passenger protections into federal law.
• Kate Hanni, a passenger on that flight, lobbied Congress to pass an extensive passenger bill of rights.
• More recently, in November 2021, Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut introduced Senate Bill 3222 to establish an airline passengers’ bill of rights.

EU paves the way

• EU legislation mandates that airlines provide passengers with certain levels of care including flight rebooking, meals, hotel vouchers and, in some instances, cash compensation – which varies depending on the length of the delay and the distance of the flight.
• All travelers who are flying within the EU, or whose flight arrives to the EU on an EU carrier, or departs from the EU on any carrier, are covered under that legislation.
• The Biden administration proposal would bring U.S. airline passenger protections more in line with the EU where such protections are mandated and not at the discretion of the airline.