On April 9, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order entitled “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance.” The EO directs a range executive actions – mainly executive reports to outline further action and to propose new legislation – all to promote the U.S. merchant marine including U.S. shipbuilding.

On February 21, 2025, the U.S. Trade Representative proposed trade sanctions against Chinese-built vessels and against Chinese company-operated vessels. The proposed sanctions stem from an investigation under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 which commenced on April 17, 2024, culminating in a report issued on January 16, 2025, affirming the petition.  

After several decades as a curiosity among computer programmers and science fiction fans, artificial intelligence (AI) is igniting the global economy.  Among those enchanted by its seemingly limitless modern applications is the litigation finance industry—an unfortunate product of skyrocketing large-scale litigation costs following the ESI (Electronically Stored Information) Revolution, where third parties invest in litigation for a chance to share in equally inflated judgments and settlements.