The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Chamber of Commerce in Brazil both are urging the Brazilian government and the U.S. government to negotiate so that 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods don't come to pass.
Ted Posner, former assistant general counsel for international affairs at the Treasury Department, has joined Baker Botts as a partner in the international trade practice, the firm announced. Posner joined Treasury in October 2020, advising various agency officials on issues ranging from investment security to trade, Baker Botts said. Prior to joining Treasury, Posner worked as a partner at Weil Gotshal for eight years and at Crowell & Moring for three years.
A Federal Maritime Commission small claims officer on July 14 dismissed a demurrage-related complaint against ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, saying Oregon-based exporter Bridgewell Agribusiness had no contractual relationship with the Israeli ocean carrier.
The State Department approved possible military sales, to Lebanon and to Norway, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said last week.
The Federal Maritime Commission this week updated its record of cases and decisions related to shipping violations “that may be significant or establish legal precedent.” The 807-page document now incorporates decisions that took place from January 2024 through December 2024.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on July 11 upheld Chinese lidar company Hesai Technology's designation as a "Chinese military company." Judge Paul Friedman waded through issues of statutory interpretation regarding the Pentagon's definition of the phrase "military-civil fusion contributor to the Chinese defense industrial base" and DOD's evidentiary basis for finding that this phrase describes Hesai (Hesai Technology v. U.S. Dep't of Def., D.D.C. # 24-01381).
The House Armed Services Committee approved legislation July 15 that would expand the Defense Department’s 1260H list of Chinese military companies to include state-owned enterprises operating outside of China.
A House Appropriations subcommittee July 15 approved an FY 2026 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill that would provide $303 million for the Bureau of Industry and Security, up 59% from the FY 2025 enacted level (see 2507140024). The legislation now heads to the full Appropriations Committee for its consideration.
The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is extending the effective dates for its June orders that were set to designate three Mexican financial institutions as primary money laundering concerns, which will block U.S. banks, securities brokers and other money services businesses from transmitting certain funds involving those entities (see 2506260014). Financial institutions will now have until Sept. 4 "to implement the orders prohibiting certain transmittal of funds involving" the three entities, FinCEN said. The designations were scheduled to take effect 21 days after they were published in the Federal Register on June 30.
The Council of the European Union on July 15 added people and entities to its Iran, Haiti and Moldova sanctions list and renewed the Haiti sanctions regime for another year.