The Western regional manager of a New York-based freight forwarding company was arrested Dec. 10 for her alleged involvement in a scheme to violate U.S. export controls and sanctions on Russia, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York announced. The manager, Natalya Mazulina, faces 12 counts of various export-related crimes.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who opposed passage of a law banning TikTok in the U.S. unless China’s ByteDance divests the popular social media application, said Dec. 10 he is “still hopeful” the U.S. Supreme Court will rule the measure unconstitutional.

Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., co-chair of the House Select Committee on China’s Critical Minerals Policy Working Group, has announced plans to introduce a bill that would restrict exports of two reusable materials: "black mass," a metal-rich mixture that comes from used lithium-ion batteries, and "swarf," metal debris produced during magnet manufacturing.

Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., who is slated to become chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in January (see 2412100008), said Dec. 10 that he envisions a greater role for the panel in overseeing State Department operations.

The Environmental Protection Agency is issuing significant new use rules under the Toxic Substances Control Act for 31 chemical substances, it said in a notice. The rule is effective Feb. 10. The SNURs require persons to notify EPA at least 90 days before commencing the manufacture, import or processing of any of these chemical substances for an activity designated as a new use in the SNUR, EPA said.

The Treasury Department this week announced a move aimed at protecting a $20 billion disbursement for Ukraine, part of a larger effort by the Group of 7 nations to award the country $50 billion in frozen Russian assets. The agency said it transferred the $20 billion to a World Bank fund, a move that Reuters reported was designed to protect the money “from being clawed back” by the incoming Trump administration.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week removed a range of Latin America-related entries from its Specially Designated Nationals List, including multiple people and entities the agency had accused of having links to illegal drug trafficking.

Canada announced new sanctions against both China and Russia on Dec. 10 to mark International Human Rights Day, designating former or current officials with both countries’ governments or security services.

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U.S. persons may be able to host sanctioned people as speakers at overseas conferences without a specific authorization, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said, marking an apparent reversal of the agency’s previous sanctions policy for speaking engagements.