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Issues in the News

1. LEGAL

A recent federal court verdict on deceptive advertising by tobacco companies could spur congressional action against cigarette makers.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Special Projects Counsel Hans Bader on the First Amendment implications of the ruling:

“On Thursday, federal trial judge Gladys Kessler issued an opinion finding the big tobacco companies guilty of racketeering for falsely minimizing the dangers of smoking. She reached that conclusion based on a very narrow view of the First Amendment rights of corporations, one that sharply conflicts with the Supreme Court’s past rulings.”

2. INTERNATIONAL

Canada’s Prime Minister urges the United States to ratify the United Nations’ Law of the Sea treaty.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Adjunct Scholar Jeremy Rabkin on why the Law of the Sea treaty is a bad deal for America:

“The Third United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III) was negotiated in the late 1970s, an era when Third World nations looked to the U.N. to distribute resources from rich to poor nations.  President Reagan rejected American participation in the 1980s.  Slight changes introduced in the 1990s persuaded the Clinton Administration to endorse the treaty.  The Bush Administration, perhaps because it is eager to improve its internationalist credentials, has also endorsed the treaty.  But it remains a bad deal for the United States.”

3. ENERGY

California voters prepare to decide on a ballot initiative which would tax oil companies to provide funds for alternative energy research.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Director of Energy Policy Myron Ebell on the action in Congress needed to increase access to domestic energy sources:

“While Americans struggle to pay higher gas prices, the Senate left for its August recess after refusing to take votes on two outstanding bills passed by the House of Representatives that would significantly increase domestic oil and natural gas production.  Instead, the Senate pretended to do something by voting to open a tiny area of the Gulf of Mexico to exploration—an area currently under a moratorium that expires next year.”

Blog feature: For more news and analysis, updated throughout the day, visit CEI Open Market.

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