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25th June 2025
 
THE HOT STORY
Anthropic wins key U.S. ruling on AI training in authors' copyright lawsuit
A federal judge in San Francisco has ruled that Anthropic's use of books to train its AI system was legal under the fair use doctrine. The decision follows a lawsuit brought last year against the AI firm by three authors, including best-selling mystery thriller writer Andrea Bartz, who accused it of stealing work to train its Claude AI model and build a multi-billion dollar business. In his ruling, Judge William Alsup said Anthropic's use of the authors' books was "exceedingly transformative" and therefore allowed under U.S. law. But he rejected Anthropic's request to dismiss the case, ruling the firm would have to stand trial over its use of pirated copies to build its library of material. In a statement, Anthropic said it was pleased by the judge's recognition that its use of the works was transformative, but disagreed with the decision to hold a trial about how some of the books were obtained and used.
LEGAL
Judge blocks Trump's union bargaining ban
A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at eliminating union bargaining rights for hundreds of thousands of federal workers. The ruling, which affects about 75% of federal employees represented by unions, was made in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Government Employees and other unions. James Donato said that the executive order was "likely illegal" and he has prevented around 20 agencies from implementing it while the case is ongoing. Eliminating collective bargaining would allow agencies to alter working conditions and fire or discipline workers more easily, and it could prevent unions from challenging Trump administration initiatives in court. The ruling follows a similar decision in Washington, D.C., where another judge halted the order's implementation at several key agencies.
L.A. city leaders prepare to file lawsuit over ‘unconstitutional' immigration enforcement
The city of Los Angeles is initiating legal action against the Trump administration to prevent federal agents from conducting unconstitutional stops and arrests. The proposal, backed by seven council members including Katy Yaroslavsky, aims to protect the civil rights of residents amid increasing immigration arrests. Yaroslavsky highlighted incidents where individuals claiming to be federal agents approached residents without proper identification, saying: “You can't do that under the 4th Amendment.” The city plans to model its lawsuit after a recent case by United Farm Workers, which alleged unlawful detentions by border patrol agents. The council has allocated $250,000 for legal support as tensions rise between local officials and the federal government. Yaroslavsky emphasized the need for local government intervention, observing: “If ever there were an instance where it made sense for local government to step in on behalf of our people, now is the time.”
HVAC technician wins $75m Kroger lawsuit
In a landmark case, HVAC technician Brian Mierendorf has been awarded over $75m by a Michigan jury after suffering severe injuries from a refrigerant explosion at a Kroger store in February 2022. Mr. Mierendorf, who has undergone 25 surgeries resulting in the amputation of several fingers, was attempting to protect customers when the incident occurred. His attorney, Jon Marko, stated: "Kroger had a ticking time bomb in its store... Unfortunately, it blew up on Brian." The jury's decision is considered one of the largest premises liability verdicts in Michigan, highlighting Kroger's failure to maintain safe conditions and proper training for its employees.
REMOTE WORK
Newsom considers pause on office return
California Governor Gavin Newsom is considering a temporary suspension of the state's return-to-office mandate for public employees after the Professional Engineers in California Government, representing around 14,000 state engineers, announced a deal that delays the mandate for one year. It was originally set to begin on July 1. Union executive director Ted Toppin said: “The package includes two pay raises and an immediate halt to the four-day return-to-office order for our members.” The agreement comes as Newsom seeks to address a $12bn budget deficit. The union previously contested the mandate, even filing a lawsuit, which it agreed to drop under the new terms. With contracts for five more public employee unions expiring soon, further negotiations may follow.
STRATEGY
Kennedy brings back CDC and NIH staff
U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he has rehired 722 employees who were laid off from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and 220 at the National Institutes of Health. "I brought 722 people back to CDC, I brought 220 people back to NIH because we were not able to perform our job," Kennedy told the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Health in a hearing on his department's 2026 budget request.
'Big Balls' out in the cold
Edward Coristine, a prominent 19-year-old employee of the U.S. DOGE Service, has resigned following the departure of his former boss, Elon Musk. Coristine previously worked at Neuralink and was involved in promoting AI within the federal government. His self-styled online persona, "Big Balls," became a meme during DOGE's controversial tenure, which included significant job cuts across federal agencies. Despite the leadership changes, the White House says that DOGE's mission will continue. Media reports have highlighted Coristine's past involvement in a hacker chat room and a previous job termination linked to a data leak.
ECONOMY
U.S. consumer confidence deteriorates on broad concerns about economy
U.S. consumer confidence slipped in June, reversing an improvement in May, according to the Conference Board. Its consumer-confidence index fell to 93, from 98.4 in May. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index increasing to 100. A measure of consumer expectations for the next six months dropped 4.6 points, as the share of respondents anticipating better business conditions fell by the most in more than two years. The gauge of present conditions fell 6.4 points. "The decline was broad-based across components, with consumers' assessments of the present situation and their expectations for the future both contributing to the deterioration," said Stephanie Guichard, senior economist, global indicators at the Conference Board. "Their appraisal of current job availability weakened for the sixth consecutive month but remained in positive territory."
HIRING
Consultants face tough job market
Thousands of private government consultants are facing a challenging job market as layoffs from the Trump administration's cost-cutting measures continue to impact employment. Job postings among major consulting firms have decreased by approximately 27% since 2023, with Booz Allen Hamilton and Deloitte reporting significant reductions in openings. Federal employment has also declined, with 22,000 jobs lost in May alone. Despite the downturn, some companies, like Accenture and IBM, are still hiring. Demand remains strong in sectors such as healthcare and cybersecurity, indicating potential opportunities for skilled workers.
INTERNATIONAL
Seafarers unite against harassment at sea
This year, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is highlighting harassment on its Day of the Seafarer (June 25). The issue is said to affect one in four seafarers during their careers. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said: "We have taken a decisive step to amend the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers Code." The code now mandates training on preventing violence and harassment. The IMO has also initiated a social media campaign to share success stories and promote a culture of respect among seafarers. V.Group CEO Rene Kofod-Olsen emphasised the importance of a positive workplace culture, saying: "We . . . cannot afford to make seafarer wellbeing an afterthought." The Global Maritime Forum says that clear policies and morale-boosting measures can help reduce harassment.
Telling employee their work is messy 'is not harassment'
An employment tribunal in east London has ruled that pointing out that an employee’s work is messy and mistake-ridden is not harassment. The ruling came in the case of Thomas Shevlin, a senior HR operations manager at publishing firm John Wiley & Sons, who claimed he was left “devastated, hurt and profoundly upset” after he was told by his boss that his work was messy and required improvement.  Shevlin said that any errors were a result of his ADHD and accused Rebecca Roycroft of discrimination and harassment. The tribunal disagreed. Employment judge David Massarella said: “The making of spelling and grammar errors in professional documents is, self-evidently, a weakness . . . We consider that [Shevlin's] response, and that sense of grievance, to be unjustified having regard these anodyne comments. In our judgment, there was no unfavorable treatment. If a manager cannot be explicit about a weakness in performance, there is a risk that an entirely well meant warning will not be taken onboard by the employee.”
OTHER
Weight loss drug is causing people to lose their vision, lawsuits claim
Two women from Massachusetts have filed federal lawsuits against Novo Nordisk, claiming that the weight-loss drug Wegovy caused them permanent vision loss due to Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION). The lawsuits, filed on June 6 in U.S. District Court in Trenton, allege that the company failed to adequately warn about the risks associated with the medication. One plaintiff, a 59-year-old woman, reported losing vision in her right eye after using Wegovy, while another woman, aged 61, experienced similar damage after switching from Saxenda to Wegovy. Both women accuse Novo Nordisk of prioritizing profits over patient safety, saying that the company marketed the drug as a “miracle” treatment while downplaying serious risks. The lawsuits seek damages for personal injury, emotional distress, and medical expenses.
 


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