Ryan Farrick is a freelance writer and small business advertising consultant based out of mid-Michigan. Passionate about international politics and world affairs, he’s an avid traveler with a keen interest in the connections between South Asia and the United States. Ryan studied neuroscience and has spent the last several years working as an operations manager in transportation logistics.


Harvey Weinstein Asks for Actress Ashley Judd’s Lawsuit to be Dismissed

Harvey Weinstein is trying to wrangle his way out of a lawsuit brought by actress Ashley Judd. Attorneys for the disgraced producer say Judd’s claims that Weinstein tried to damage her career after rejecting him are ‘baseless’ and filed long after the misdeeds allegedly took place. The New York Times writes that lawyers looked into


Michigan State Settlement with Nassar Survivors Contained Bizarre Legislative Provisions

Part of Michigan State University’s massive $500 million settlement with the victims of former physician Larry Nassar includes a provision that’d stop the state legislature from passing related reforms on sexual assault. MLive.com indicates that previous reports had suggested that the victims themselves would be prevented from lobbying for reform. In reality, the settlement documents


Government Tries to Stop ‘Climate Kids’ Lawsuit from Moving Ahead

Officials from the Trump administration are trying to block the so-called ‘Climate Kids’ lawsuit from moving forward. Entitled Juliana v. United States, the suit assumes that the United States and its government is responsible for man-made climate change. KOIN.com notes that, importantly, the plaintiffs aren’t arguing that fault stems from a failure to act—rather, the


Trump’s Immigration Policy Costs HHS Tens of Millions

A Wednesday report from POLITICO suggests that the costs of President Donald Trump’s immigration policy may be more than just moral. The Department of Health and Human Services, charged with overseeing detained migrants and youth, has ‘quietly dipped into tens of millions of dollars to pay’ for consequences of stringent border security. Since May, the


Migrants Detained Under ‘Zero-Tolerance’ Launch Lawsuit Against Trump Administration

Migrants detained under the Trump administration’s ‘zero-tolerance’ policy have launched a lawsuit against the federal government, alleging unsanitary living conditions in detention facilities. Filed Monday in U.S. District Court in California, accusations detail being fed inedible food and being forced to drink ‘dirty’ water. NPR says the suit includes testimony from 200 individuals, many of


Democratic Senators Investigate Smart Televisions Amid Privacy Concerns

Democrat senators are asking federal regulators to investigate the manufacturers of smart televisions amid worries that the devices are collecting more personal information than previously though. In a letter sent Thursday to Joseph Simons, chairmen of the Federal Trade Commission, Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) voiced their concerns about “consumer privacy



CFPB Accuses Education Department of Protecting Abusive Student Loan Servicer from Lawsuit

The nation’s beleaguered Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is accusing the Education Department of impeding a lawsuit ‘that could bring relief to millions of student loan borrowers.’ The Associated Press reports that the kerfuffle stems from the CFPB’s attempts to sue Navient Solutions. Navient, the nation’s largest server of student loans, has attracted criticism for its


Oil Executives Protest Climate Change Lawsuits

Oil company executives are resisting a recent wave of state-level litigation aimed at making the energy industry pay for the costs of climate change. “It’s sort of bizarre that the users of our products say: “Well, actually, we didn’t want your product. So why did you force it on us?” Shell CEO Ben van Beurden


State Prisons Won’t Treat Curable Hepatitis C for 144,000 Inmates

State prisons across America are abandoning their healthcare obligations to at least 144,000 inmates diagnosed with Hepatitis C nationwide. Hepatitis C, writes The Washington Post, is a curable but potentially fatal liver disease. The conclusion came as part of a survey offered to state corrections departments. Many of the 49 states which partook in the