FTC Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees to Take Effect on May 12, 2025 - Federal Trade Commission
FTC staff has published FAQs to help inform consumers and businesses about the Rule
Staff of the Federal Trade Commission published Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) designed to provide consumers and businesses with information regarding the agency’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, which takes effect on May 12, 2025.
The Rule prohibits bait-and-switch pricing and other tactics used to hide total prices and mislead people about fees in the live-event ticketing and short-term lodging industries. These unfair and deceptive pricing practices can harm consumers and undercut businesses trying to compete fairly on price. The Rule also furthers President Trump’s Executive Order on Combating Unfair Practices in the Live Entertainment Market by ensuring price transparency at all stages of the live-event ticket-purchase process, including the secondary ticketing market.
The Final Rule preserves flexibility for businesses by not prohibiting any type or amount of fee or specific pricing strategies. Rather, it requires that businesses that advertise prices tell consumers the whole truth up-front about total prices and fees.
The FAQs provide guidance on such topics as:
• What businesses are covered by the Rule and the Rule’s basic requirements;
• Examples of live-ticketing events and short-term lodging covered by the Rule;
• The mandatory fees or charges that must be included in the total price;
• Which fees or charges can be excluded from the total price;
• A description of optional add-on goods or services and how the Rule applies to these charges;
• How business can disclose pricing information “clearly and conspicuously”; and
• Examples of misrepresentations that may violate the Rule.
The document serves as the small entity compliance guide under the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act and represents the staff’s view of the Rule’s requirements.
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Federal Register Notices:
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Temporary Steel Fencing From the People's Republic of China: Postponement of Preliminary Determination of Countervailing Duty Investigation
• Certain Softwood Lumber Products From Canada: Notice of Amended Final Results of Countervailing Duty Expedited Review; Notice of Exclusion From Countervailing Duty Order
• Light-Walled Rectangular Pipe and Tube From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review and Final Determination of No Shipments; 2022
• Certain Chassis and Subassemblies Thereof From Mexico and Thailand: Postponement of Preliminary Determinations in the Countervailing Duty Investigations
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or Suspended Investigation; Opportunity To Request Administrative Review and Join Annual Inquiry Service List
• Light-Walled Rectangular Pipe and Tube From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Final Determination of No Shipments; 2022-2023
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Certain Pre-Stretched Synthetic Braiding Hair and Packaging Therefor; Notice of a Commission Determination Not To Review Initial Determination Terminating Active Respondents From the Investigation Based on Withdrawal of the Complaint; Request for Written Submissions on Remedy, the Public Interest, and Bonding as to Defaulting Respondents
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Certain Passenger Vehicle and Light Truck Tires From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results and Partial Rescission of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2023
• Multilayered Wood Flooring From the People's Republic of China: Rescission of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2023
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Ceramic Tile From India; Termination of Investigation
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Certain Cased Pencils From the People's Republic of China: Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2023-2024
• Forged Steel Fluid End Blocks From Italy: Preliminary Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2023
• Certain Passenger Vehicle and Light Truck Tires From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Final Determination of No Shipments; 2022-2023
• Certain Corrosion-Resistant Steel Products From Taiwan: Final Results of the Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2022-2023
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Certain Electronic Computing Devices and Components Thereof; Notice of a Commission Determination To Review a Final Initial Determination Finding No Violation of Section 337; Request for Written Submissions on the Issues Under Review and on Remedy, the Public Interest, and Bonding
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Disposable Aluminum Containers, Pans, Trays, and Lids From the People's Republic of China: Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders
• Sales at Less Than Fair Value; Determinations, Investigations, etc.: Active Anode Material From the People's Republic of China: Postponement of Preliminary Determination in the Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigation
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Polypropylene Corrugated Boxes From China and Vietnam
• Corrosion-Resistant Steel Products From Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Netherlands, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam; Scheduling of the Final Phase of Countervailing Duty and Antidumping Duty Investigations
• Certain Dryer Wall Exhaust Vent Assemblies and Components Thereof; Notice of a Commission Determination Not To Review an Initial Determination Finding the Sole Respondent in Default; Request for Written Submissions on Remedy, the Public Interest, and Bonding
• Certain Drug Products Containing C-Type Natriuretic Peptide Variants and Components Thereof; Notice of Institution of Investigation
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: 1-Hydroxyethylidene-1, 1-Diphosphonic Acid From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Circumvention
• Certain Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Products From the People's Republic of China: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With the Results of the Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; Notice of Amended Final Results
• Utility Scale Wind Towers From the Republic of Korea: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2022-2023
• Passenger Vehicle and Light Truck Tires From the Republic of Korea: Final Results of the Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2022-2023
• Certain Steel Threaded Rod From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of the Expedited Third Sunset Review of the Antidumping Duty Order
• Sales at Less Than Fair Value; Determinations, Investigations, etc.: Certain Corrosion-Resistant Steel Products From the Republic of Türkiye: Amended Preliminary Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value
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Regulatory Relief to Promote Domestic Production of Critical Medicines - The White House
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Purpose. During my first term, my Administration took unprecedented action to improve the well-being of the American people by restoring capacity for domestic production of critical pharmaceutical products. Notably, in Executive Order 13944 of August 6, 2020 (Combating Public Health Emergencies and Strengthening National Security By Ensuring Essential Medicines, Medical Countermeasures, and Critical Inputs Are Made In The United States), I directed each executive department and agency involved in the procurement of Essential Medicines, Medical Countermeasures, and Critical Inputs to take a variety of actions to increase their domestic procurement of Essential Medicines, Medical Countermeasures, and Critical Inputs, as defined in section 7 of that order, and to identify vulnerabilities in our Nation’s supply chains for these products. Unfortunately, the prior administration did too little to advance these goals. Critical barriers and information gaps persist in establishing a domestic, resilient, and affordable pharmaceutical supply chain for American patients.
One key area of concern is the length of time it takes to build pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in the United States today. New construction must navigate myriad Federal, State, and local requirements ranging from building standards and zoning restrictions to environmental protocols that together diminish the certainty needed to generate investment for large manufacturing projects. For pharmaceutical manufacturing, these barriers are heightened by unannounced inspections of domestic manufacturers by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which are more frequent than such inspections at international facilities. Industry estimates suggest that building new manufacturing capacity for pharmaceuticals and critical inputs may take as long as 5 to 10 years, which is unacceptable from a national security standpoint. Even expanding existing capacity or modifying existing production lines to produce new or different products requires extensive permitting and regulatory approval, making it more difficult to repurpose existing underutilized pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity available domestically.
It is in the best interest of the Nation to eliminate regulatory barriers to the domestic production of the medicines Americans need. My Administration will work to make the United States the most competitive nation in the world for the manufacture of safe and effective pharmaceutical products.
Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States that the regulation of manufacturing pharmaceutical products and inputs be streamlined to facilitate the restoration of a robust domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing base.
Sec. 3. Streamlining Review of Domestic Pharmaceutical Manufacturing by the Food and Drug Administration. Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs (FDA Commissioner), shall review existing regulations and guidance that pertain to the development of domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing and shall take steps to eliminate any duplicative or unnecessary requirements in such regulations and guidance; maximize the timeliness and predictability of agency review; and streamline and accelerate the development of domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing. The FDA Commissioner’s review shall encompass all regulations and guidance that apply to the inspection and approval of new and expanded manufacturing capacity, emerging technologies that enable the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products, active pharmaceutical ingredients, key starting materials, and associated raw materials in the United States. The FDA Commissioner shall:
(a) evaluate the current risk-based approach to prior approval of licensure inspections, including when such inspections are necessary, and seek to improve upon this approach to ensure all required inspections are prompt, efficient, and limited to what is necessary to ensure compliance with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and other Federal law;
(b) identify and undertake measures necessary to expand, as practicable, existing programs that provide early technical advice before a facility is operational;
(c) identify and undertake measures necessary to improve enforcement of data reporting under section 510(j)(3) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 360(j)(3)), including consideration of publicly displaying the list of facilities, including foreign facilities, that are not in compliance;
(d) provide clearer guidance regarding the requirements or recommendations for site changes, including moving production from a foreign to domestic facility, and validation of new or updated components necessary in manufacturing; and
(e) review and, as appropriate, seek to update any other relevant compliance policies, guidance documents, and regulations.
Sec. 4. Enhancing Inspection of Foreign Manufacturing Facilities. Within 90 days of the date of this order, the FDA Commissioner shall develop and advance improvements to the risk-based inspection regime that ensures routine reviews of overseas manufacturing facilities involved in the supply of United States medicines, which shall be funded by increased fees on foreign manufacturing facilities to the extent consistent with applicable law. Additionally, the FDA Commissioner shall publicly disclose the annual number of inspections that the FDA conducts on such foreign facilities, with specific detail by country and by manufacturer.
Sec. 5. Streamlining Review of Domestic Pharmaceutical Manufacturing by the Environmental Protection Agency. Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shall take action to update regulations and guidance that apply to the inspection and approval of new and expanded manufacturing capacity of pharmaceutical products, active pharmaceutical ingredients, key starting materials, and associated raw materials in the United States to eliminate any duplicative or unnecessary requirements and maximize the timeliness and predictability of agency review.
Sec. 6. Centralized Coordination of Environmental Permits to Expand Domestic Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Capacity. For purposes of 42 U.S.C. 4336a, the EPA shall be the lead agency for the permitting of pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities that require preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., unless that role is assumed by another agency. The lead agency shall designate a single point of contact within the agency to coordinate with permit applicants. The Office of Management and Budget shall coordinate with the lead agency and with other relevant agencies and the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Committee, as needed, to expedite the review and approval of relevant permits.
Sec. 7. Streamlining Review of Domestic Pharmaceutical Manufacturing by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, shall review the nationwide permits issued under section 404 of the Clean Water Act of 1972 (33 U.S.C. 1344) and section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403) to determine whether an activity-specific nationwide permit is needed to facilitate the efficient permitting of pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities.
Sec. 8. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
(d) The Department of Health and Human Services shall provide funding for publication of this order in the Federal Register.
DONALD J. TRUMP
THE WHITE HOUSE, May 5, 2025.
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Imposition of Import Restrictions on Archaeological and Ethnological Material of Uzbekistan - USCBP/Federal Register
Imposition of Import Restrictions on Archaeological and Ethnological Material of Uzbekistan
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Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint - TSA
Adult passengers 18 and older must show valid identification at the airport checkpoint in order to travel.
The list of acceptable IDs is subject to change without notice. TSA strongly encourages you check this list again before traveling, so you do not arrive at the airport without acceptable ID.
• Driver's licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)
o Beginning May 7, 2025, if you plan to use your state-issued ID or license to fly within the U.S., it must be REAL ID compliant. If you are not sure if your ID complies with REAL ID, check with your state department of motor vehicles.
o A temporary driver’s license is not an acceptable form of identification
• State-issued Enhanced Driver's License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)
• U.S. passport
• U.S. passport card
• DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
• Permanent resident card
• Border crossing card
• An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs).
• HSPD-12 PIV card
• Foreign government-issued passport
• Canadian provincial driver's license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
• Transportation worker identification credential
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
• U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
• Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
REAL ID
Starting on May 7, 2025, a state-issued driver’s license or ID that is not REAL ID compliant will no longer be accepted as a valid form of identification at airports.
Passengers traveling after this enforcement deadline should either travel with an acceptable alternative form of ID, like a passport, or enroll for a state-issued REAL ID through their state DMV offices.
Passengers who present a state-issued identification that is not REAL ID compliant at TSA checkpoints and who do not have another acceptable alternative form of ID will be notified of their non-compliance, may be directed to a separate area and may receive additional screening. This includes TSA PreCheck passengers.
Don’t Have Your Acceptable ID?
The TSA officer may ask you to complete an identity verification process which includes collecting information such as your name and current address to confirm your identity. If your identity is confirmed, you will be allowed to enter the screening checkpoint, where you may be subject to additional screening.
You will not be allowed to enter the security checkpoint if you choose to not provide acceptable identification, you decline to cooperate with the identity verification process, or your identity cannot be confirmed.
Expired ID
TSA currently accepts expired ID up to two years after expiration, for the above listed forms of identification.
Children
TSA does not require children under 18 to provide identification when traveling within the United States. Contact the airline for questions regarding specific ID requirements for travelers under 18.
Names With Suffixes
TSA accepts variations on suffixes on boarding passes and ID. Suffixes are not required on boarding passes. If there is a suffix on the boarding pass, and there is not one on the ID or vice versa, that is considered an acceptable variation.
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Counterfeit Watches Worth Over $9 Million and 4,345 Counterfeit Licenses Seized by CBP Officers in Chicago - U.S. Customs & Border Protection
CHICAGO — During the month of April, Chicago U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at the International Mail Facility, the Express Consignment Operations hub, the Cargo Examination Station, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport intercepted 145 shipments of counterfeit watches and 340 shipments containing counterfeit driver’s licenses.
All 485 shipments came from Hong Kong and China. In total CBP officers seized 516 counterfeit watches bearing the logos of Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier, Omega, Audemars Piguet, and others. The items were deemed to be counterfeit by CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts, and if genuine, would have had a combined Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price over $9.22 million.
“Intellectual property theft threatens America’s economic vitality and funds criminal activities as well as organized crime,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director of Field Operations, Chicago Field Office. “Our employees are dedicated to protecting private industry and consumers by removing these kinds of goods from our commerce.”
The rapid growth of e-commerce enables consumers to search for and easily purchase millions of products through online vendors, but this easy access gives counterfeit and pirated goods more ways to enter the U.S. economy. U.S. consumers spend more than $100 billion every year on intellectual property rights (IPR) infringing goods, falling victim to approximately 20% of the counterfeits that are illegally sold worldwide.
CBP officers also stopped 340 shipments of counterfeit driver’s licenses in April. In total, they seized 4,345 counterfeit licenses destined to locations across the U.S.
Counterfeit documents are fake documents that have the appearance of legal documentation but are not issued by a legitimate organization or government agency and are not recognized in the United States as official travel or identification instruments. Only two companies have authorization by the U.S. Department of State to print international driver’s licenses in the United States: The American Automobile Association (AAA) or American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA).
“These counterfeit driver’s licenses can lead to disastrous consequences,” said Michael Pfeiffer, Area Port Director, Chicago. “Foreign Terrorist Organizations, criminal organizations, and persons involved in fraud schemes use these counterfeit IDs to avoid attracting attention to their illegal activities. Our CBP officers were able to identify these very realistic counterfeits and stop them from reaching their destinations.”
Trade in counterfeit and pirated goods threatens America’s innovation economy, the competitiveness of our businesses, the livelihoods of U.S. workers, and, in some cases, national security and the health and safety of consumers. To combat the entry of counterfeit and pirated goods into America, CBP targets and seizes imports of counterfeit and pirated goods and enforces exclusion orders on patent-infringing and other IPR violative goods.
CBP’s border security mission is led at 328 ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations. Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders.
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Treasury Sanctions Burma Warlord and Militia Tied to Cyber Scam Operations - U.S. Department of Treasury
WASHINGTON — Today (5/5/25), the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the Karen National Army (KNA), a militia group in Burma, as a transnational criminal organization, along with the group’s leader Saw Chit Thu, and his two sons, Saw Htoo Eh Moo and Saw Chit Chit, for their role in facilitating cyber scams that harm U.S. citizens, human trafficking, and cross-border smuggling. The KNA-controlled region, located on the Thai-Burmese border, is home to multiple cyber scam syndicates, and the KNA has benefitted from its connection to Burma’s military in its criminal operations. Although statistics vary, American victims of cyber scams like the ones emanating from Burma have collectively lost billions of dollars over the last three years.
“Cyber scam operations, such as those run by the KNA, generate billions in revenue for criminal kingpins and their associates, while depriving victims of their hard-earned savings and sense of security,” said Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender. “Treasury is committed to using all available tools to disrupt these networks and hold accountable those who seek to profit from these criminal schemes.”
Today’s action is taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13581, as amended by E.O. 13863, which targets transnational criminal organizations and their supporters, as well as E.O. 14014, which targets persons who threaten the peace, security, and stability of Burma.
SOPHISTICATED CYBER SCAMS TARGETING AMERICANS
A significant portion of cyber scam operations targeting Americans and others around the globe emanate from Southeast Asia. This action follows FinCEN’s May 1, 2025 identification of Huione Group, a Cambodian financial institution, as a primary money laundering concern pursuant to Section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act. Huione Group has served as a critical node for laundering proceeds of cyber heists carried out by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and for transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) in Southeast Asia perpetrating convertible virtual currency (CVC) investment scams, commonly known as “pig butchering” scams, as well as other types of CVC-related scams. In September 2024, OFAC sanctioned Cambodian businessman Ly Yong Phat, his conglomerate L.Y.P. Group, and four of his hotels and resorts for their role in serious human rights abuse related to the mistreatment of trafficked workers in Cambodia-based scam centers. In September 2023, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) also published an alert about these virtual currency investment scams.
In these operations, scammers, who are often themselves lured or trafficked into prison-like call centers or retrofitted hotels and casinos, are forced—with threats of physical violence and humiliation—into scamming strangers online. The scams are elaborate. They often play out over the course of months while scammers build rapport with their victims. Initially, scammers exploit victims’ vulnerabilities like recent breakups, bereavement, or financial hardship and, in some cases, employ attractive models to assuage victims’ apprehension with the occasional videochat. Scammers present victims with hints of a wealthy, glamorous lifestyle and induce them to “invest” in bogus cryptocurrency and trading platforms controlled by the scammers themselves. Victims are shown fake “returns” on their investments and duped into investing greater and greater sums until the scammers go silent after stealing everything they can from their victims. Estimates indicate Americans are suffering increasing financial losses as a result of these sophisticated cyber scams emanating from Burma and other Southeast Asian countries, amounting to over $2 billion in 2022 and $3.5 billion in 2023.
A MILITIA-CONTROLLED HAVEN FOR CYBER SCAM OPERATIONS