Articles by Brian K. Sullivan

Hurricane Milton Nears Category 5 Strength as It Menaces Florida

Hurricane Milton is on track to become a catastrophic Category 5 storm as it rakes Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on a path toward Florida’s western coastline, where evacuations are underway in a region still recovering from Helene’s devastation. The storm’s top …

Shkreli Bid to Overturn $65 Million Daraprim Award Rejected by Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court left in place a $65 million antitrust judgment against Martin Shkreli, the “Pharma Bro” who served almost seven years in prison for defrauding investors. The justices without comment turned away Shkreli’s bid to overturn the award …

Utilities’ Extreme Plan to Stop Wildfires: Shut Off the Power

A growing number of utilities are resorting to an extreme measure to prevent their equipment from sparking catastrophic wildfires: turning off the power. Electric companies serving about 24 million homes and businesses across the fire-prone US West now have plans …

GM Halts Vehicle Production at Two US Plants Due to Hurricane Helene

General Motors has temporarily halted truck and SUV production at two assembly plants in Texas and Michigan because of impacts to its suppliers due to Hurricane Helene, the automaker said Friday. The Detroit automaker said production at Flint Assembly and …

Long COVID Claims Still Impact California’s Workers Comp System, Report Shows

The impact and surge of long-term COVID on the California workers’ compensation system since 2020 has been prevalent, including long-term impacts on disability and long-term patterns of medical cost and treatment on long COVID claims. That’s from a report by …

CoreLogic Increases Total Insured Loss Estimate From Hurricane Helene to $10.5B-$17.5B

Total insured loss from Hurricane Helene is now estimated at between $10.5 billion and $17.5 billion—a figure that continues to grow as more damages are assessed, pushing catastrophe modelers to continually revise estimates upward. The estimate out from CoreLogic on …

Smith & Wesson Gets Supreme Court Review on Mexico Gun Suit

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider tossing out a Mexican government lawsuit accusing Smith & Wesson Brands Inc. and other gunmakers of facilitating firearm sales to people connected to the country’s violent drug cartels. In a case that could bolster …

The US’s Flood Insurance Program Is Making More Repeat Payouts

When Hurricane Helene barreled ashore last week, it caused devastating flooding across the southeastern U.S., including in the Shore Acres area of St. Petersburg, Florida. The neighborhood saw 6 feet of storm surge, which flooded roads and homes. It was …

Mayorkas Warns FEMA Doesn’t Have Enough Funding to Last Through Hurricane Season

The Federal Emergency Management Agency can meet immediate needs but does not have enough funding to make it through the hurricane season, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters this week. The agency is being stretched as it works with …

NHTSA Opens Probe into 360K Ford SUVs Over Loss of Braking

A U.S. auto safety regulator said on Friday it was investigating 368,309 Ford crossover SUVs in the country over loss of braking caused by rear brake hose failure. The preliminary evaluation covers some Ford Edge crossovers from model years 2015-2017, …