National News

Midwest Floods Hammer Ethanol Industry, Push Gasoline Prices to 5-Year High

The March floods that punished the U.S. Midwest have trapped barrels of ethanol in the country’s interior, causing shortages of the biofuel and helping to boost gasoline prices in the western United States. The historic floods have dealt a series …

Opioid Evangelist Switches Sides in Case Alleging Pharma Abuse

A doctor who was an early evangelist for increased use of highly addictive opioids like OxyContin to treat chronic pain — and who was paid to promote the idea — has switched sides and now says drug makers helped to …

Johnson & Johnson Wins Trial Over California Talc-Cancer Claim

Johnson & Johnson won the latest trial over claims its iconic baby powder can cause cancer, as a jury in Long Beach, California, rejected a lawsuit brought by a 65-year-old retired teacher who claimed the product was contaminated with asbestos. …

Radar Data Analysis Pinpoints Precipitation Risk for Vehicle Fatalities

A stormy nation is expected to become even stormier, bringing rain and snow that is known to increase the number of vehicle accidents. The exact degree of increased risk has been the subject of numerous studies, but most of them …

Boeing to Slash 737 Jet Output as Crash Halts Deliveries

Boeing Co. will cut output of its 737 jetliners by mid-April and is creating a special board panel to review safety and design after two fatal crashes prompted regulators worldwide to ground the newest and best-selling member of the aircraft …

Sorry, Laws Protecting Doctors Who Apologize Don’t Lessen Litigation

Laws intended to reduce malpractice litigation by protecting doctors who want to apologize don’t work, according to a new Vanderbilt analysis of proprietary insurance data. It turns out people sue for money and an apology doesn’t change that reality. In …

Chicago Will Sue Actor Jussie Smollett after He Refuses to Pay for Police Overtime

LOS ANGELES — Chicago will sue actor Jussie Smollett for the costs of police overtime spent investigating his claims that he was the victim of a hate crime, which prosecutors say were false, a city official said on Thursday. The …

FAA Chief Defends 737 MAX Safety Inspectors from Whistleblower

The acting top U.S. aviation regulator defended the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday from charges by an unnamed agency employee who told congressional investigators that aviation safety inspectors that worked on the certification of now-grounded Boeing 737 MAX may have …

Edmunds: Safety Tech is Making Auto Repairs More Costly

Vehicle safety technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Today’s cars can watch your blind spot, help keep you in your lane, automatically hit the brakes in an emergency, and more. But while the technology helps prevent accidents, there …

Opioid Crisis ‘Kingpin’ Is Oklahoma’s New Target in Lawsuit

About the photo: Opium poppy plants in a field in Tasmania, Australia. Oklahoma is claiming that as the prior owner of poppy fields in Tasmania, Johnson & Johnson “acted as a ringleader” in a scheme to flood the state with …

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