The Biden administration is floating a long-awaited proposal to make cigarettes less addictive by capping their nicotine levels.

The Food and Drug Administration has authorized the first menthol-flavored electronic cigarettes for adult smokers.

Minnesota has announced a settlement in its lawsuit against Juul Labs and tobacco giant Altria.

Days after exiting its stake in troubled electronic cigarette maker Juul Labs, Altria announced a $2.75 billion investment in electronic cigarette startup NJOY Holdings Inc. As part of the deal, tobacco company Altria Group Inc., which makes Marlboro cigarettes, will have full global ownership of NJOY’s e-vapor product portfolio, including pod-based e-vapor product NJOY ACE.

Electronic cigarette maker Juul Labs has reached settlements covering more than 8,000 cases brought by about 10,000 plaintiffs related to its vaping products.

Embattled vaping company Juul Labs is announcing layoffs as the company tries to navigate growing setbacks to its electronic cigarette business.

(CNN) - Juul on Tuesday announced another major restructuring effort that includes layoffs and deep cost-cutting. Juul has agreed to pause its marketing effort as regulators claim the company was trying to push its products on teens. Juul said it would cut 150 jobs and phase out the position of chief marketing officer, adding to 500 reductions announced in October. Crosthwaite issued that same statement last month when he announced the departure of four executives, including the chief marketing officer, chief financial officer, senior vice president of advanced technologies and chief administrative officer. Several states are moving to ban e-cigarettes altogether and top retailers, like Walmart, have announced they would no longer sell vaping products.

Altria's big investment in Juul isn't looking so hot now amid growing concerns about health risks tied to vaping and a broad regulatory crackdown on e-cigarettes. But the tobacco giant is unlikely to give up on Juul anytime soon. (CNN) - Leading e-cigarette company Juul Labs will stop selling several flavored products in the United States, the company announced Thursday. This latest move comes after the Trump Administration announced the US Food and Drug Administration would issue guidance that would remove flavors from the market. It also comes amid efforts to ban the sale of flavored products in some states.

The timing couldn't be better for the new nicotine product, as scrutiny grows around smokeless alternatives like e-cigarettes. Altria said it plans to expand sales of the "heatsticks" to other retailers like Circle K and Speedways. Smoke-free products now account for 14% of the company's net revenue as cigarette sales are falling. And the sector keeps growing: Electronic cigarette sales in the US nearly doubled to $4.5 billion in the 52 weeks ending August 24. Tobacco cigarette sales fell 3% to $59.3 billion during the same time period, according to figures from market research firm Nielsen.

Altria's big investment in Juul isn't looking so hot now amid growing concerns about health risks tied to vaping and a broad regulatory crackdown on e-cigarettes. (CNN) - Altria's big investment in Juul isn't looking so hot now amid growing concerns about health risks tied to vaping and a broad regulatory crackdown on e-cigarettes. Tobacco cigarette sales fell 3% to $59.3 billion during the same time period. Altria CEO Howard Willard admitted as much in a speech at The Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum conference in Washington on Wednesday. But Altria has other non-traditional products in store even if there is a further crackdown on Juul and vaping.

Imperial Brands warned Thursday that sales growth will be lower than expected in the year ending September 30, following a regulatory crackdown on vaping products in the United States. According to the company's most recent annual report, sales of vaping products "grew substantially" to reach 200 million ($250 million) in 2018. Yet that translated to just 2.6% of its total revenue of 7.7 billion ($9.5 billion) from vaping products and traditional tobacco brands such as Salem and Kool. The crackdown on products that tobacco companies view as the future of the industry represents a rapid reversal. Last week, US retail giant Walmart announced that it would no longer sell vaping products.

Altria and Philip Morris had announced in late August that they were considering a merger. Altria and Philip Morris broke up in 2007. Philip Morris has repeatedly said it hopes to one day to no longer sell traditional cigarettes. Altria, in addition to its Juul stake, already has a deal with Philip Morris to sell iQOS devices in the United States. Still, Philip Morris and Altria said Wednesday they remain committed to their iQOS partnership.

Scott Olson/Getty Images(CNN) - Juul co-founder Kevin Burns is out as CEO of the embattled maker of e-cigarettes, the company announced Wednesday. Crosthwaite, who had been chief growth officer at tobacco company Altria, a major investor in Juul. Juul and other makers of vaping products are facing a crisis due to a growing number of deaths and illnesses tied to their products. The company also said Wednesday it has a new marketing strategy: It will suspend all TV, print and digital ads and it will stop some of its lobbying efforts. The-CNN-Wire & 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company.

Scott Olson/Getty Images(CNN) - Philip Morris International and Altria which used to be one, giant tobacco company may merge once again. Both companies sell the Marlboro brand: Philip Morris sells tobacco products internationally and Altria does business in the United States. Philip Morris is currently valued at about $115 billion, while Altria has a market capitalization of over $85 billion. Philip Morris has repeatedly said it hopes to one day to no longer sell traditional cigarettes. Philip Morris and Altria's reunification would mirror that of the media titans Viacom and CBS, which recently agreed to reunite after a decade-long split.