Uncertainty follows court's rejection of Purdue opioids deal
A federal judge’s decision to reject a multibillion dollar opioid settlement involving OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is being hailed as a step toward justice by advocates who have long called for greater accountability for the family that owns the company.
Planning questions emerge at tornado-destroyed candle plant
The Mayfield Consumer Products factory was the third-biggest employer in this corner of western Kentucky, an important economic engine that churned out candles that lined the shelves of malls around the U.S. But why its Friday night-shift workers kept making candles as a ferocious tornado bore down on the region remains unknown as rescuers continue scouring the wreckage of the plant for signs of life.
Greyhound settles lawsuit over immigration sweeps on buses
Greyhound Lines Inc. will pay $2.2 million to settle a lawsuit over the bus line’s practice of allowing U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to board its buses in Washington state to conduct warrantless immigration sweeps, the state attorney general said Monday. The bus company failed to warn customers of the sweeps, misrepresented its role in allowing the sweeps to occur and subjected its passengers to discrimination based on skin color or national origin, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said. The money will provide restitution to passengers who were detained, arrested or deported after immigration agents boarded buses at the Spokane Intermodal Center.
news.yahoo.comTrial to determine if GEO must pay detainees minimum wage
After nearly four years of litigation and pandemic-related delays, a trial is underway to determine whether the GEO Group must pay minimum wage to detainees who perform cooking, cleaning and other tasks at its Northwest immigration detention center in Washington state.
AP Source: McKinsey to pay $573M for role in opioid crisis
The global business consulting firm McKinsey & Company has agreed to a $573 million settlement over its role in the opioid crisis, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. Without naming McKinsey, the attorneys general in at least North Carolina and West Virginia have scheduled announcements for Thursday morning regarding the opioid crisis. Purdue agreed to pay $225 million to the U.S. government. Members of the Sackler family who own the company agreed to pay the same amount in a separate settlement announced the same day. The company and family members reached separate agreements with U.S. Justice Department, both announced Oct. 21, 2020.
Judge orders Postal Service to take extraordinary measures
Postal Service facility in McLean, Va. A U.S. judge on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, blocked controversial Postal Service changes that have slowed mail nationwide. The judge called them "a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service" before the November election. Postal Service to take “extraordinary measures” to deliver ballots in time to be counted in Wisconsin and around Detroit, including using a priority mail service. “The Postal Service continues to implement extraordinary measures across the country to advance and expedite the delivery of the nation’s ballots." Postal Service that challenged the Postal Service's so-called “leave behind” policy, where trucks have been leaving postal facilities on time regardless of whether there is more mail to load.
DOJ nearing antitrust action on Google; Trump eyes tech curb
WASHINGTON – As the Trump administration moves toward antitrust action against search giant Google, it’s campaigning to enlist support from sympathetic state attorneys general across the country. Lawmakers and consumer advocates accuse Google of abusing its dominance in online search and advertising to stifle competition and boost its profits. Separately, the Justice Department's antitrust officials are expected to discuss their planned action on Google in Washington meetings and a conference call with the state attorneys general on Thursday. Some Republican attorneys general could be expected to join the federal case, while another group of states may opt to pursue their own actions. Antitrust regulators in Europe have cracked down on Google in recent years by imposing multibillion-dollar fines and ordering changes to its practices.
States ask judge to reverse changes at US Postal Service
FILE - In this April 2, 2020 file photo, a United States Postal Service worker makes a delivery with gloves and a mask in Warren, Mich. A group of states suing over service cuts at the U.S. Postal Service is asking a federal judge to immediately undo some of them, saying the integrity of the upcoming election is at stake. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya,File)SEATTLE – A group of states suing over service cuts at the U.S. Postal Service is asking a federal judge to immediately undo some of them, saying the integrity of the upcoming election is at stake. Michigan spent $2 million earlier this year on envelopes that met election mail standards — only to learn that the Postal Service wouldn't treat them as First Class mail.
Postal Service halts some changes amid outcry, lawsuits
Several vowed they would press on, keeping a watchful eye on the Postal Service ahead of the election. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pushing ahead with Saturdays vote to prevent election-year mail changes and provide emergency postal funds. A Postal Service spokesman declined to comment beyond DeJoys statement. Ferguson and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced they were leading collections of other states in suing to block service changes at the Postal Service, just as the postmaster was making his own statement Tuesday. The Postal Service is among the nations oldest and more popular institutions.
Reports: Washington to shed 'Redskins' name Monday
FILE - In this Dec. 22, 2019, file photo, the Washington Redskins logo is seen on FedEx Field prior to an NFL football game between the New York Giants and the Redskins in Landover, Md. Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson says Seattle-based Amazon will begin pulling Redskins team merchandise from its online marketplace. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally, File)ASHBURN, Va. Washingtons NFL team will get rid of the name Redskins on Monday, according to multiple reports. USA Today, ESPN, The Washington Post, Washington Times and Sports Business Journal reported Sunday night that owner Dan Snyder is set to retire the name. That came in the aftermath of prominent sponsors FedEx, Nike, PepsiCo and Bank of America asking the team to change the name.
Washington AG sues Facebook over political ads
REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoSAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Washington states attorney general filed a second lawsuit against Facebook Inc over political ads on Tuesday, saying the social media giant once again failed to make disclosures required under the states campaign finance laws. Facebook already paid $238,000 in 2018 to resolve a previous dispute over political advertising in Washington state. The company announced later that year that it would stop accepting political ads related to state or local initiatives in Washington, although it still permitted advertisements around issues of national importance targeting people in the state. In a statement on Tuesday, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said that Facebook had continued selling hundreds of ads to at least 171 state political committees since 2018, in violation of its own policy. A Facebook spokeswoman said the company aimed to work with authorities in Washington to resolve the dispute.
feeds.reuters.comWashington sues feds over courthouse immigration arrests
Washington state has sued the Trump administration over its practice of arresting people at courthouses for immigration violations, saying it interferes with the state's authority to run its judicial system. It says when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents patrol courthouse hallways and parking lots it deters crime victims and witnesses from testifying and interferes with criminal prosecutions. A similar lawsuit by prosecutors in Massachusetts has resulted in a preliminary court order blocking immigration agents from making civil arrests at courthouses there. The University of Washington's Center for Human Rights said in a report in October that it had documented 51 reported immigration arrests at courthouses in the state since 2016. The Washington Supreme Court has also asked federal immigration authorities to stop making courthouse arrests.
chicagotribune.comBy his count, Washington attorney general hasnt lost a case against Trump yet
When President Trump announced his original Muslim travel ban on a Friday in early 2017, Washington Atty. He said that suits against the Trump administration cost taxpayers a negligible amount because theyre funded by proceeds from civil enforcement. Washington state has about 17,000 of these Dreamers, and the attorney general has heard from many. Ferguson, shown in his Seattle office Sept. 19, leafs through letters that hes received concerning his lawsuits against the Trump administration. He pens responses to each handwritten one from a Washington state resident, sometimes including a note from his 11-year-old daughter, Katie.
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