Latest USA Headlines
All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Appeals Court Rejects Qualified Immunity for West Virginia Police in Excessive Force Suit
Jun 18 2020 // A federal appeals court has vacated part of a finding that cleared five West Virginia police officers on qualified immunity grounds in an excessive force lawsuit, which was filed by the estate of a homeless black man shot...
Lawmaker Wants Government to Require Masks for Airline Passengers
Jun 18 2020 // A U.S. senator said on Wednesday he was hoping for bipartisan support in Congress for mandatory rules on masks for air travel after the head of the Federal Aviation Administration again resisted calls for a mandate. While...
ATF Offers $70K in Reward Money for 14 Suspected in Minneapolis Fires
Jun 17 2020 // Federal agents are offering $70,000 in reward money for information that helps catch 14 people suspected of setting fires during protests following George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,...
Liability Waivers Not Always Effective But Employers Take ‘Better Safe Than Sorry’ View
Jun 17 2020 // As businesses reopen across the U.S. after coronavirus shutdowns, many are requiring customers and workers to sign forms saying they won’t sue if they catch COVID-19. Businesses fear they could be the target of...
Appeals Court Strikes Down Trump TV Ad Drug Price Rule
Jun 17 2020 // A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday upheld a ruling that struck down a Trump administration rule that required pharmaceutical companies to include the wholesale prices of their drugs in television advertisements. The U.S....
Russia Aims to Complete Nord Stream Gas Pipeline, Despite U.S. Objections
Jun 17 2020 // Russia’s Gazprom PJSC has made a request with the Danish government to deploy new vessels in the Baltic Sea for work on the disputed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Denmark’s environmental protection agency...
Beazley to Offer Occurrence-Based Media Liability Policy for SMEs
Jun 17 2020 // Specialist insurer Beazley has launched an occurrence media liability policy designed to the risks faced by small to medium-sized media outlets and publishers in the United States. Beazley’s media liability policy...
Texas Man Sentenced to 78 Years in Prison for Arson, Insurance Fraud
Jun 16 2020 // A 52-year-old Groves, Texas, man has been sentenced to 78 years in federal prison for violations related to an arson and insurance fraud scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of...
Aon’s Seyfried Joins AXIS Cyber Insurance Leadership in U.S.
Jun 16 2020 // Specialty insurer AXIS Insurance reported it has hired Eric Seyfried as Head of Cyber U.S. Open Market. In this new role, Seyfried will help implement the U.S. strategy for AXIS Insurance’s global cyber and...
CEO Watsa Buys US$149M of ‘Ridiculously Cheap’ Fairfax Shares
Jun 16 2020 // Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. announced that Prem Watsa, its chair and CEO, has purchased in the market 482,600 subordinate voting shares of Fairfax for a cost of approximately US$148.95 million. “At our AGM and on...
Airlines Vow to Ban Passengers Who Refuse to Wear Masks
Jun 16 2020 // U.S. airline passengers who refuse to wear facial coverings during the novel coronavirus pandemic could have their flying privileges revoked, the industry’s main lobby group said on Monday. Major U.S. airlines may...
Supreme Court Bans Employment Bias Against Gay, Transgender People
Jun 15 2020 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday delivered a watershed victory for LGBT rights, ruling that a landmark federal law forbidding workplace discrimination protects gay and transgender employees. The 6-3 ruling represented the...
Alaska Company Paying $1.3M in Fraud Case Involving Former Employee
Jun 15 2020 // A subsidiary of an Alaska Native corporation has agreed to pay $1.3 million in a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice over a fraud scheme allegedly involving a former employee. Manufacturing company Alutiiq...
Absenteeism at Meatpacking Plants Tied to Workplace Safety Concerns
Jun 15 2020 // Smithfield Foods Inc. is missing about a third of its employees at a South Dakota pork plant because they are quarantined or afraid to return to work after a severe coronavirus outbreak, according to the workers’...
U.S. to Publicly Share Autonomous Vehicle Testing Data
Jun 15 2020 // U.S. auto safety regulators will unveil on Monday a voluntary effort to collect and make available nationwide data on existing autonomous vehicle testing. U.S. states have a variety of regulations governing self-driving...
Federal Reserve Warns of ‘Long Road’ Ahead to Economic Recovery
Jun 15 2020 // The Federal Reserve expects household finances and business balance sheets to suffer “persistent fragilities” as a result of the shock to economic activity arising from the coronavirus pandemic, the central...
Senators Draft Bill to Reform How U.S. Approves New Plane Designs
Jun 15 2020 // Two key U.S. senators are circulating a bipartisan draft bill that would reform how the Federal Aviation Administration certifies new aircraft in the wake of two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes that killed 346 people. The...
The Debate Between Business Owners, Insurers Over Business Interruption Claims Continues
Jun 15 2020 // As the insurance industry faces litigation and questions over virus-related claim denials, it could soon be dealing with another business income hurdle due to the civil unrest that has taken place in many U.S. cities...
People & Places
Jun 15 2020 // National Everest Insurance announced changes to the Commercial Casualty leadership team. Four underwriters across the country have been appointed leaders for the Northeast, South, Midwest and Southwest regions. Frank Engle...
Building a Post-Pandemic Construction Market
Jun 15 2020 // The construction industry is one segment of the economy that could emerge from the pandemic stronger. That’s good news for construction insurance experts. But moving forward comes with a few challenges as contractors...
