Latest USA Headlines

All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Research on Coastal Housing Shows Gaps in Natural Disaster Recovery Policies

Apr 5 2018 // A team including an Iowa State University researcher studied Galveston, Texas, homes following Hurricane Ike, finding that the types of housing and homeowners – and how U.S. recovery policy handles each – played a...

Australia Begins Investigation into Facebook over Possible Breach of Data Laws

Apr 5 2018 // Australia on Thursday said it had begun an investigation to decide whether social media giant Facebook Inc breached its privacy laws, after the company confirmed data from 300,000 Australian users may have been used...

Texas Bar to Pay $24K to Settle ‘Hot Pants’ Pregnancy Discrimination Suit

Apr 4 2018 // A sports bar in Rowlett, Texas will pay a $24,000 penalty for not allowing a pregnant bartender to wear capri pants and a long top instead of hot pants and tight shirt, federal officials say. In addition to the fine, Off...

Terror Attack Victims Lose Appeal to Supreme Court in Suit Against PLO

Apr 4 2018 // The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from American victims of terrorist attacks in the Middle East more than a decade ago. The justices did comment Monday in ending a lawsuit against the PLO and Palestinian Authority...

How Medical Marijuana Reduces Opioid Use; Saves Lives, Money

Apr 3 2018 // Medical marijuana laws could be a boon to those battling the opioid epidemic, according to researchers who have identified a link between increased access to medical marijuana and a reduction in opioid prescriptions. The...

Arkansas Judge: 6 Farmers Can Spray Controversial Chemical Dicamba

Apr 3 2018 // An Arkansas judge has ruled that six farmers in the state this summer can spray a weed killer made by Monsanto Co. and BASF SE that was blamed for hurting millions of acres of U.S. crops last year. The decision is the...

U.S. AG Sessions Seeks Role in Talks to Settle State, Local Opioid Lawsuits

Apr 3 2018 // The U.S. Justice Department on Monday sought court permission to participate in settlement negotiations aimed at resolving lawsuits by state and local governments against opioid manufacturers and distributors. The Justice...

Arkansas AG Files Suit Against Opioid Manufacturers for Roles in Epidemic

Apr 2 2018 // Arkansas’ attorney general has joined the widening mass of litigation against opioid manufacturers, accusing three drugmakers of promoting addictive painkillers in ways that falsely denied or trivialized their...

U.S. Safety Board ‘Unhappy’ Tesla Released Crash Information

Apr 2 2018 // The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said on Sunday it was “unhappy” that electric car maker Tesla Inc made public information about the crash of its Model X vehicle on Autopilot that killed the driver...

Exxon Loses Bid to Stop States from Probing If It Lied About Climate Change

Apr 2 2018 // A federal judge on Thursday dismissed Exxon Mobil Corp.’s lawsuit seeking to stop New York and Massachusetts from probing whether the oil and gas company covered up its knowledge about climate change and lied to...

National Hurricane Center Updates Hurricane Irma Death Toll

Apr 2 2018 // The death toll from Hurricane Irma’s catastrophic rampage across the Caribbean and the southeastern U.S. has risen to 44 fatalities directly caused by its strong winds and heavy rains, plus 85 fatalities indirectly...

Today’s Hot Markets: Buyers Hungry For EPLI, Cyber and More

Apr 2 2018 // Insurance Journal examined industries experiencing changes, challenges, expansions and growth in the past year. Here are five industry sectors and insurance markets that could offer opportunities for agents and brokers in...

Aging U.S. Population

Apr 2 2018 // There will soon, within a few decades, be an important demographic turning point in U.S. history. By 2035, there will be 78.0 million people 65 years and older compared to 76.4 million under the age of 18, according to the...

Walmart Talking with Health Insurer Humana on Closer Ties, Possible Acquisition

Mar 30 2018 // U.S. retailer Walmart Inc. is in early-stage talks with health insurer Humana Inc. about developing closer ties, with the acquisition of Humana being discussed as one possibility, people familiar with the matter said on...

Youths’ Climate Change Suit Has Potential Impact on a Historic Scale for Insurance

Mar 29 2018 // A three-year-old lawsuit by a group of youths against the U.S. over climate change, which looks to now get a new trial date at some point this year, has the potential to open up lawsuits on a historic scale, according to...

Oracle’s Java Copyright Violation Claim Against Google Not Dead After All

Mar 29 2018 // A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday resurrected a multi-billion dollar copyright case brought by Oracle Corp. against Alphabet Inc.’s Google. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said Google’s use of...

Flooding of East Coast Roads from High Tides Becoming Routine, Costly

Mar 29 2018 // High tide floods, or so-called “nuisance flooding,” that happen along shore roadways during seasonal high tides or minor wind events are occurring far more frequently than ever before. Researchers at the...

U.S. Launches Investigation into Fatal Tesla Crash in California

Mar 28 2018 // A fatal crash and vehicle fire of a Tesla Inc Model X near Mountain View, Calif., last week has prompted a federal field investigation, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said, sparking a big selloff in Tesla...

Federal Energy Regulator Warns on Cyber Attacks on Power Grid

Mar 28 2018 // Hackers increasingly threaten sites in the U.S. ranging from nuclear power plants to water processing systems, according to a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, adding his voice to warnings from several...

Arctic Winter Ice Covers 2nd Smallest Area on Record, Opening Region to Shipping

Mar 28 2018 // Winter sea ice on the Arctic Ocean covered the second smallest area on record this year, part of a thaw that is opening the region to shipping and oil exploration and may be disrupting weather far to the south, scientists...