Latest USA Headlines

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

Supreme Court Weighs Garment Design Copyright in Cheerleader Outfit Case

Nov 1 2016 // On a day when millions of people dress up in costumes, the eight justices of the U.S. Supreme Court spent part of their Halloween discussing cheerleader outfits in a closely watched case involving what copyright...

McDonald’s to Pay $3.75 Million to California Workers for Back Pay, Damages

Nov 1 2016 // McDonald’s Corp has agreed to pay $3.75 million to settle a lawsuit claiming it was liable for labor law violations by a California franchisee, marking what lawyers said was the first time the company has settled...

What Latest U.S. Statistics on Nonfatal Workplace Injuries Reveal

Oct 31 2016 // Private employers reported approximately 2.9 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2015, or about 48,000 fewer than in 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That translates into a rate of...

Entrepreneur Shuts Startup After U.S. Questions Safety of Self-Driving Kit

Oct 31 2016 // Self-driving cars are getting closer by the day, but they won’t be coming from hacking phenomenon George Hotz. Hotz, the first person to jailbreak an iPhone and a vagabond of the world’s top tech companies, has...

UK Uber Drivers’ Court Victory Over Pay Could Rejigger Gig Economy

Oct 31 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. lost a lawsuit over pay and vacation time for U.K. drivers at the car-sharing service in a ruling that could change how workers are treated in the country’s burgeoning gig economy. Three London...

Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Highest When Agents File Claims

Oct 31 2016 // Eight of 10 customers who purchased their auto insurance policy through a local agent still call their agent first to report or seek advice regarding a claim and customers whose agents file their claim are happier with...

Drought in Southeast States Wreaking Havoc on Crops, Increasing Fire Risk

Oct 31 2016 // Six months into a deepening drought, the weather is killing crops, threatening cattle and sinking lakes to their lowest levels in years across much of the South. The very worst conditions – what forecasters call...

Drought Committee Address Dryness in Western Carolinas as Floods Subside

Oct 28 2016 // As the last river finally falls below major flood stage near the coast, a rapidly worsening drought is killing crops and causing hard-to-fight wildfires in rugged terrain in western North Carolina and South Carolina. The...

Court Disqualifies 1 of 2 Medical Marijuana Proposals on Arkansas Ballot

Oct 28 2016 // Arkansas Supreme Court has disqualified a medical marijuana proposal from the November ballot less than two weeks before the election and with thousands of votes already cast, but voters will still be able to consider a...

Coastal Wetlands Found to Reduce Hurricane Property Damage by 10%-30%

Oct 27 2016 // Coastal wetlands provide important natural protection during hurricanes. How much? Natural habitats reduced property damage by about $625 million in the Northeast during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, a new study supported by...

USGS: 3rd Largest Oklahoma Quake Likely Caused by Wastewater Disposal

Oct 26 2016 // The third-largest earthquake in Oklahoma was likely triggered by underground disposal of wastewater from oil and natural gas production, the U.S. Geological Survey found in a report issued on Oct. 24. The magnitude 5.1...

U.S. Homeowners Insurers’ Premiums Growing But Return on Equity Down: Aon

Oct 26 2016 // The U.S. homeowners insurance market is on track for continued growth in direct premiums for 2016 despite a decreasing return on equity for insurers. U.S. homeowners premium is set to surpass $90 billion for the first...

U.S. Judge Approves $14.7 Billion Settlement for VW Diesel Car Owners

Oct 26 2016 // A U.S. judge on Tuesday approved one of the biggest corporate settlements on record, Volkswagen AG’s $14.7 billion deal arising from its diesel emissions cheating scandal, and the German automaker said it would begin...

Facebook, Google Amassing of ‘Faceprints’ Facing Legal Challenges

Oct 26 2016 // Facebook Inc.’s software knows your face almost as well as your mother does. And like mom, it isn’t asking your permission to do what it wants with old photos. While millions of internet users embrace the...

1.8 Million Western U.S. Homes at Extreme or High Wildfire Risk, Report Shows

Oct 26 2016 // Things haven’t gone as bad as they could have so far in 2016 coming off last year’s record-setting wildfire season in the Western U.S., according to a report out today detailing wildfire risks to properties in...

Industry Needs to Address Gaps in Workers’ Compensation, AMCOMP Panelists Say

Oct 25 2016 // At the American Society of Workers’ Compensation Professionals (AMCOMP) Fall Meeting held recently in New York, Mark Walls, vice president of communications and strategic analysis at Safety National, and Kimberly...

AARP Suit Says Workplace Wellness Programs Raise Medical Privacy Concerns

Oct 25 2016 // A lobbying group representing older Americans sued the Obama administration on Monday claiming regulations for programs designed to rein in employee health care costs will subject workers to invasions of their medical...

This Bud’s for Uber’s Self-Driving Truck Road Test

Oct 25 2016 // A tractor trailer full of beer drove itself down Colorado’s I-25 last week with nobody behind the wheel. Uber Technologies Inc. and Anheuser-Busch InBev NV teamed up on the delivery, which they said is the first time...

MetLife, U.S. Renew Court Battle Over ‘Too Big to Fail’

Oct 25 2016 // The U.S. government and the country’s largest life insurer are set for a rematch in a U.S. appeals court on Monday over how federal regulators decide a company is “too big to fail,” one of the most...

Clune Named Lockton’s U.S. President, Chief Operating Officer

Oct 24 2016 // Global insurance agency Lockton has named Peter Clune to be its next U.S. president and chief operating officer, effective May 1, 2017. He will succeed Glenn Spencer who was previously named president and CEO of Lockton...