Month: August 2019

Betsy DeVos finalizes restrictions on student debt forgiveness – Axios

August 31, 2019

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos finalized her effort on Friday to make canceling student debt harder for federal loan borrowers if colleges defraud those students, Politico reports. The big picture: The fight over DeVos’s proposal to qualify the Obama-era rule has stretched on for almost the full length of Trump’s presidency. 19 attorneys general sued DeVos … More Betsy DeVos finalizes restrictions on student debt forgiveness – Axios

$572M verdict against Johnson & Johnson in opioid suit is based on Oklahoma’s unusual public nuisance law

August 30, 2019

An Oklahoma judge ruled Monday that Johnson & Johnson is liable for $572 million for the public nuisance it created when it engaged in a marketing campaign that promoted opioid use. The decision by Judge Thad Balkman of Cleveland County was the first to hold a drugmaker responsible for the opioid epidemic after a trial, … More $572M verdict against Johnson & Johnson in opioid suit is based on Oklahoma’s unusual public nuisance law

Utah man found guilty of running massive opioid ring

August 30, 2019

With the help of a handful of friends, Shamo bought the powerful opioid fentanyl online from Chinese manufacturers, pressed it into fake oxycodone pills and sold it on the dark web, prosecutors said. Two friends Shamo had met while working at eBay packaged the pills, sometimes processing so many that they had to vacuum them … More Utah man found guilty of running massive opioid ring

The Legal Fight for Accountability in the Opioid Crisis

August 28, 2019

On Monday, a judge in Oklahoma handed down a ruling that Johnson & Johnson must pay $572 million to the state for the company’s role in the opioid epidemic. It’s the first ruling of its kind to hold a pharmaceutical company accountable for the opioid crisis. Meanwhile,Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, is offering to … More The Legal Fight for Accountability in the Opioid Crisis

opiod trial; Oklahoma judge orders Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million to fund treatment programs – The Washington Post

August 26, 2019

“As a matter of law, I find that defendants’ actions caused harm, and those harms are the kinds recognized by [state law] because those actions annoyed, injured or endangered the comfort, repose, health or safety of Oklahomans,” he wrote in the decision. [America’s largest drug companies distributed 76 billion oxycodone and hydrocodone pain pills] With … More opiod trial; Oklahoma judge orders Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million to fund treatment programs – The Washington Post

The Cherokee Nation wants a representative in Congress, taking the US government up on a promise it made nearly 200 years ago

August 24, 2019

As a result of the 1835 Treaty of New Echota, the Cherokee were ultimately made to leave their homes in the Southeast for present-day Oklahoma in exchange for money and other compensation. Nearly 4,000 members of the tribe died of disease, starvation and exhaustion on the journey now known as the Trail of Tears. A … More The Cherokee Nation wants a representative in Congress, taking the US government up on a promise it made nearly 200 years ago

Over 25 Percent of Seafood at New York Supermarkets Is Mislabeled, Says Attorney General Report | Food & Wine

August 19, 2019

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) purchased samples from 155 locations across 29 supermarket brands that then underwent DNA testing at the Ocean Genome Legacy Center at Northeastern University. The key takeaways: nearly 27-percent of seafood purchases with an identifiable barcode were mislabeled; though mislabeling affected almost all types of seafood tested, certain species … More Over 25 Percent of Seafood at New York Supermarkets Is Mislabeled, Says Attorney General Report | Food & Wine

California has a new use-of-force law. What does it mean for cops and people of color

August 19, 2019

The new standard restricts lethal force to when it is “necessary in defense of human life” as perceived by a “reasonable” officer and based on the “totality of circumstances.” It also emphasizes deescalation as an effective alternative to lethal force. If questioned, officers will have to prove there is an “imminent threat of death or … More California has a new use-of-force law. What does it mean for cops and people of color

‘I’m Going to Die with a Student Loan’: What Should the Government Do About the Trillion-Dollar Debt Crisis

August 4, 2019

More and more students leave school each year with loans, experts say, and students borrow more than $100 billion every year to attend college or graduate school. Borrowers owe the federal government an average of $37,172. A quarter of the borrowers owe more than $50,000, and the Department of Education, which is responsible for the … More ‘I’m Going to Die with a Student Loan’: What Should the Government Do About the Trillion-Dollar Debt Crisis

Resistance to Private Prison Industry Mounts Amid Debate Over Trump’s Immigration Detention Policies | Common Dreams Views

August 3, 2019

The private prison industry is under renewed scrutiny, and things are not going well for it. Prison companies were already under fire, accused of putting profits above the well-being of incarcerated individuals and staff at the dozens of federal and state prisons and local jails they run around the country. Currently, about 8 percent of state and … More Resistance to Private Prison Industry Mounts Amid Debate Over Trump’s Immigration Detention Policies | Common Dreams Views