Author: completebodyneeds

President Donald Trump’s task force for reforming the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Thursday recommended sweeping changes to how the federal government responds to natural disasters. The recommendations, finalized at a council meeting in Washington, include reassessing FEMA staffing, rethinking what disasters qualify for federal disaster aid and then streamlining its distribution, reforming the National Flood Insurance Program, and shifting more training and spending decisions to state, local and tribal authorities, over a period of two to three years. At least half of the recommendations require action by Congress. A final report detailing the recommendations now goes to the White…

Hackers briefly took down an online portal used by thousands of colleges around the world this month, disrupting services at institutions from Harvard to Princeton. Instructure Inc., which runs the Canvas service used by students to take tests and get grades, said it was forced to suspend the portal after a May 1 infiltration by a “criminal threat actor.” The perpetrators exploited a vulnerability in a specific account for teachers, an Instructure spokesperson said in an emailed statement, gaining unauthorized access to some of its websites. The company, owned by KKR & Co., restored much of the service Thursday, though…

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday it is opening an investigation in a series of crashes of start-up Avride autonomous vehicles that raised questions about the competency of the vehicles. NHTSA said the vehicles’ performance may indicate inappropriate assertiveness and insufficient competence “and may also constitute traffic safety violations,” and added some crashes resulted in property damage and one reported minor injury. NHTSA noted that Avride is operating some of its AVs on the Uber UBER.N platform and has offered passenger service to the public since December in Dallas, where many of the crashes occurred. Topics USA Texas…

Fertilizer makers are seeing a windfall from Iran’s war, highlighting the impact of the conflict’s upheaval on supply chains for the key crop nutrients. CF Industries Holdings Inc. and Nutrien Ltd. each reported nearly 20% jumps in sales for the latest quarter as they benefited from higher prices for nitrogen fertilizers, which are applied across US corn and soy fields to support crop yields. While the situation is benefiting the producers, the results are likely to add to concerns from farmers and politicians about inflation in the agriculture markets, after growers have already been struggling with low crop prices and…

Novatae Risk Group, the wholesale insurance business of World Insurance Associates, announced that Brian Voorhees will be joining the company as its new managing director of personal lines. In this role, Voorhees will lead Novatae’s personal lines with responsibility for setting strategic direction, driving growth and delivering strong operational and financial performance. He will oversee the expansion of product offerings, strengthen carrier and broker partnerships and guide the evolution of underwriting and placement capabilities to support scalable client-focused growth. Voorhees is a seasoned insurance executive with extensive experience across underwriting, business development, product management and operational leadership. Most recently, he…

Florida’s governor has signed House Bill 803 into law, dropping building permit requirements for construction work valued at $7,500 or less. The law takes effect July 1. “A local government that issues building permits shall exempt an owner of a single-family dwelling or the owner’s contractor from the requirement to obtain a building permit to perform any work valued at less than $7,500 on the owner’s property,” the bill reads. The exemption does not apply to property in a flood hazard area. A sponsor of the changes said it was designed to help speed up minor projects, such as fences…

The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to commercial shipping after the US and Iran clashed overnight near the waterway, attacking each other’s assets in the area. US forces targeted missile and drone launch sites and other military assets in the Islamic Republic that they said were responsible for attacking three US warships transiting the strait. The clashes risk undermining talks over a US-proposed deal to end the war, with Iran expected to send a response shortly. President Donald Trump again threatened more intense strikes if Iran refuses his terms. Tehran responded, saying on X that the continued hostile action…

As the Sackler family worked through a plan to pay $6.5 billion to resolve their liability over Purdue Pharma LP’s production of addictive opioids, the epidemic hit even closer to home. Joss Sackler, the wife of former Purdue board member David Sackler, admitted deleting WhatsApp messages showing she was the intended recipient of a shipment of prescription drugs seized by US border agents in 2024. Sackler, who said she was addicted to opioids at the time, pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal grand jury investigation into the transaction. “I am so truly sorry that when I was suffering from my…

Nissan Motor Co. is canceling plans to make a pair of fully electric SUVs at a factory in the US, citing waning demand among American consumers for all-electric vehicles. The decision, which was relayed Thursday to dealers and parts suppliers in the US, comes as part of a broader recalibration of its product strategy as the Japanese carmaker seeks to conserve cash. Nissan had previously frozen plans to start manufacturing EVs at the plant in Canton, Mississippi, where it expects to build a V6 engine-powered hybrid version of its Xterra SUV. “Canton does have a future that will include diverse…

Two Orlando contractors have been sentenced to at least two years in federal prison after orchestrating a decade-long scheme to pay workers off the books and avoid taxes and workers’ compensation insurance premium payments. Rene Maricio Escobar, 55, and Juana Nelida Escobar, 36, of Escobar Plastering, should also try to pay $37 million in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service, a federal judge said this week. Court documents and testimony showed that from 2015 through 2024, the Escobars ran a program that accepted a fee equal to about 7% of subcontractors’ payroll. The firm would then provide false certificates of…