Author: completebodyneeds

Pennsylvania has sued the artificial intelligence company behind Character.AI to stop its chatbot from posing as doctors. Governor Josh Shapiro on Tuesday called the lawsuit against Character Technologies the first of its kind by a U.S. governor. It followed the creation in February of a state AI task force to stop chatbots from impersonating licensed medical professionals. In a complaint filed in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, the state said it found chatbots on Character.AI that claimed to practice medicine. One character, “Emilie,” allegedly told a male investigator posing as a patient with depression that she was licensed to practice…

The White House is reviewing a proposal from the Securities and Exchange Commission to formally end Biden-era climate disclosure rules for publicly-traded companies. The regulator sent the measure to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget for review on May 4, according to a post on a government website. The old corporate disclosure regulations, issued under former SEC Chair Gary Gensler, had never been implemented amid a spate of legal challenges. The Trump administration had effectively set the rules aside a year ago when the regulator told a judge that it would no longer to defend the policy in…

Exceptionally warm waters and a developing El Niño will increase the risk of direct hurricane impacts in Hawaii, Southern California and parts of Mexico this year, according to an AccuWeather analysis out on Wednesday. The forecast shows the Eastern and Central Pacific basins are expected to produce above the historical average number of named storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes in 2026. Related: Worsening Ocean Heat Waves Are ‘Supercharging’ Hurricane Damage, Study Finds The 2026 Eastern Pacific hurricane season forecast calls for 17 to 22 named storms, nine to 13 hurricanes, four to eight major hurricanes and six to nine direct…

Elon Musk agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission allegations that he cheated Twitter shareholders in 2022 by failing to properly disclose his growing stake in the social media company. An Elon Musk revocable trust would pay the penalty to end the SEC’s lawsuit under the plan, which is still subject to court approval. Musk didn’t admit to the regulator’s allegations, according to a filing on Monday. It’s a much smaller penalty than what Musk’s attorney said the SEC initially sought. The agency in December 2024 asked Musk to pay more than $200 million to settle,…

ACORD, the global standards-setting body for the insurance industry, announced the formation of the ACORD Inter-Association Advisory Council (IAAC). IAAC is a coalition of North American property/casualty associations representing independent agents, brokers, and intermediaries across the North American distribution channel. The IAAC aims to advance digital communication and improve the efficiency of the P/C market by ensuring data is consistent, high-quality, and standardized for organizations to succeed. The inaugural meeting on May 4 included leaders from ACORD, AUGIE Group (an insurance tech exchange), the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB), the Centre for Study of Insurance Operations (CSIO), the…

Gov. Abigail Spanberger is weighing whether to sign or veto legislation that would, for the first time, allow Virginians to file class action lawsuits in state courts — a shift advocates say would expand access to justice, but one that has drawn pushback over how far the change should go. Proposal would create long-missing legal pathway, but governor’s changes draw pushback over limits on venue and damages. Virginia is one of only two states, along with Mississippi, that does not provide a formal class action procedure in its state court system. As a result, groups of plaintiffs cannot currently band…

The Department of Justice filed a Statement of Interest in a lawsuit filed against State Farm by homeowners who lost their homes in the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. The case, Ferrier v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, is pending in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. It was brought by 60 homeowners who lost their homes in the wildfires. They allege that the defendants, which include 16 homeowners insurance companies, conspired to cancel their fire insurance policies in the years leading up to the fires. The homeowners say they were forced to obtain insurance from the California…

Air and wastewater may help spread bird flu on California dairy farms, according to a study that points to more transmission routes than previously understood. Researchers sampling 14 infected farms found the H5N1 virus in the air during milking, in cows’ breath and in farm wastewater, pointing to multiple possible routes of transmission beyond contact with contaminated milk. The findings, published Tuesday in PLOS Biology, add to concerns that the outbreak in U.S. cattle could expose farm workers and other animals. H5N1 is spreading globally in birds and spilling into mammals including cattle, elephant seals and sea lions. Human cases…

Ten people were hospitalized after a valve malfunction led to a chemical leak at a Louisiana business on Tuesday, May 5. The Louisiana State Police Emergency Services Unit responded to a hazardous materials incident in Duson at approximately 7 a.m. An initial investigation found a valve malfunction involving Boron Trifluoride resulted in the chemical leak at the facility. The name of the business hasn’t been released. Three first responders, six employees of the affected business and one employee business were transported to local hospitals for evaluation and treatment, the Louisiana State Police said. All reported injuries are believed to be…

Specialty insurance market rates declined in 2025 and during the January 1, 2026 renewals, with the pace of change exceeding expectations, according to WTW’s Specialty Insurance Marketplace Survey (SIMS). Data from the January 1 renewals and new business point to continued rate softening, with a 10-point decline in the insurance rate index, back to 2020 levels, WTW added. The findings also highlight the speed of recent market movements. An approximate 45% cumulative rate increase was achieved between 2017 and the market peak in 2023, with around half of that increase eroded over the past two years. “Substantial concerns relate to…