Author: completebodyneeds

Ford Motor Co. took an unusually human approach to fixing its stubborn quality problems: It brought back what it calls “gray beard” engineers to help train younger staff and to reprogram the artificial intelligence tools that weren’t getting the job done. Over the last three years, Ford says it has hired 350 veteran engineers, many of them former employees and others from suppliers, to help address seemingly intractable quality woes that have cost the automaker billions. The result: Ford is the top mainstream brand in the latest JD Power Initial Quality Survey, released June 25. “Artificial intelligence is a fantastic…

The board of directors of Big I Illinois named Brett Gerger CEO, effective July 1. Gerger, who has served as director of education and agency resources with Big I Illinois since 2019, succeeds Phil Lackman, who is retiring after 31 years with the association. Kristi Osmond will assume the role of education director, and Jennifer Jacobs has been promoted to chief operating officer. Gerger will provide overall leadership for the association, including organizational management, strategic planning, business development, fundraising, budget and finance oversight, public relations, and coordination between the Board of Directors and association staff. Gerger began his 24-year career…

The 2026 hurricane season may turn out to be a quiet one, as predicted by long-range forecasts this year. But that only means that businesses should have more time to review and rehearse their emergency plans before the next storm comes calling. That was the message stressed Tuesday by safety leaders at some of Florida’s most critical—and most vulnerable—corporations: Florida Power & Light, Tampa General Hospital, and Tampa Electric Co. “Test those plans. They look great on paper and may check all the boxes, but if you’re not testing them, they’re likely not going to work out,” said Erinn Skiba,…

CIA Director John Ratcliffe vowed to step up the agency’s efforts to deploy artificial intelligence and quantum computing, stressing that rapid developments in emerging technologies are changing the nature of geopolitics. In rare public remarks on Tuesday, Ratcliffe promised to make organizational changes at the Central Intelligence Agency to increase its embrace of cutting-edge technology. He warned that the US must move quickly because the country’s rivals are also pursuing AI, likening its capabilities to “digital nuclear weapons” that are “rewriting the reality of conflict.” “Worldwide advancement of AI tools will only continue to raise the stakes in our competition…

A federal judge rejected Meta Platforms’ bid to dismiss a lawsuit by 29 U.S. state attorneys general accusing it of designing Facebook and Instagram to addict children and knowingly concealing the harm from the public. In a decision late on Monday night, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California denied Meta’s motion to dismiss claims based on deception, unfair practices and violations of the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The judge also said Meta did not comply with that law’s notice and parental consent requirements, and granted summary judgment to the states on that issue. Meta and…

The U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed legislation to extend the public-private partnership to insure terrorism risk though 2034. The TRIA Program Reauthorization Act of 2026 (HR 7128), sponsored by Mike Flood, R-Neb., passed by a vote of vote of 373-15 late on June 29. Before the vote, the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) sent a letter to the House cosigned by others including the Coalition to Insure Against Terrorism, Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers, Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers (Big “I”), and the Reinsurance Association of America. In a separate statement, NAMIC’s Jimi Grande, senior…

Cyberattacks are becoming an increasingly significant threat to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), yet insurance adoption remains disproportionately low, according to GlobalData, the London-based data and analytics company. Limited awareness of cyber risks, affordability challenges, and evolving threat landscapes continue to leave many SMEs financially exposed, said GlobalData, reporting on the findings of its 2025 survey of 2,054 SMEs across 14 countries. Nearly 35% (34.7%) of global SMEs had experienced a cyber incident in the past three years, GlobalData found in the survey of 2,054 SMEs across 14 countries. Germany’s SMEs are the most vulnerable to cyberattacks in Europe, with…

The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance reported that more than $2.9 billion in claims have been paid statewide one year after the catastrophic events of the 2025 severe weather season. DCI this month reported on incurred losses and paid claims processed to date. Insurers have received more than 250,000 catastrophic claims on residential property, renters and condo owners, and auto insurance policies. Related: Missouri’s 2025 Insured Losses From Severe Weather Approaching $2 Billion Of the nearly $2.5 billion in claims, roughly 83% has been paid for residential property claims, according to the department. Insurers have received more than 10,000…

The Supreme Court barred a former Louisiana inmate from suing prison officials who cut off his dreadlocks in violation of his Rastafari religious beliefs. The justices condemned what happened to the former inmate, Damon Landor. But they ruled that a federal law designed to protect the religious rights of inmates does not permit lawsuits for money damages against individuals even when rights are violated. The high court, in a 6-3 decision, agreed with lower courts that without exception had ruled that the law, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, can’t be used to hold those who violate inmates’…

The U.S. cyber insurance market may be facing a time of transition as certain signs point to eventual adverse development. According to AM Best, the market’s loss ratio in 2025 increased for the second straight year to 53—the first time over 50 since the ransomware spike seen during the COVID pandemic. In the meantime, third-party claims are rising and total premium was basically flat after considering that a perceived increase in 2025 was caused by insurer Beazley’s move of a block of business from an offshore entity to the U.S. Chubb occupies the top spot among largest cyber insurers but…