Author: completebodyneeds

A group of 25 states filed a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s new global tariffs that went into effect last month, adding to similar complaints by small businesses who claim the levies are illegal. New York, California, Illinois and other states filed the complaint Aug. 3 in the US Court of International Trade, setting up a now-familiar clash with separate coalitions of states and small businesses locked in a fight with the Trump administration over a third round of tariffs. The lawsuits accuse Trump and US officials of unlawfully using Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to replace…

The Justice Department has resolved alleged Clean Air Act and Arkansas Water and Air Pollution Control Act violations with Domtar A.W., a manufacturer of pulps, paper and wood products. Under the proposed consent decree, Domtar will pay a $1.5 million civil penalty, divided between the United States and the state of Arkansas. In addition, the company will implement projects to address excess emissions from its operations and correct its inadequate inspection and monitoring practices. The projects include installing the proper pollution controls on Domtar’s brown stock washer, updating leak detection and repair procedures to ensure compliance with the regulations, increasing…

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt announced that the Kansas Department of Insurance is now accepting reimbursement requests for the HERO Act. The Helping First Responders Overcoming Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or HERO Act, is a pilot program to help emergency responders by providing reimbursement for assessment and treatment of certain psychological conditions resulting from duty-related trauma. The HERO Act was established this year by a proviso to the state budget, establishing a fund to be administered by the Department. First responders who meet the requirements may be eligible to receive reimbursement for the diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),…

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation into major food manufacturers that market their products as “heart-healthy,” alleging that many companies have adopted such labels on products that are high in added sugars, refined grains and inflammatory properties. As part of the investigation, Attorney General Paxton has issued Civil Investigative Demands (“CIDs”) to food manufacturers that use the “heart-healthy” label. Companies under investigation so far include Frito Lay, Flora Food Group, and ACH Foods. The OAG will investigate whether these companies’ advertising practices violate the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (“DTPA”) by misrepresenting the health value of their products…

Michigan health authorities were in touch with Taco Bell’s parent company, Yum! Brands Inc., about a parasitic outbreak in early July, weeks before the company officially alerted consumers. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services held a call with Yum on July 2 to discuss cyclospora, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg News through a public records request. In a follow-up email, officials asked to connect with the company’s supply chain quality assurance and communications teams “for a discussion about any intervention or notification that could be taken this week to aid in reducing the number of cases in…

Three members of the hemp industry are suing the state of Texas for violating commerce protections after it was announced last week that nearly all hemp-derived THC products are illegal. On Friday, two hemp retailers and a distributor filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas against the Texas Department of State Health Services; Attorney General Ken Paxton; and the Galveston County criminal district attorney and sheriff, alleging that classifying hemp-derived substances as illegal violates the 2018 Farm Bill, which removed it from the federal Controlled Substances Act. The complaint states that the reinstated…

The U.S. Department of Energy is harnessing the artificial intelligence boom in its bid to convert another Cold War-era uranium enrichment site, tapping private equity to fund a $100 billion data center complex that will include its own new natural gas and battery storage power plant in Kentucky. The department selected investment firm Brookfield Asset Management to develop and operate the data center at the government-owned Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. In March, the department announced a similar project at its Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Ohio. Both are undergoing extensive cleanup, decontamination and decommissioning after decades of fueling the nation’s…

TikTok is finalizing agreements to settle three upcoming trials related to allegations that its video product is addictive and harmful to minors. Plaintiffs’ attorneys Joseph VanZandt of Beasley Allen and Emily Jeffcott of Morgan & Morgan confirmed TikTok had resolved in principle with their clients, subject to the finalization of a written settlement agreement. The settlement amounts are confidential, they said in an email. TikTok did not respond to a request for comment. This trio of cases are part of broad litigation against the world’s largest social media companies, which includes individual plaintiffs alleging harm as well as US school…

Property/casualty insurance underwriters are worried about AI tools taking over their jobs. Now, according to a recent survey, nearly three-quarters say they’re opting for companies with clear AI strategies as employers. The result shows up in the report “The Future of Underwriting: AI Adoption, Workforce Trends, and Industry Optimism,” an independent study of 543 underwriting executives and underwriters across the U.S. and Europe published in early July by Sixfold, an AI underwriting platform provider for P/C and life/health carriers, managing general agents and reinsurers. Specifically, according to the report based on the responses of underwriters and executives who are mainly…

Boca Raton-based Edison Insurance Co., now with more than 145,000 policies in force, has joined the list of Florida property insurers filing for rate decreases this year, three years after state lawmakers approved significant disincentives for claims litigation. Edison recently made a use-and-file request for an average decrease of 9.8%. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has yet to approve the filing, but it went into effect for renewals starting July 15, the company said in a statement. “These rate decreases reflect positive changes in Florida’s insurance marketplace and the continued benefits of legislative reforms,” Edison CEO Paul Adkins said…