Latest USA Headlines

All the headlines from our USA Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Judge Dismisses Fired Amazon Worker’s Lawsuit Alleging Discrimination

Feb 9 2022 // A federal judge on Monday sided with Amazon.com Inc. in dismissing a discrimination lawsuit that workplace organizer Christian Smalls had filed against his former employer.U.S. District Judge Rachel Kovner rejected...

Couple Accused of Laundering $4.5B in Bitcoin Tied to 2016 Hack

Feb 9 2022 // The U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday it has unraveled its biggest-ever cryptocurrency theft, seizing a record-shattering $3.6 billion in bitcoin tied to the 2016 hack of digital currency exchange Bitfinex and...

COVID-19 Cases Are Dropping, but Many UK Employees Still Opt to Work From Home

Feb 8 2022 // With pandemic restrictions in the UK largely gone, offices are getting busier. Yet vast numbers of desks still remain empty.Even with COVID-19 case numbers flat or falling in the UK, U.S. and much of Europe, many employees...

How CNN Exec’s Departure Illustrates Peril of Not Disclosing Workplace Romance

Feb 8 2022 // For all the potential peril of a workplace romance, the most common source of trouble, experts say, is allowing it to remain a secret.A case in point was last week’s abrupt ouster of longtime CNN chief executive Jeff...

FAA Proposes Rules to Protect Certification Workers From Manufacturer Interference

Feb 8 2022 // The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Monday it was issuing draft guidance seeking to protect aviation employees who perform government certification duties from interference by airplane manufacturers and...

Reuters Special Report: J&J’s Secret Plan to Limit Payouts to Cancer Claimants

Feb 7 2022 // Johnson & Johnson created a plan last year to limit the financial bleeding from billions of dollars in jury awards to plaintiffs who alleged the company’s Baby Powder and other talc products caused deadly...

Montana Coal Mine Hit with $1M Fine over Safety Violations

Feb 7 2022 // A central Montana coal mine must pay a $1 million fine for violating environmental and employee safety regulations by failing to report worker injuries and improperly disposing of mine waste, the U.S. Attorney’s...

Business Moves

Feb 7 2022 // Marsh McLennan, Affinity AgencyAssociation Member Benefits Advisors, a national affinity-based membership and marketing insurance agency, has agreed to acquire the associations business of Mercer, a business of Marsh...

Loss Costs Outpace Increase in Premiums for U.S. P/C Industry Through Q3

Feb 7 2022 // Direct-premium production for the U.S. P/C industry through the third quarter 2021 improved as insurers increased rates, but adverse trends in loss costs for many lines of business continue to dampen profitability.Through...

U.S. Surplus Lines Premium Up 22% in 2021

Feb 7 2022 // Surplus lines premium increased 22% and transactions rebounded almost 6.6% over their 2020 totals in the 15 states with designated surplus lines’ stamping offices.The increases represented record levels of premium...

Judge Sides with Hawaiian Airlines on Vaccine Policy

Feb 4 2022 // A U.S. judge denied an attempt by seven employees to block Hawaiian Airlines’ policy requiring workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or face termination.The airline required U.S.-based employees to receive full...

Natural Disasters Cost Insurers $116B in 2021, or 63% Higher Than Average: Gallagher Re

Feb 4 2022 // Insured losses from major natural catastrophes in 2021 – excluding COVID-related losses – have so far reached an estimated US$116 billion, the third largest total since 2011, and about 63% higher than the average loss...

Threat of War in Ukraine Biggest Risk for Insurers of Beijing Winter Olympics

Feb 4 2022 // The threat of war between Russia and Ukraine is the biggest risk for insurers offering coverage during the Beijing Winter Olympics as an outbreak of hostilities could force team withdrawals or appearance cancellations,...

Sacklers Close to Agreement Increasing Opioid Settlement in Purdue Bankruptcy

Feb 3 2022 // Members of the Sackler family who own Purdue Pharma LP are nearing an agreement to boost their more than $4 billion offer to resolve sprawling opioid litigation after negotiating with states that had objected to terms of...

FAA Expects Addressing Safety Issues to Cause Only ‘Minimal Disruptions’ to Air Travel

Feb 3 2022 // The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is confident that aviation safety concerns about 5G C-Band deployment will be addressed “safely with minimal disruptions,” the head of the FAA will tell U.S. lawmakers...

More Than 1,000 Flights Canceled as Winter Storm Threatens Heavy Snow, Ice

Feb 2 2022 // Airlines canceled hundreds of flights, governors urged residents to stay off roads and schools closed campuses as a huge swath of the U.S. braced for a major winter storm that was set to put millions of Americans in the...

California Universal Health Care Bill Fails to Pass

Feb 2 2022 // A bill that would have created the nation’s only government-funded universal health care system died in the California Assembly on Monday as Democrats could not gather enough support to bring it for a vote ahead of a...

Use of Fertilizer Behind Explosions, Fires Declines Due to High Risks

Feb 2 2022 // The nitrogen fertilizer causing a stir over imminent danger of explosion in North Carolina has been fading from the U.S. market exactly because of this kind of risk.Ammonium nitrate was the first solid nitrogen fertilizer...

How Autonomous Car Companies Are Outrunning U.S. Regulators and Lawmakers

Feb 2 2022 // Self-driving vehicle companies from Tesla Inc. to General Motors Co.’s Cruise are racing to start making money with their technology, outrunning efforts by regulators and Congress to write rules of the road for...

Global Commercial Insurance Rates Keep Moderating, With Exception of Cyber: Marsh

Feb 2 2022 // Global commercial insurance prices increased 13% in the fourth quarter of 2021, a decline from the 15% increases seen in both the second and third quarters, according to Marsh’s latest Global Insurance Market...