West Virginia will receive $99 million in a settlement finalized with Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. The state filed a lawsuit accusing the drugmaker of contributing to the opioid crisis in the state that's led the nation in overdose deaths.
The global business consulting firm McKinsey & Company has agreed to a $573 million settlement over its role in the opioid crisis, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)The global consulting firm McKinsey & Company agreed to pay nearly $600 million for its role in advising businesses on how to sell more prescription opioid painkillers amid a nationwide overdose crisis. Washington's attorney general announced a separate $13.5 million deal and West Virginia announced a $10 million settlement with the New York-based company. On a video call with journalists Thursday, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said that McKinsey worked for Purdue for 15 years. AdIn a statement, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said that McKinsey would pay out more than it made advising companies on opioid sales.
A member of the audience holds a "Justice for All" sign during West Virginia Gov. Instead, state Republican leaders ordered a redo on candidate applications and insisted Marcum return home for an in-person interview. County Republicans claim the West Virginia GOP — which created its own shortlist for the seat — intervened to anoint a political favorite, a charge the governor denies. Booth's name appeared in place of Marcum's on the list that state GOP officials submitted to Justice. “I guess the swamp has made its way down to West Virginia.”
Kathy Kratt of Orlando, Fla., displays her Trump flags as she and other protesters demonstrate their support for President Donald Trump at the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. Trump bemoaned the decision late Friday, tweeting: “The Supreme Court really let us down. Two days after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed his suit, Trump jumped into the high court case. “If the Supreme Court shows great Wisdom and Courage, the American People will win perhaps the most important case in history, and our Electoral Process will be respected again!” he tweeted Friday afternoon. Many Republican voters in several states won by Biden have demanded that their elected officials find a way to invalidate the president-elect's victories.
(AP Photo/Vincent Thian)AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas district judge on Friday upheld an order from El Paso County’s top elected official shutting down businesses while the region fights an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases. The county’s top elected official, El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, ordered a two-week shutdown of nonessential activities late last week. The attorney general’s office later said the employee believed to have the virus tested negative on Friday evening. ___ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Officials in Anchorage plan to boost enforcement of an expanded mask mandate and restrict indoor gathering sizes in a bid to curb coronavirus cases. ___TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas added a record-setting 5,418 new coronavirus cases over two days as hospitals warned that staffing was being seriously strained.
