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☆ Alfonso Chardy, Who Helped Expose Iran-Contra Scandal, Dies at 72
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Sam Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Alfonso Chardy, whose methodical reporting ushered The Miami Herald to a Pulitzer Prize for exposing the Iran-contra scandal in 1986 and contributed to three other Pulitzers that the newspaper won, died on April 9 in a Miami hospital. The cause was a heart attack, said his wife, Siobhan T. Morrisey. Mr. Chardy was instrumental in uncovering a link between the illegal sale of weapons to Iran orchestrated by senior Reagan administration officials to facilitate the release of Western hostages, and the covert diversion of proceeds from that sale to support right-wing rebels in Nicaragua known as the contras. The Westerners were being held in Lebanon by the Iranian-supported militant group Hezbollah. In Nicaragua, the contras were battling the leftist Sandinista government.

Persons: Alfonso Chardy, Siobhan T, Chardy, Reagan, Oliver L Organizations: Miami Herald, Sandinista Locations: Iran, Miami, Nicaragua, Lebanon, Iranian

☆ Federal appeals court blocks West Virginia from enforcing anti-trans sports ban against 13-year-old girl
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that West Virginia cannot enforce its anti-transgender sports ban against a 13-year-old girl, dealing a blow to one of nearly two dozen such laws enacted by GOP-led states in recent years. We hold it cannot,” Circuit Judge Toby Heytens wrote in the decision, which was joined by Judge Pamela Harris. Signed into law by West Virginia Republican Gov. The court’s majority said the law violates Pepper-Jackson’s rights under Title IX, a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex at schools that receive federal aid. The federal judge who initially blocked the law in 2021 reversed course last year and sided with state officials.

Persons: Becky Pepper, Jackson, Toby Heytens, Pamela Harris, Jim Justice, Pepper, “, ” Heytens, Steven Agee, Roy Rochlin, Agee, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Joshua Block, ” Block, Patrick Morrisey, ” Organizations: CNN, GOP, Appeals, ”, Republican, West Virginia Republican Gov, Lambda Legal, Conservative, American Civil Liberties Union, West Virginians, West Virginia Locations: Virginia, New York City, West Virginia

WASHINGTON (AP) — Twenty-four Republican-led states filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging a new Biden administration rule that sets tougher standards for deadly soot pollution. The EPA rule “will drive jobs and investment out of Kentucky and overseas, leaving employers and hardworking families to pay the price,” Coleman said. The soot rule is one of several EPA dictates under attack from industry groups and Republican-led states. Soot pollution has declined by 42% since 2000, even as the U.S. gross domestic product has increased by 52%, Regan said. The EPA said it will work with states, counties and tribes to account for and respond to wildfires, an increasing source of soot pollution, especially in the West.

Persons: Joe, General Russell Coleman, Patrick Morrisey, ” Coleman, West Virginia —, Obama, Michael Regan, Regan, ″ Regan, Biden Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican, Biden, Environmental Protection Agency, West Virginia, EPA, GOP, European Union, Environmental, White House, Industry, U.S . Chamber, Commerce Locations: Kentucky, West Virginia, — Ohio, Indiana, West, United States, China, India, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, U.S, Besides Kentucky, Alabama, Alaska , Arkansas, Florida, Georgia , Idaho , Indiana , Iowa , Kansas , Louisiana , Mississippi , Missouri, Montana , Nebraska, North Dakota , Ohio , Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota , Tennessee , Utah, Wyoming

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced Thursday that he won’t seek reelection in 2024, giving Republicans a prime opportunity to pick up a seat in the heavily GOP state. “I believe in my heart of hearts that I have accomplished what I set out to do for West Virginia," he said. Political Cartoons View All 1237 ImagesAlready, 2024 was shaping up to be a tough election cycle for Senate Democrats. He won reelection in both 2012 and 2018, with the latter campaign his toughest in his three-plus decades in West Virginia politics. During Manchin’s first two terms in the Senate, West Virginia lost thousands of coal jobs as companies and utilities explored using other energy sources such as natural gas, solar and wind.

Persons: — Democratic Sen, Joe Manchin, won’t, “, ”, Manchin, clamoring, Alex Mooney, Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, Kamala Harris ’, Sen, Kyrsten, midterms, Biden, — zapping, Sinema, Robert C, Byrd, Morrisey, Manchin’s, Bernie Sanders, White, Mitch McConnell of, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, Barack Obama Organizations: — Democratic, West Virginia, United States Senate, Democratic, Republican, GOP, Senate Democrats, Democrat, Republicans, Trump, Senate, Biden Locations: CHARLESTON, W.Va, West, West Virginia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky

Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in cases Thursday involving the coverage of gender-affirming care by North Carolina’s state employee health plan and the coverage of gender-affirming surgery by West Virginia Medicaid. During the proceedings, at least two judges said it’s likely the case will eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court. Both states appealed separate lower court rulings that found the denial of gender-affirming care to be discriminatory and unconstitutional. “West Virginia is entitled to deference where they're going to take their limited resources," he said. Chambers certified the lawsuit as a class action, covering all transgender West Virginians who participate in Medicaid.

Persons: it’s, Tara Borelli, —, Borelli, John Knepper, Knepper, “, Caleb David, Virginia's, ”, Chuck Chambers, Huntington, Chambers, Patrick Morrisey Organizations: —, Circuit, Virginia Medicaid, U.S, Supreme, Lambda, Constitution, World Professional Association for Transgender Health, West, U.S . Centers, Medicare, Services, District, Affordable, West Virginians, West Virginia Inc, Public Employees Insurance Agency, West Virginia Republican, “ Locations: CHARLESTON, W.Va, North Carolina, West Virginia, Richmond, North Carolina’s, Virginia, U.S, “ West Virginia

☆ Sinéad O’Connor paid dearly for criticizing the Catholic church. History proved her right
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Following the announcement of Sinéad O’Connor’s death aged 56 Wednesday, her life and music with all their complexities and convulsions have been put back into the spotlight. At first, the act drew widespread condemnation, but in subsequent years this eventually gave way to admiration as the Catholic Church acknowledged and apologized for the sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the clergy, often toward children. Ripping up that photo of the pope defined her career in a “beautiful f**king way,” she told the Guardian in 2021. Joe Pesci hosted the show the following week and in his opening monologue said that O’Connor “was very lucky it wasn’t my show. As the years passed, however, the public’s stance toward O’Connor softened as sexual abuse by members of the clergy became a matter of record.

Persons: Sinéad, Pope John Paul II, Bob Marley’s, ” O’Connor, John Paul II, “, O’Connor, ”, O'Connor, Stringer, Bob Dylan, Joe Pesci, she’s, Joey Buttafuoco, Amy Fisher, Pope Benedict XVI, O’Connor’s, Aisling Bea, sayer, Morrisey Organizations: CNN, Catholic Church, Rolling Stone, SNL, Guardian, Defamation League, Smiths Locations: Irish, United States, London, Antigua, Australia, Ireland

☆ US state attorneys general clash over EPA emissions plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Environmental Protection Agency in April proposed new 2027-2032 vehicle standards that would be the most dramatic reductions in history. The EPA estimates that to meet the new standards, automakers would need to have 60% of new production be electric vehicles by 2030 and 67% by 2032. The rules would cut emissions by 56% from existing 2026 requirements to speed the transition away from gasoline-powered engines to electric vehicles. Democratic attorneys general from New York, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois and other states said the EPA should go further. Many Republican state attorneys general have sued the EPA over its 2021 restoration of the Obama-era standards that were rolled back under Republican former President Donald Trump.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Joe Biden's, Kentucky's Daniel Cameron, Patrick Morrisey, Obama, Donald Trump, EVs, David Shepardson, Jonathan Oatis, Leslie Adler, David Gregorio Our Organizations: United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Republican, Democratic, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, District of Columbia, West, American Lung Association, American Medical Association, Alliance, Automotive Innovation, General Motors, Volkswagen, Toyota, Hyundai, American Petroleum Institute, Mazda, Ford, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, New York , California , Pennsylvania, Illinois, Chicago , New York, Los Angeles

☆ Republican attorneys general urge Biden to drop EPA emissions plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Signage is seen at the headquarters of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 10, 2021. The Environmental Protection Agency in April proposed new 2027-2032 vehicle standards that would cut emissions by 56% versus existing 2026 requirements. Many Republican state attorneys general have sued the EPA over its 2021 restoration of the Obama-era standards that were rolled back under Republican former President Donald Trump. The group called the proposal a "de facto battery electric vehicle mandate" and noted that EVs represented about 6% of new light-duty vehicles sales in 2022. Mazda (7261.T) said separately that it was worried about the "exceptional stringency" of the rule, while Ford Motor (F.N) said the EPA should "avoid setting criteria emissions requirements that will force unnecessarily large or ill-timed investments."

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Biden, Kentucky's Daniel Cameron, Patrick Morrisey, Obama, Donald Trump, EVs, David Shepardson, Jonathan Oatis, Leslie Adler Organizations: United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Republican, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, West, Alliance, Automotive Innovation, General Motors, Volkswagen, Toyota, Hyundai, American Lung Association, American Medical Association, Mazda, Ford, Thomson Locations: Washington ,

☆ Kroger will pay $68 million in West Virginia opioid settlement
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Kroger will pay $68 million to resolve a lawsuit in West Virginia alleging the company contributed to the oversupply of opioids in the state and failed to maintain effective controls. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey on Thursday announced the settlement in a statement. Kroger was the last remaining defendant in a state lawsuit involving Walgreens, Walmart, CVS and Rite Aid. More than 564,000 people died from overdoses involving any opioid, including prescription and illicit opioids, from 1999-2020, according to the latest CDC data. State and local governments have filed thousands of lawsuits against drug companies and wholesalers accused of fueling the crisis, resulting in a plethora of settlement deals.

☆ The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Simone Pathe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

The GOP needs a net gain of one or two seats to flip the chamber, depending on which party wins the White House in 2024, and it’s Democrats who are defending the tougher seats. Jim Justice announcing his Senate bid in West Virginia – the seat most likely to flip party control in 2024. In a presidential year, the national environment is likely to loom large, especially with battleground states hosting key Senate races. Two businessmen with the ability to tap into or raise significant resources could be in the mix – Eric Hovde, who lost the GOP Senate nomination in 2012, and Scott Mayer. Still, unseating Cruz in a state Trump won by nearly 6 points in 2020 will be a tall order.

☆ E.P.A. to Propose First Controls on Greenhouse Gases From Power Plants
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Coral Davenport | Lisa Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In releasing a climate rule for power plants, Mr. Biden hopes to succeed where his former boss, President Barack Obama, failed. had the authority to regulate carbon emissions from power plants but in a limited way. Lastly, the new law provides tax credits to power plant operators that capture their carbon, making the technology more financially feasible. Instead of creating one limit that all power plants must comply with, the E.P.A. “We are eager to review the E.P.A.’s new proposed rule on power plants, and we’ll be ready once again to lead the charge in the fight against federal overreach,” he said in a statement.

☆ Juul settlement: E-cigarette maker to pay $462 million in several states for marketing nicotine for youth vaping
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Juul Labs Inc. will pay $462 million for its role in the youth vaping surge. The settlement includes restrictions on Juul's marketing and distribution of vaping products. Like some other settlements reached by Juul, this latest includes restrictions on the marketing and distribution of the company's vaping products. For example, it is barred from any direct or indirect marketing that targets youth, which includes anyone under age 35. The spokesperson added that underage use of Juul products has declined by 95% since 2019 based on the National Youth Tobacco Survey.

☆ Juul settles lawsuit with West Virginia for $7.9 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —West Virginia has settled a lawsuit with e-cigarette maker Juul Labs for a total of $7.9 million, the state’s attorney general announced Monday. The company was accused of unfair, deceptive acts or practices in the advertising and marketing of Juul products in the state, specifically targeting teenagers. The lawsuit claimed Juul targeted these users through social media, influencer marketing and fashion bloggers and celebrities popular with teenagers. “This settlement puts companies like Juul in check to not copy big tobacco’s playbook and gear marketing strategies toward underage people,” West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said. Last summer, the FDA ordered Juul products to be removed from the US market.

☆ The Supreme Court allowed a transgender girl to continue playing sports, but a Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissent signals their willingness to review the hot-button issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Supreme Court allowed a transgender girl to continue playing on her school's girls track team. Yet two conservative justices — Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas — dissented from the decision, suggesting the court may soon wade into the Republican-led culture war over trans athletes. Her lawyers argued that the ban violated the Constitution's 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection, as well as Title IX, the 1972 federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination. West Virginia then turned to the Supreme Court to lift that ruling. "Among other things, enforcement of the law at issue should not be forbidden by the federal courts without any explanation."

☆ Mountain Valley Pipeline's West Virginia water permit tossed by court
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Clark Mindock | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Circuit Court of Appeals found several defects in the review the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection conducted before issuing the permit. They told the court the agency ignored Equitrans' history of violating state water regulations when it issued the permit under the Clean Water Act. A spokesperson for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection said they're reviewing the decision. The permit is one of the last remaining hurdles for the multi-billion dollar project, which would carry natural gas between West Virginia and Virginia. For West Virginia: Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, Michael Williams and Lindsay See of the state attorney general’s office and Jason Wandling of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.

☆ West Virginia asks judge to dismiss lawsuit seeking to overturn state restrictions on abortion pill
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

West Virginia's attorney general is urging a judge to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to overturn the state's restrictions on the abortion pill. GenBioPro sued West Virginia in January, arguing that the Food and Drug Administration's powers to approve and regulate medications pre-empt the state's restrictions on the abortion pill. GenBioPro has asked the court to declare unconstitutional West Virginia's law that bans abortion with a few exceptions. West Virginia does not allow patients to obtain a prescription for mifepristone through telemedicine appointments. "West Virginia retains the police power to regulate how drugs may be prescribed and dispensed by medical professionals," Morrisey argued.

The Biden administration rule would protect wetlands and seasonal streams, not just permanent waterways like the rivers and lakes they feed into. Those smaller waterways were largely eliminated from protections by a Trump administration rule. The Biden administration signaled its intent to replace that rule in June 2021. The Trump-era rule had been vacated by an Arizona federal court in August 2021, which restored previous standards while the Biden administration worked on its changes. For the states: West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, Solicitor General Lindsay See and Senior Deputy Solicitor General Michael WilliamsFor the EPA: Counsel not immediately availableOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The states said in their lawsuit, however, that the rule in practice could affect anyone who uses a brace. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a similar, separate lawsuit in federal court in Texas on Thursday. A group of veterans also filed a lawsuit challenging the rule in federal court in Texas earlier this month. Democratic President Joe Biden has championed tougher gun control measures, and last year signed a national gun safety law. Since then, several state gun control measures have been struck down by courts.

Companies Genbiopro Inc FollowJan 25 (Reuters) - A maker of abortion pills and a doctor have filed lawsuits challenging state restrictions on the medication, in the first lawsuits of their kind since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal constitutional right to abortion. The doctor, Amy Bryant, filed a separate lawsuit in the federal court in Durham, North Carolina, challenging state-imposed restrictions on obtaining mifepristone, which she said impeded her ability to treat patients. Medication abortions make up more than half of U.S. abortions. Misoprostol is the second drug of the two-drug regimen for medication abortion. Twelve states now ban nearly all abortions, including medication abortions.

Bryant objected to North Carolina requirements that patients obtain abortion pills only in person from physicians in specially certified facilities, and undergo as state-mandated counseling at least 72 hours before having abortions. The offices of West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The West Virginia lawsuit was reported earlier by The New York Times, and the North Carolina lawsuit by ABC News. The cases are GenBioPro Inc v Sorsaia et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia, No. 23-00058; and Bryant v Stein et al, U.S. District Court, Middle District of North Carolina, No.

Just because rural areas are less populated doesn’t mean it’s cheaper to provide health services there. She recommends that rural counties explore lower-cost, evidence-based options like distributing naloxone, funding syringe service programs, or connecting people to housing or employment. “We couldn’t function if we didn’t partner for lots of different services.”In Colorado, pooling funds is built into the state’s model for managing opioid settlement money. “Nobody has paid any attention to our rural areas and this problem for years,” Laske said. They cross-referenced the results with a list of allowable uses for the $9 million in settlement funds they’ll receive over 18 years to create a priority grid.

☆ Kansas H.S. students accused of taunting basketball team with Black baby doll, racist chants
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Two Kansas high schools are investigating after students at one school reportedly yelled racist and offensive taunts at the other school’s basketball team. He also said Valley Center students used a Black baby doll to taunt his team during the game. Lyons has started a petition asking that Valley Center High School fans be removed from sporting events. But he told KSN-TV that his son was shooting a free throw when the Valley Center student section chanted an expletive. Gibson and Valley Center High School Principal Bruce Lolling also visited with patrons from both cities to discuss the situation.

☆ Kimberly Guilfoyle said she loves doing the laundry and making Donald Trump Jr. his coffee in the morning
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kimberly Guilfoyle said she is very "traditional" in her relationship with Donald Trump Jr. "I love taking care of Don, the way I saw my mother lovingly take care of my father," Guilfoyle told Metropolitan Palm Beach magazine. Guilfoyle told the magazine she said that they had known each other for years before they became a couple. Guilfoyle told the interviewee the couple had moved to Palm Beach to be closer to the Trump extended family. Guilfoyle was reportedly considered for the White House Press Secretary role in 2016 and later became an advisor to former President Donald Trump during his 2020 campaign.

☆ CVS, Walmart reach $147.5M opioid settlement with West Virginia
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Morrisey recently announced a settlement with Rite Aid for up to $30 million to resolve similar litigation. Morrisey said the deal with CVS includes a provision that means West Virginia can still receive money from any future national settlements that arise. The money from all opioid settlements will be distributed throughout the state to abate the opioid crisis. In August, West Virginia cities and counties reached a $400 million tentative settlement with three major U.S. drug distributors: AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson. In April, Morrisey announced the state would receive $99 million in a settlement finalized with Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc.

☆ CVS, Walmart reach $147.5 mln opioid settlement with West Virginia -attorney general
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People walk by a CVS pharmacy store in Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S., November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew KellyRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSept 20 (Reuters) - CVS Health Corp (CVS.N) and Walmart Inc (WMT.N) have agreed to pay $147.5 million to settle West Virginia's claims over their alleged roles in the state's opioid crisis, state attorney general Patrick Morrisey said Tuesday. West Virginia had been prepared to proceed to trial on Sept. 26 against those two companies and Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA.O). Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterWalgreens has not settled, and a trial has been rescheduled for June 2023. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Dietrich Knauth; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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