Why Trump Is Ending Enforcement of Civil Rights Laws That Ban ‘Disparate Impact’
President Donald Trump recently ordered federal agencies not to enforce laws that prohibit policies and practices with discriminatory impacts that are often unintended. Curbing so-called “disparate impact” liability, which is common in employment-related cases, removes a critical tool the government …
TikTok Fined €530 Million for Illegally Sending EU Data to China
TikTok owner ByteDance Ltd. was fined €530 million ($600 million) by the European Union for illegally sending user data to China, and warned that it didn’t do enough to keep that information out of reach from Chinese state services. Ireland’s …
UK Minister Tells Businesses to ‘Wake Up’ After Marks & Spencer Hack
A senior UK minister [this week] will warn businesses to protect themselves against cyber threats after a spate of attacks on retailers including Marks & Spencer Group Plc. “These attacks need to be a wake-up call for every business in …
UK Grocer Co-op Says Hackers Obtained Customer Data
The UK supermarket chain Co-op said hackers were able to access and extract customer data from one of its systems during a recent cyberattack. “The accessed data included information relating to a significant number of our current and past members,” …
Judge Allows Testimony That Abbott, Mead Johnson Baby Formula Caused Disease
A federal judge on said she will allow expert testimony that formula made by Abbott Laboratories and Reckitt Benckiser subsidiary Mead Johnson for premature babies can cause a fatal intestinal illness, as the companies face hundreds of lawsuits over the …
US Opens Probes After Army Helicopter Forces 2 DC Flights to Abort Landings
Federal investigators have launched a probe after two flights aborted landings at Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday because a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter too close. The Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday that air traffic control told Delta …
Second Person Charged With Arson in New Jersey Pine Barrens Fire
A second person has been charged with arson in the wildfire in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens that has grown into the state’s second-largest fire in nearly two decades. Prosecutors said Friday that a 17-year-old was arrested and charged with arson, …
‘Sensitive’ Security Report Into Arson at Governor’s Mansion Won’t Be Made Public
A consultant paid to review security at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro after it was firebombed by a late-night intruder said Friday that his team’s findings will not be made public. Retired state police Col. Jeffrey Miller …
Staff Cuts Help Fuel GEICO Profit; Auto Insurer Not ‘Pouring Money’ Into AI
He’s not yet ready to declare “mission accomplished,” but Ajit Jain, vice chair of Berkshire Hathaway’s insurance operations, said the conglomerate’s personal auto insurer, GEICO, is no longer lagging behind competitors in several key areas. “[I]n the last seven quarters, …
Washington Issues Citations for Warehouse Quota, Safety Violations
The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries issued the first citations under a a new law regulating production quotas in warehouse workplaces. L&I fined The Safeway distribution center in Auburn $26,700 for several violations related to workplace safety and …
Hawaii Lawmakers Pass HECO Bill to Invest in Wildfire Mitigation
Hawaii lawmakers this week passed a bill intended to help shore up Hawaiian Electric Co.’s credit rating despite strong opposition from House and Senate committee chairs who helped vet the measure. The bill would impose a new fee on HECO …
Lawmakers in 3 States Want to Roll Back Paid Sick Leave Benefits
Voters in Alaska, Missouri and Nebraska were asked last year whether they wanted to require employers to provide paid sick leave to their workers. They overwhelmingly said yes. Now some lawmakers in each of those states are trying to roll …
Texas Mutual Approves $330M General Dividend Distribution
Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced that its board of directors voted unanimously to approve a $330 million general dividend distribution in 2025. Texas Mutual, the state’s top provider of workers’ compensation insurance will have distributed more than $1 billion in …
JD Power: Drivers Keep Shopping Even as Auto Insurance Price Increases Slow
Even as auto insurance rates level out, drivers are still looking for a better deal. The rate of U.S. auto insurance premium price increases slowed to less than 2% at the end of 2024, down from 13% at the beginning …
This Texas E&S Carrier is Implementing Natural Language Processing
At AM Specialty Insurance Co., Nishad Lad, head of data and software development, has been placed at the forefront of transforming the Dallas, Texas-based excess and surplus carrier’s claims processing with new technologies. His team has implemented an array of …
Ohio Residents Divided Over Norfolk Southern Settlement Agreement
Norfolk Southern began making promises to East Palestine, Ohio, soon after its train derailed and caught fire in February 2023. The railroad said it would “make it right” after five tank cars of vinyl chloride were intentionally burned, sending up …
Student Competition to Showcase Young Talent at RIMS
Attendees of the RIMS’ Riskworld annual conference in Chicago will have an opportunity to meet a cohort of aspiring risk management professionals, who are participating in a global university competition. Teams from eight colleges around the world will compete in …
Uber Teams Up With May Mobility to Launch Robotaxis in US Cities
Uber Technologies said on Thursday it will partner with self-driving technology startup May Mobility to deploy thousands of self-driving vehicles on its ride-hailing platform across U.S. cities, starting with Arlington, Texas, by late 2025. This adds to Uber’s growing list …
Zurich Offers ‘Roadmap’ to Prep Businesses, Governments for Climate Change
A new paper from Zurich calls out an “alarmingly bleak” outlook thanks to climate change driving the frequency and intensity of extreme weather and increasing the likelihood of natural catastrophes. However, the paper takes an optimistic stance that there are …
Hawaii Plans to Increase Hotel Tax to Help It With Climate Change Mitigation
In a first-of-its kind move, Hawaii lawmakers are ready to hike a tax imposed on travelers staying in hotels, vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations and earmark the new money for programs to cope with a warming planet. State leaders …