All posts tagged: USA

Starbucks hit with million fine for spilled drink injury

Starbucks hit with $50 million fine for spilled drink injury

Published by Sam

A California jury Friday imposed a $50 million fine on Starbucks in the case of a delivery driver burned by a scalding cup of hot tea at a company location in Los Angeles. Michael Garcia was picking up three drinks in 2020 but one, he claimed, was “negligently” unsecured and spilled in his lap. He claimed that he consequently “suffered severe burns, disfigurement, and debilitating nerve damage to his genitals” and he was taken to an emergency room by paramedics. “Michael Garcia’s life has been forever changed,” his attorney, Nick Rowley, said. “No amount of money can undo the permanent catastrophic harm he has suffered, but this jury verdict is a critical step in holding Starbucks accountable for flagrant disregard for customer safety and failure to accept responsibility,” he added. Starbucks said it planned to appeal the verdict. “We sympathize with Mr. Garcia, but we disagree with the jury’s decision that we were at fault for this incident and believe the damages awarded to be excessive,” company spokesperson Jaci Anderson said in a statement. “We …

US Appeals court allows DEI crackdown

US Appeals court allows DEI crackdown

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A U.S. federal appeals court Friday lifted a block on the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government, pausing a lower court ruling blocking enforcement of a series of presidential executive orders halting support of DEI initiatives. The three-judge panel on the Fourth Circuit of Appeals, in Richmond, Virginia, found that the directives by President Donald Trump were likely constitutional, disagreeing with a ruling in February by a federal judge in Maryland. The judges are allowing the Trump administration to implement the policy while they consider a final decision on the constitutionality of the orders. U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore had blocked implementation of Trump’s executive order nationwide pending the outcome of a lawsuit brought by the city of Baltimore and groups that claimed, among other things, the executive orders — one abolishing DEI programs in the federal government and another requiring recipients of federal grants to not operate DEI programs — improperly targeted constitutionally protected free speech. The Trump administration maintains the orders do not ban …

Forecasters warn of tornadoes in US in coming days

Forecasters warn of tornadoes in US in coming days

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U.S. weather forecasters warned of the threat of tornados in multiple states this weekend following at least five twisters in the state of Missouri on Friday. Friday’s storms left some 100,000 buildings without power as severe weather continued into the night. The tornado risk was expected to continue into the weekend in a slew of states including Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. Accuweather predicted the storm risk to peak from Saturday afternoon to Saturday night. The National Weather Service warned of heavy thunderstorms from the Midwest to the Mississippi Valley, bringing with them the chance of flash flooding, power outages, downed trees and travel disruptions. In Alabama, Governor Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency on Friday, extending into Sunday. In her proclamation, she said “this severe weather could cause significant damage to public and private property and poses a danger to the health and safety of the people of Alabama, including potential disruption of essential utility systems, personal injury and loss of life.” The proclamation means the state National Guard will be on alert and …

Trump vows accountability for those who pursued him in court cases

Trump vows accountability for those who pursued him in court cases

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U.S. President Donald Trump promised to seek accountability for those who pursued legal cases against him when he was out of office, speaking Friday at the Justice Department. “Our predecessors turned this Department of Justice into the Department of Injustice. But I stand before you today to declare that those days are over, and they are never going to come back. They’re never coming back,” Trump said. During his years out of office, the department twice indicted Trump on charges that he illegally stored classified documents at his Florida estate and that he worked to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Both cases were dismissed after Trump won election in November, with the department citing a long-standing policy of not prosecuting a sitting president. “Now, as the chief law enforcement officer in our country, I will insist upon and demand full and complete accountability for the wrongs and abuses that have occurred. The American people have given us a mandate, a mandate like few people thought possible,” Trump said. Trump has fired prosecutors …

South Korea requests exclusion from US plan to increase tariffs

South Korea requests exclusion from US plan to increase tariffs

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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA —  South Korean officials have asked the Trump administration to exclude their country from U.S. plans to impose aggressive tariffs on trade partners, emphasizing that Seoul is already applying low duties on American products under the free trade agreement between the two nations. South Korea’s government on Friday said Deputy Trade Minister Park Jong-won made the request while traveling to Washington this week for meetings with unspecified officials from the White House, the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The South Korean Trade Ministry didn’t say what Park heard from the Americans. Park cited how South Korean companies were contributing to the U.S. economy through large-scale business investments and noted that the country was already imposing low duties on free trade partners such as the United States. He called for South Korea to be excluded from U.S. plans to establish reciprocal tariffs with trade partners and raise duties for imported steel and aluminum, the ministry said. South Korea’s top economic think tank this month slashed its growth …

US flu season most intense in at least 15 years

US flu season most intense in at least 15 years

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NEW YORK —  The U.S. winter virus season is in full force, and by one measure is the most intense in 15 years. One indicator of flu activity is the percentage of doctor’s office visits driven by flu-like symptoms. Last week, that number was clearly higher than the peak of any winter flu season since 2009-10, according to data posted Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of course, other viral infections can be mistaken for flu. But COVID-19 appears to be on the decline, according to hospital data and CDC modeling projections. Available data also suggests another respiratory illness, RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, has been fading nationally. The flu has forced schools to shut down in some states. The Godley Independent School District, a 3,200-student system near Fort Worth, Texas, last week closed for three days after 650 students and 60 staff were out Tuesday. Jeff Meador, a district spokesman, said most illnesses there have been flu, plus some strep throat. He called it the worst flu season he could …

Nigerian journalist misleads on Trump’s ability to travel internationally

Nigerian journalist misleads on Trump’s ability to travel internationally

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As President Donald Trump was sworn into office on Jan. 20, African nations watched the inauguration ceremony with the expectation that he would “focus more on partnerships with African countries.” But some in Africa remain critical, focusing on the president’s ability to travel internationally. On Jan. 10, Trump was formally convicted of a felony by a New York court after he was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump denies the accusations, dubbing them as “political witch-hunt” and claiming innocence. Yet some claim such a conviction could potentially impact the president’s foreign trips. Soon after Trump was sworn in, Dr. Kemi Lawrence, a Nigerian journalist, alleged that Trump had only one foreign travel option, which is visiting Nigeria. In a video posted on her TikTok account, Lawrence claimed: “President Trump is a convicted felon and he cannot enter UAE, UK, Canada, South Africa, Donald Trump cannot enter like 42 countries.” The claim is misleading. Canada is among dozens of countries to refuse entry to convicted felons. But experts say the Canadian …

Usha Vance to become first Indian American second lady

Usha Vance to become first Indian American second lady

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Usha Vance will be the next second lady of the United States, making the Yale-educated lawyer the first vice presidential spouse of South Asian origin. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell takes a look at her life story – and how it intersects with her husband’s political career and interests – as she prepares for a move to Washington. Kim Lewis contributed. Source link

Two Indian companies indicted in US for importing ingredients used in opioid fentanyl

Two Indian companies indicted in US for importing ingredients used in opioid fentanyl

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NEW YORK —  Two Indian chemical companies have been indicted for allegedly importing ingredients for the highly addictive opioid fentanyl into the United States and Mexico, the U.S. Department of Justice said Monday. Athos Chemicals and Raxuter Chemicals, both based in Gujarat, were each charged in Brooklyn with distributing the ingredients and conspiring to distribute them. Raxuter and senior executive Bhavesh Lathiya, 36, were also charged with smuggling, and introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. Lathiya was arrested on Saturday in New York and ordered detained pending trial, after prosecutors called him a flight risk and a substantial danger to the community. “The Justice Department is targeting every link in fentanyl trafficking supply chains that span countries and continents and too often end in tragedy in the United States,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. A federal public defender representing Lathiya declined to comment. Athos and Raxuter did not immediately respond to similar requests outside business hours. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid about 50 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times …