Current Events

Washington — In another setback for Chrysler Group LLC’s Jeep brand, federal regulators said Friday the agency is looking into reports of three major fires in the roofs of Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it is launching a preliminary investigation into 146,000 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs after receiving three reports alleging the vehicle’s interior caught fire near the passenger-side sun visor.

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A  jury in one of New York’s most conservative counties recently returned a $130 million verdict in a medical-malpractice case, the second-largest in the state’s history. Lawyers for the losing hospital decried a “jury out of control” and called for more tort reform. Before the case went to trial, their offer of an $8 million settlement was turned down.

What the defense lawyers seemed not to realize is that tort reform hasn’t worked for 25 years. And large verdicts may be the most effective drivers in making health care safer.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Folks who worked, lived or volunteered in, near and around exposure zones and who suffered physical harm as a result of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, can still claim help.

But time is running out.

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Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), the world’s biggest seller of health-care products, has discussed paying more than $3 billion to settle lawsuits over its recalled hip implants, according to five people familiar with the matter.

J&J seeks to resolve as many as 11,500 lawsuits in the U.S. and has considered paying more than $300,000 per case, according to the people. Such a settlement would exceed $3 billion if most plaintiffs accept the terms, an amount 50 percent larger than that proposed in previous discussions.

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Kia is recalling 9,345 model-year 2014 versions of the Sorento crossover due to a problem with the front axle, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles are front-wheel-drive versions equipped with 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines and were manufactured between Jan. 7 and March 12, 2013 (check your vehicle's build date on a sticker on the driver-side doorjamb). A manufacturing issue could cause the right front axle to fracture, resulting in a loss of power to the front wheels. This could lead to a crash. 

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Energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster are the hottest-selling component of the beverage industry, but medical experts are sounding the alarm about the possible health hazards they pose and calling for better regulation.

Last month, the concern reached Congress, where members took energy-drink makers t task for marketing they say is targeted at children and teens, marketing that seems particularly unsettling given a number of recent deaths of teens linked to the consumption of the caffeinated drinks.

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BMW is recalling 1,540 model-year 2009-10 X5 xDrive 35d crossovers due to a potential problem in the fuel system that could lead to a fire, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles were manufactured between June 13 and Nov. 9, 2009, and are equipped with a diesel engine.

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A jury in the first federal trial over transvaginal mesh devices awarded $2 million on Thursday to a woman who alleged that the manufacturer failed to warn about defects in its product that caused her bleeding and pain.

Donna Cisson claims she had to undergo two surgeries to remove the device, one of C.R. Bard Inc.’s line of Avaulta products, which is inserted surgically into women to treat pelvic organ prolaspse – a condition that can cause urinary incontinence or pain, sometimes during sex.

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The long-awaited decision declaring the New York Police Department’s use of stop-and-frisk tactics unconstitutional was mostly expected; even the staunchest defenders of the practice anticipated that Judge Shira A. Scheindlin would find the stops violated the Fourth Amendment’s protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

But it was her other finding — that the police had violated the 14th Amendment by engaging in racial profiling in carrying out those stops — that drew blood.

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Hyundai will recall 259,000 cars in two separate actions, the automaker has informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The first action covers about 215,000 Sonatas from the 2006-10 model years and 24,000 Azeras from 2006-11, in which a rear cross member may rust, possibly causing handling problems. In a separate action, Hyundai will recall about 20,000 front-wheel-drive 2013 Santa Fe Sports equipped with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine because a front axle shaft might break.

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As of Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been notified of 539 cases of Cyclospora infection from the following 19 states: Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York (including New York City), Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

The California case was likely acquired out of state, according to CDC. It is not yet clear whether the cases from all of the states are part of the same outbreak. Iowa and Nebraska have linked illnesses in those states to bagged salad served at Olive Gardens and Red Lobsters and produced by Taylor Farms de Mexico.  In addition, Wisconsin added four to its count and Georgia deducted one.

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