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```rss https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ RSSHub i@diygod.me (DIYgod) zh-cn https://www.reuters.com/pf/resources/images/reuters/logo-vertical-default-512x512.png?d=116 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ Wed, 30 Aug 2023 05:30:25 GMT 5

Steve Pizzano helps board up a friend's souvenir shop ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Idalia in Clearwater Beach, Florida, U.S., August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

A surfer rides the swells ahead of Hurricane Idalia in Clearwater Beach, Florida, U.S., August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Adrees Latif TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A volunteer places hurricane shutters at the Cedar Key Fire Station ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Florida's Gulf Coast braced on Wednesday for fierce winds, torrential rain and surging seawater from Idalia, forecast to become "an extremely dangerous" Category 4 hurricane, as it swirled toward a direct hit on the state's Big Bend region.

Idalia's fury steadily intensified on Tuesday, drawing energy from the warm, open waters of the Gulf of Mexico, while millions of people in the storm's path tied down boats, boarded up windows, sandbagged their properties and headed for higher ground.

Mandatory evacuation orders had been issued in at least 28 of Florida's 67 counties as of Tuesday night.

"If you have not evacuated, you need to do that right now," Florida emergency management chief Kevin Guthrie said during an evening news briefing. "You need to drop what you're doing. You need to go to your room, pack up, pack your things and get to safety."

Most of Florida's 21 million residents, and many in the adjacent states of Georgia and South Carolina, were under hurricane warnings and other storm-related advisories. State emergency declarations were issued in all three.

"They're expecting some fatalities, so I don't want to be one of them," Rene Hoffman, 62, said as she readied to leave her home in Steinhatchee, Florida, which is in the projected landfall zone. She owns a food stand that she lashed to her husband's pickup truck to keep it from washing or blowing away.

Idalia was forecast to attain "an extremely dangerous Category 4 intensity" on the five-step Saffir-Simpson wind scale by the time it makes landfall in Florida Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said Tuesday night.

At last report from the hurricane center, Idalia was packing maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (177 kph), at the upper end of a Category 2, as it churned toward shore 120 miles (193 km) southwest of Cedar Key, Florida. Any storm reaching Category 3 or higher is considered a major hurricane.

Florida's Gulf Coast, southeastern Georgia and eastern parts of North and South Carolina could face 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) of rain through Thursday, with isolated areas seeing as much as a foot of rain (30 cm), the hurricane center warned.

Officials said the storm's most dangerous feature would be a powerful surge of wind-driven surf that is expected to flood barrier islands and other low-lying areas along the coast.

Surge warnings were posted for hundreds of miles of shoreline, from Sarasota to the sport fishing haven of Indian Pass at the western end of Apalachicola Bay. In some areas, depending on tides, the surge of water could rise 10 to 15 feet (3.0 to 4.6 m), the NHC said.

"The No. 1 killer in all of these storms is water," Deanne Criswell, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's administrator, said on CNN.

The NHC said Idalia's center would most likely cross Florida's shoreline somewhere in the Big Bend region, where the state's northern Gulf Coast panhandle curves into the western side of the Florida Peninsula, roughly bounded by the inland cities of Gainesville and Tallahassee, the state capital.

Sparsely populated compared with the Tampa-St. Petersburg area to the south, the Big Bend features a marshy coast, threaded with freshwater springs and rivers, and a cluster of small offshore islands forming Cedar Key, a historic fishing village demolished in 1896 by a hurricane's storm surge.

At the White House on Tuesday, U.S. President Biden said he and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Biden in the 2024 presidential election, were "in constant contact" about storm preparations.

Idalia-related disruptions extended to Florida's Atlantic coast at Cape Canaveral, where the Tuesday launch of a rocket carrying a U.S. Space Force intelligence satellite was delayed indefinitely.

Idalia grew from a tropical storm into a hurricane early on Tuesday, a day after passing west of Cuba, where it damaged homes, knocked out power, flooded villages and prompted mass evacuations.

It was fourth major hurricane to strike Florida in the past seven years, following Irma in 2017, Michael in 2018 and Ian, which peaked at Category 5, last September.

More than 40 school districts in Florida canceled classes, DeSantis said, and Tampa International Airport suspended commercial operations on Tuesday.

About 5,500 National Guard members were mobilized, while 30,000 to 40,000 electricity workers were on standby. The state has set aside 1.1 million gallons of gasoline to address any interruptions to fuel supplies, the governor said.

In Sarasota - a city hard-hit by Ian last year - Milton Bontrager, 40, who runs a charter fishing service near Tampa, said his home was boarded up and stocked with food, water and a generator, and his boats were secure.

"I don't panic, I prepare," he said on Tuesday.

Reporting by Maria Alejandra Cardona in Steinhatchee, Florida, Marco Bello in Cedar Key, Florida, Joey Roulette in Tampa, Florida, Rich McKay in Atlanta, Nelson Acosta in Havana, Dave Sherwood in Guanimar, Cuba, Brad Brooks in Longmont, Colorado, Brendan O'Brien in Chicago and Nandita Bose in Washington; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Gerry Doyle ]]> Wed, 30 Aug 2023 04:23:54 GMT https://www.reuters.com/world/us/floridas-gulf-coast-braces-major-hurricane-idalia-nears-landfall-2023-08-30/ https://www.reuters.com/world/us/floridas-gulf-coast-braces-major-hurricane-idalia-nears-landfall-2023-08-30/ STORM IDALIA/ (TV, PIX, GRAPHIC)

A man places plywood in front of a store ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Idalia in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello

A sign is seen at the entrance of a restaurant ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello

People carry boxes out of a gift shop before the arrival of Hurricane Idalia in Cedar Key, Florida, August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello

A mandatory evacuation sign is seen ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello

Volunteers place hurricane shutters at the Cedar Key Fire Station ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello

Tropical Storm Idalia makes its way to Cuba and Florida's west coast in a composite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-East weather satellite, August 28, 2023. NOAA/Handout

Hurricane Idalia gained fury on Tuesday as it crawled toward Florida's Gulf Coast, forcing mass evacuations in low-lying areas expected to be swamped when the powerful storm, forecast to reach Category 4 intensity, strikes on Wednesday morning.

Idalia was generating maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (177 kph) by late Tuesday night - at the upper end of Category 2 - and its force will ratchet higher before it slams ashore, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) projected.

By that time the storm was forecast to reach "an extremely dangerous Category 4 intensity" - with maximum sustained winds of at least 130 mph (209 kph) - on the five-step Saffir-Simpson wind scale, the NHC reported.

The hurricane was upgraded on Tuesday evening to a Category 2 after its top wind speeds surpassed 95 mph (153 kph), feeding on the warm, open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Any storm designated Category 3 or higher is classified as a major hurricane.

Idalia's most dangerous feature, however, appeared to be the powerful surge of wind-driven seawater it is expected to deliver to barrier islands and other low-lying areas along the coast.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination next year, urged residents in vulnerable communities to heed orders to move to higher ground, warning that the storm surge could cause life-threatening floods.

"They're expecting some fatalities, so I don't want to be one of them," said Rene Hoffman, 62, of Steinhatchee, Florida, a coastal town in the area where Idalia is expected to make landfall. She owns a food stand that she lashed to her husband's pickup truck to keep it from washing or blowing away.

"This is scary, you know, to think that water could come this high," she said as she gathered her prescription medications and prepared to leave her home. "We've never had water up here before."

The NHC said Idalia's center would likely hit Florida's coastline somewhere in the Big Bend region, where the state's northern panhandle curves into the Gulf side of the Florida Peninsula, roughly bounded by the inland cities of Gainesville and Tallahassee, the state capital.

Sparsely populated compared with the Tampa-St. Petersburg area to the south, the Big Bend features a marshy coast, threaded with freshwater springs and rivers, and a cluster of small offshore islands forming Cedar Key, a historic fishing village devastated in 1896 by a hurricane's storm surge.

Most of Florida's 21 million residents, along with many in Georgia and South Carolina, were under hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge warnings and advisories. State emergency declarations were issued in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

At the White House, U.S. President Biden said he and DeSantis were "in constant contact," adding that he had assured the governor federal disaster assistance would remain in place for as "long as it takes, and we’ll make sure they have everything they need.”

Gulf energy producers were taking precautions as well. U.S. oil company Chevron evacuated staff from three oil production platforms, while Kinder Morgan planned to shut a petroleum pipeline.

Idalia-related disruptions extended to Florida's Atlantic coast at Cape Canaveral, where the Tuesday launch of a rocket carrying a U.S. Space Force intelligence satellite was delayed indefinitely due to the hurricane.

Idalia grew from a tropical storm into a hurricane early on Tuesday, a day after passing west of Cuba, where it damaged homes and flooded villages.

By Tuesday evening, the storm was churning about 125 miles (201 km) west of Tampa as it crept closer to shore.

Idalia is in line to become the fourth major hurricane to strike Florida over the past seven years, following Irma in 2017, Michael in 2018 and Ian, which peaked at Category 5, last September.

UP TO 15 FEET OF STORM SURGE

In Sarasota - a city hard-hit by Ian last year - Milton Bontrager's home was boarded and stocked with food, water and a generator.

"I don't panic, I prepare," said Bontrager, 40, who runs six charter fishing boats in Venice along the Gulf Coast near Tampa.

He stopped taking customers out days ago so he could secure the boats. His biggest craft is tied down to a floating dock with 16 lines and equipped with battery-powered pumps that turn on automatically if the boat starts taking on water.

Florida's Gulf Coast along with southeastern Georgia and eastern portions of North and South Carolina could face torrential rains of 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) through Thursday, with isolated areas seeing as much as 12 inches (30 cm), the hurricane center warned.

Surge warnings were posted for hundreds of miles of shoreline, from Sarasota to the sport fishing haven of Indian Pass at the western end of Apalachicola Bay. In some areas, the surge of water could rise 10 to 15 feet (3.0 to 4.6 m), the NHC said.

"The No. 1 killer in all of these storms is water," Deanne Criswell, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's administrator, said on CNN.

More than 40 school districts in Florida canceled classes, DeSantis said. Tampa International Airport closed to commercial operations with plans to reopen on Thursday.

About 5,500 National Guard members were mobilized, while 30,000 to 40,000 electricity workers were placed on standby. The state has set aside 1.1 million gallons of gasoline to address any interruptions to fuel supplies, DeSantis said.

BRUSH WITH CUBA

As Floridians braced for Idalia's arrival, Cubans were grappling with the aftermath of the storm, which lingered for hours on Monday near the western end of the Caribbean island nation, toppling trees and flooding coastal villages.

In Pinar del Rio, an area known for producing the tobacco used to make some of the world's finest cigars, 60% of the province was without power. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated.

Reporting by Marco Bello in Cedar Key, Florida, Maria Alejandra Cardona in Steinhatchee, Florida, Rich McKay in Atlanta, Nelson Acosta in Havana, Dave Sherwood in Guanimar, Cuba, Joey Roulette in Tampa Bay, Florida, Brad Brooks in Longmont, Colorado, Brendan O'Brien in Chicago and Nandita Bose in Washington; Writing by Joseph Ax and Steve Gorman; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Marguerita Choy and Cynthia Osterman ]]> Wed, 30 Aug 2023 04:11:54 GMT https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/idalia-set-slam-floridas-gulf-coast-wednesday-major-hurricane-2023-08-29/ https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/idalia-set-slam-floridas-gulf-coast-wednesday-major-hurricane-2023-08-29/ STORM IDALIA/ (UPDATE 10, TV, PIX, GRAPHIC)

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on Social Security and Medicare at the University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida, U.S. February 9, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

The Biden administration on Tuesday released its list of 10 prescription medicines that will be subject to the first-ever price negotiations by the U.S. Medicare health program that covers 66 million people, with big-selling blood thinner Eliquis from Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY.N) and Pfizer (PFE.N) among them.

President Joe Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law last year, allows Medicare to negotiate prices for some of its most costly drugs.

"Today is the start of a new deal for patients,” Biden said at a White House event, adding that Americans often pay two to three times more than other countries for the same drugs.

Once implemented, the prices on negotiated drugs will decrease for up to 9 million seniors who currently pay as much as $6,497 in out-of-pocket costs per year for these prescriptions, Biden said.

Medicare, which mostly serves Americans aged 65 and over, pays twice as much for drugs than the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which already negotiates drug prices, he said.

Merck & Co's (MRK.N) diabetes drug Januvia, Eliquis rival Xarelto from Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), and AbbVie's (ABBV.N) leukemia treatment Imbruvica were also selected.

Other medicines picked for negotiations include Amgen's (AMGN.O) rheumatoid arthritis treatment Enbrel, Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly's (LLY.N) diabetes drug Jardiance, J&J's arthritis and Crohn's disease medicine Stelara and insulin from Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO).

Shares of drugmakers were mixed on Monday afternoon. The NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical index (.DRG) was up around 0.4%.

Tuesday's announcement kicks off the negotiation process for the 10 drugs whose new prices will go into effect in 2026. The program aims to save $25 billion per year on drug prices by 2031.

U.S. laws had prohibited Medicare from negotiating pharmaceutical prices as part of its prescription drug program that began about 20 years ago.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) spent $50.5 billion between June 1, 2022 and May 31, 2023 on the 10 drugs, which is the time period used to determine which medicines were eligible for negotiation. That was about 20% of the total cost of drugs in the Medicare prescription drug program known as Part D.

Wells Fargo analyst Mohit Bansal said the savings from negotiations on Jardiance, Januvia, AstraZeneca's (AZN.L) Farxiga and Novo's Insulin Aspart, which cost the agency about $16.5 billion total, could potentially free up Medicare's budget and make it easier to cover diabetes or obesity drugs.

CLINICALLY APPROPRIATE ACCESS

Novartis , whose heart failure drug Entresto was among the 10 selected, Eli Lilly and Merck said they believed the price-setting would stifle innovation in the sector and impact quality of care. AstraZeneca and Novo Nordisk said they were evaluating next steps.

Bristol Myers CEO Giovanni Caforio in an interview said the inclusion of Eliquis would not impact its long-term strategy, particularly as the drug loses patent exclusivity in 2028, two years after the negotiated prices would take effect.

Caforio said Medicare enrollees on the drug could see their access restricted because of unintended consequences of the law.

"There is no requirement in the law that insurance companies that administer Medicare benefits will actually continue to make these medicines available to patients without hurdles or burdensome cost sharing," he said.

CMS Director Dr. Meena Seshamani said Medicare plans to use a review process to make sure insurance companies keep clinically appropriate access to negotiated drugs.

Competition for J&J's Stelara is expected to hit the U.S. market in 2025, before negotiated prices go into effect, following deals with Amgen, Alvotech (ALVO.O) and Teva (TEVA.TA) that delayed launches of their near copies, known as biosimilars.

Analysts had said the delays put J&J back on track for $57 billion in 2025 pharmaceutical revenue.

Bristol Myers, J&J, Merck, AstraZeneca, and Germany-based Boehringer have also sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the Medicare agency, in an effort to derail the price-setting process.

BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman said that while the list includes many big revenue generators, many of them will face competition shortly after or even before 2026, which was expected to lessen their profitability.

Two analysts said they expect the negotiated prices to move beyond Medicare and affect commercial markets for these drugs by 2026, when they come into effect.

The 10 initial drugs were chosen based on certain criteria set out by Medicare. They must be sold in pharmacies, not have substantial generic competition, and have been on the market for at least nine years - 13 for more complex biotech drugs.

Reporting by Patrick Wingrove, Mike Erman, Manas Mishra in Bengaluru and Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Caroline Humer, Bill Berkrot and Chizu Nomiyama ]]> Wed, 30 Aug 2023 02:18:38 GMT https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-name-first-10-drugs-medicare-price-negotiation-2023-08-29/ https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-name-first-10-drugs-medicare-price-negotiation-2023-08-29/ HEALTH USA/DRUGPRICING (UPDATE 7, PIX, GRAPHIC, TV)

Tennessee State Senators on the chamber floor and advocates for gun law reform in the gallery pray during a special session on public safety to discuss gun violence in the wake of the Covenant School shooting, in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Cheney Orr

Democratic Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones is granted access to the House chamber on the last day of a special session on public safety to discuss gun violence in the wake of the Covenant School shooting, in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Cheney Orr TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Nick Hansen, a Covenant School dad, holds a sign in the Senate gallery above the chamber floor advocating for gun law reform during a special session on public safety to discuss gun violence in the wake of the Covenant School shooting, in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Cheney Orr

Democratic Tennessee State Representative Justin J. Pearson speaks to supporters outside the House chamber after a special session on public safety to discuss gun violence in the wake of the Covenant School shooting, in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Cheney Orr

A special legislative session in Tennessee called by the state's Republican governor in response to a deadly school shooting ended on Tuesday with no progress on gun safety laws, capped by a brief scuffle between opposing lawmakers.

Governor Bill Lee, in the special session which opened on Aug. 21, asked lawmakers to consider a "red flag" law and a number of other public safety measures he pitched in the wake of the murder of three children and three staff members at The Covenant School in March in Nashville.

But fellow Republicans, who hold a supermajority in the state legislature, would not budge on their refusal to pass any laws they deem as threats to citizens' right to own guns under the U.S. Constitution.

Two Democratic lawmakers who had reclaimed their seats after being expelled over a protest from the House of Representatives floor against gun violence in April confronted House Speaker Cameron Sexton as Republicans voted to end the special session on Tuesday.

A brief scuffle between the two Democrats, Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, and the Republican speaker broke out, with shoves exchanged before other members stepped in to separate them.

Jones and Pearson, both of whom are Black members of the predominantly white House, have been outspoken proponents of new gun laws to help ease violence in the urban areas they represent.

After being expelled by Republicans from their seats in April, Jones and Pearson won back their seats in a special election.

Lawmakers did set aside extra funds for existing safety programs, prompting Lee, the governor, to say that "our state is safer today as a result of this session."

That sentiment was not shared by Sarah Shoop Neuman, the parent of a Covenant student who lobbied lawmakers for new gun laws. After the session ended, she told reporters it was difficult for her to comprehend that children were murdered at school, yet lawmakers "took no meaningful action."

Reporting by Brad Brooks in Longmont, Colorado; Editing by Donna Bryson and Leslie Adler ]]> Wed, 30 Aug 2023 00:42:47 GMT https://www.reuters.com/world/us/tennessee-governors-push-gun-laws-fails-lawmakers-scuffle-2023-08-30/ https://www.reuters.com/world/us/tennessee-governors-push-gun-laws-fails-lawmakers-scuffle-2023-08-30/ TENNESSEE POLITICS/ (PIX)

A person waits at a Walmart Pharmacy in West Haven, Connecticut, U.S., February 17, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

Walmart (WMT.N) is asking some of its 16,000 pharmacists across the U.S. to voluntarily take pay cuts by reducing their working hours in a bid to lower costs, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The cuts, which haven't been previously reported and are aimed at pharmacists in higher wage brackets, highlight the new pressures at Walmart pharmacies, where shoppers are lining up to buy weight-loss drugs that drag on profits, despite their high price.

Walmart also has agreed to pay $3.1 billion as its share of an opioid-related legal settlement, which is adding to its legal costs this year.

The retailer's shares were up nearly 1% in afternoon trading on Tuesday. The company's shares have risen 12% this year, far outperforming the broader Dow Jones Industrial Average's (.DJI) 4.26% increase over the same period, as it becomes the retailer of choice for bargain-minded shoppers navigating steep inflation.

At a meeting in May, senior Walmart field leadership asked 20 market leaders - directors of 10 to 15 stores in a given area - to start asking pharmacists to voluntarily reduce their base salary hours, the source told Reuters.

For example, a pharmacist could go from an 80-hour, two-week pay period to one lasting 64 or 72 hours, said the source, who attended the meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The market leaders who attended the meeting represented Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Louisiana, though the move was presented as a nationwide one, the person said.

Leaders were asked to start hiring pharmacists at lower base salaries, the source said, adding that the moves were being led by Davey Lavergne, Walmart's vice president of Health and Wellness.

On average, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retail chain pays its pharmacists more than $140,000 a year, excluding bonuses and incentives, according to Walmart.

Walmart confirmed to Reuters that it was reducing the amount of hours it was offering some pharmacists, citing a dropoff in demand for drugs during the summer and requests from pharmacists for a better work-life balance.

A Walmart spokesperson, Marilee McInnis, said the company was "committed to creating a great place to work" through work-life balance and competitive pay, and was hiring pharmacists as it sees demand for their services grow.

Earlier this year, Walmart scaled back the operating hours of its pharmacies by two hours at more than 4,500 U.S. stores, amid a shortage of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians that began during the pandemic.

Michael Hogue, CEO of the American Pharmacists Association in Washington, said there was no data to support the assertion that demand for medications falls during the summer and that pharmacists need fewer hours to fill prescriptions.

SHORTAGE OF PHARMACY TECHNICIANS

The underlying reason that chain drug stores like Walmart are scaling back pharmacists' hours is a shortage of pharmacy technicians, Hogue said. Technicians handle tasks such as counting pills, answering phones and stocking shelves, enabling pharmacists to focus on filling prescriptions. But technicians don't hold pharmacy degrees and are paid less than pharmacists.

According to a study by the Pharmacy Workforce Center released in May, nearly 80% of respondents working at chain pharmacies considered the shortage of technicians to be severe or very severe.

At the same time, the growing popularity of diabetes medications, which have become popular weight-loss drugs, have further increased workloads. In its latest quarter ended July 31, Walmart said drugs like Ozempic boosted health and wellness sales by percentages in the high teens, but also dragged down profit margins.

The company does not break out revenues from its 5,000 pharmacies, most of which are in rural areas. Pharmacy sales come under the company's health and wellness business, which comprised 11% of Walmart's total U.S. revenue last year.

Walmart last year agreed to pay $3.1 billion as part of the nationwide opioid settlement following allegations that it failed to regulate prescriptions of the painkillers.

The settlement includes many court-ordered compliance requirements which must be carried out by pharmacists, experts say.

Pharmacists have complained that this adds to their workload while they must fill the same volume of prescriptions with fewer people and work hours, according to posts on Facebook and independent message boards frequented by Walmart employees.

Reporting by Siddharth Cavale in New York; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Andy Sullivan ]]> Tue, 29 Aug 2023 23:54:47 GMT https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/walmart-cuts-pharmacist-pay-hours-while-workload-piles-up-2023-08-29/ https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/walmart-cuts-pharmacist-pay-hours-while-workload-piles-up-2023-08-29/ WALMART PHARMACY/ (UPDATE 1, EXCLUSIVE, PIX)

The iconic Hollywood sign is shown in early morning light in Los Angeles, California, U.S., July 13, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

An all-star lineup of late-night television hosts are uniting to chat about Hollywood's ongoing labor disputes on a new podcast, a group effort to raise funds for their striking staff writers.

Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver will take part in the podcast that debuts on Wednesday called "Strike Force Five," according to a statement from streaming service Spotify . All five will appear on each episode and they will take turns as host.

The roughly 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike in early May after failing to reach a new labor agreement with the major Hollywood studios that produce films and TV shows. The SAG-AFTRA actors union, Hollywood's largest union with 160,000 members, walked off the job in July.

Without teams of writers to pen topical jokes, the late-night shows have been airing re-runs for nearly four months.

The five hosts have been meeting weekly over Zoom "to discuss the complexities behind the ongoing Hollywood strikes," Spotify said, and the new podcast will allow fans to "listen in on these once-private chats."

Spotify said "Strike Force Five" will be available on most major podcast platforms and run for at least 12 episodes. Kimmel - in a post on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter - said the podcast would continue "for the remainder of the strike."

All proceeds will go to the writers of the late-night shows, Spotify said.

Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Sandra Maler ]]> Tue, 29 Aug 2023 21:55:42 GMT https://www.reuters.com/world/us/late-night-tv-hosts-join-podcast-help-striking-writers-2023-08-29/ https://www.reuters.com/world/us/late-night-tv-hosts-join-podcast-help-striking-writers-2023-08-29/ TELEVISION WRITERS/LATE NIGHT (UPDATE 1, PIX, TV)

A newly installed direction sign "Donetsk People's Republic Square" is seen in front of the U.S. embassy in Moscow, Russia June 22, 2022. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

A Moscow court on Tuesday extended for three months the detention of a former U.S. consular employee accused of gathering information for Washington on the war in Ukraine and other issues, Tass news agency reported.

Tass quoted the press service of the Lefortovo court as saying that a three-month extension requested by investigators until Nov. 23 had been granted for the detention of Robert Shonov, a Russian national.

The Tass report said Shonov had acknowledged his guilt in passing on information to U.S. diplomats.

U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller on Monday repeated the U.S. position that the allegations against Shonov were "wholly without merit."

Miller said the action against Shonov "only highlights the increasingly repressive actions the Russian government is taking against its own citizens".

Shonov was employed by the U.S. Consulate General in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok for more than 25 years until Russia in 2021 ordered the termination of the U.S. mission's local staff.

Washington says he was subsequently employed via a company contracted to the U.S. embassy to summarize news reports.

Russia's FSB security service has said it plans to question U.S. embassy employees who were in contact with Shonov, who has been under arrest since May.

The FSB said Shonov relayed information to U.S. embassy staffers in Moscow on how Russia's conscription campaign was impacting political discontent ahead of the 2024 presidential election in Russia.

Miller said Washington was aware the FSB had also summoned two diplomats working at the U.S. embassy in Moscow in connection to the case.

Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Ron Popeski and Sandra Maler ]]> Tue, 29 Aug 2023 21:53:53 GMT https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-court-extends-detention-ex-us-consular-employee-tass-2023-08-29/ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-court-extends-detention-ex-us-consular-employee-tass-2023-08-29/ UKRAINE CRISIS/RUSSIA SPYING

Students walk on the campus of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S., September 20, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake/File Photo

A University of North Carolina graduate student has been charged in the fatal shooting on Monday of a professor, an incident that prompted an hours-long lockdown at the school's Chapel Hill campus.

Court records show Tailei Qi, age 34 according to media reports, was charged with first-degree murder and carrying a gun on an educational campus in the killing of Zijie Yan, an associate professor in applied physical sciences at the school since 2019.

Yan was the father of two young children and a beloved colleague, mentor and friend to many on campus, Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

A university website showed Qi was a doctoral student who had joined Yan's research group in January 2022.

Campus police Chief Brian James said on Tuesday no motive had been determined for the shooting.

Qi drove to campus on Monday and went directly to Yan's research lab, James said. Qi was gone by the time police arrived minutes after the shooting was reported at 1:02 p.m. local time.

His car was found on campus, but he was arrested by city police near his home in Chapel Hill about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from campus, James said.

Qi made his first court appearance on Tuesday, James said.

Reports of shots fired led to a lockdown at the school, which has a student population of about 32,000, along with about 4,100 faculty and 9,000 staff members.

Public schools nearby also were locked down on their first day of class after summer break.

On Tuesday, the university said it had set up a hotline for students and faculty who needed to talk about the incident as well as those who need other counseling services.

"We know that the wounds of this tragedy will not heal quickly," Guskiewicz said in an email announcing Yan's death to the campus community.

He said the university would ring the campus bell tower and hold a moment of silence on Wednesday afternoon in Yan's honor.

Reporting by Sharon Bernstein Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Matthew Lewis ]]> Tue, 29 Aug 2023 21:32:16 GMT https://www.reuters.com/world/us/graduate-student-charged-shooting-death-north-carolina-professor-2023-08-29/ https://www.reuters.com/world/us/graduate-student-charged-shooting-death-north-carolina-professor-2023-08-29/ NORTH CAROLINA SHOOTING/ (UPDATE 1)

Protesters react as they gather inside the South Carolina House as members debate a new near-total ban on abortion with no exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest at the state legislature in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. August 30, 2022. REUTERS/Sam Wolfe

South Carolina's top court on Tuesday declined to reconsider a recent ruling upholding the state's ban on abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which opponents say will prevent women from terminating pregnancies after about six weeks.

The South Carolina Supreme Court on a 4-1 vote rejected a request by Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers to reconsider its Aug. 23 ruling, which they said left unanswered what constitutes a "fetal heartbeat" under the Republican-backed law.

Planned Parenthood said the court had left undecided whether fetal cardiac activity refers to the first regular contractions of heart tissue, which usually occurs around six weeks of pregnancy, or whether it requires the four chambers of the heart to be fully formed - which is usually not until 17 to 20 weeks.

Planned Parenthood urged the court to adopt the latter definition, saying since the court's ruling it had been forced to halt all abortions after about six weeks, which is before many women realize they are pregnant.

In a joint statement, Planned Parenthood and others involved in the case including abortion provider Greenville Women's Clinic expressed disappointment and said they will "continue to fight to restore abortion access for all South Carolinians."

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, a Republican, in a statement welcomed the decision. "The right to life is foremost and absolutely must be protected and prioritized," he said.

The U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had legalized abortion nationwide, prompting Republican-led states including South Carolina to ban or severely curtail the ability of women to obtain abortions.

The Republican-led state legislature passed the hotly contested bill in May, mostly along party lines.

The new law came after the state Supreme Court in January struck down a similar abortion law, by a 3-2 vote. Justice Kaye Hearn, who was the court's only female judge and voted against the law, has since retired.

Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Lincoln Feast ]]> Tue, 29 Aug 2023 21:21:09 GMT https://www.reuters.com/world/us/south-carolina-high-court-will-not-reconsider-abortion-ban-decision-2023-08-29/ https://www.reuters.com/world/us/south-carolina-high-court-will-not-reconsider-abortion-ban-decision-2023-08-29/ USA ABORTION/SOUTH CAROLINA (PIX)

The 3M logo is seen at its global headquarters in Maplewood, Minnesota, U.S. on March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Nicholas Pfosi/File Photo

3M (MMM.N) on Tuesday secured preliminary approval for a $10.3 billion deal resolving claims by U.S. public water providers that the company polluted drinking water with toxic chemicals, less than a day after a group of 22 U.S. states and territories dropped their objections to the deal.

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel in Charleston, South Carolina, said in a court filing that the settlement of hundreds of lawsuits against the Minnesota-based company over pollution by perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, is "sufficiently fair, reasonable and adequate" to justify moving forward.

Paul Napoli, an attorney for the water providers, called the preliminary approval a "pivotal moment in our ongoing efforts to ensure safe and clean drinking water."

A 3M spokesperson said the agreement will benefit U.S. public water systems that provide water to "a vast majority of Americans" without further litigation.

The settlement will be considered during a final "fairness hearing" in February, when the judge will consider any outstanding objections or concerns before deciding whether to give final approval.

Dubbed "forever chemicals" because they do not easily break down, PFAS are used in a range of products from firefighting foam to non-stick cookware and have been linked to cancer and hormonal dysfunction.

The settlement announced in June would provide funds to cities, towns and other public water providers over a 13-year period to test for and treat PFAS contamination.

It stems from litigation over firefighting foams containing PFAS that were sprayed in fields or airports and left to seep into groundwater and other waterways.

3M, which has said the settlement would help support remediation "at any level," has not admitted wrongdoing.

The states had objected in July, saying the deal did not adequately account for the damage caused by PFAS and did not give water providers enough information to understand whether the settlement was suitable or not.

The preliminary approval came hours after the states withdrew those objections on Monday night, citing changes to the deal following weeks of negotiations.

3M, the water providers and the states said in a joint court filing that the changes allow individual water providers to obtain estimates on their expected payout before agreeing to the deal, give providers more time to decide whether to opt out of the deal, and clarify that states can still pursue separate lawsuits over PFAS contamination.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office originally objected to the deal, said in a statement on Tuesday that the "new agreement will ensure 3M is held accountable."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has called PFAS an “urgent public health and environmental issue.”

3M in December set a 2025 deadline to stop producing PFAS.

Reporting by Clark Mindock in New York Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi, Matthew Lewis and Bill Berkrot ]]> Tue, 29 Aug 2023 21:02:02 GMT https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-states-withdraw-objections-3ms-103-billion-pfas-settlement-2023-08-29/ https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-states-withdraw-objections-3ms-103-billion-pfas-settlement-2023-08-29/ 3M PFAS/SETTLEMENT (UPDATE 1, PIX)

The late Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of Russian private mercenary group Wagner, then giving an address in camouflage and with a weapon in his hands in a desert area at an unknown location, in this still image taken from video possibly shot in Africa and published August 21, 2023. Courtesy PMC Wagner via Telegram via REUTERS/File Photo

The White House on Tuesday came close to declaring that the Kremlin was responsible for the death of Wagner mercenary group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was believed to have been killed in a mysterious plane crash last week.

"We all know that the Kremlin has a long history of killing opponents," said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. "It's very clear what happened here."

Her comment was the closest U.S. statement yet on the possibility that Russian President Vladimir Putin directed the killing of Prigozhin, who had launched a brief mutiny against the Kremlin in June.

Prigozhin was killed last week when the plane was he flying in abruptly crashed outside of Moscow. Theories have abounded on what brought the plane down, from an explosion on board to a surface-to-air missile strike.

U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters last week that the United States was working to try to reach a conclusion on how the plane was brought down. "We're trying to nail (it) down precisely," he said on Friday.

Biden also said it was no surprise that Prigozhin had been killed after opposing Putin.

Reporting by Nandita Bose and Steve Holland Editing by Chris Reese and Sandra Maler ]]> Tue, 29 Aug 2023 20:58:21 GMT https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-suggests-kremlin-behind-prigozhin-death-2023-08-29/ https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-suggests-kremlin-behind-prigozhin-death-2023-08-29/ UKRAINE CRISIS/USA PRIGOZHIN (UPDATE 1, PIX)

A Texas Army National Guard walks next to razor wire on the northern bank of the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas, U.S. May 23, 2022. U.S. authorities, blocked by a federal judge from lifting COVID-19 restrictions that empower agents at the U.S.-Mexico border to turn back migrants, continue to enforce the Title 42 rules which result in the fast expulsion of migrants to Mexico or other countries. REUTERS/Marco Bello

A smuggler with ties to a foreign extremist group helped Uzbek migrants enter the U.S. from Mexico, the White House said on Tuesday, raising questions about a potential security threat.

The smuggler was based in Turkey and had links to the jihadist Islamic State, also known as ISIS, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. CNN first reported the incident.

Record numbers of migrants have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally since President Joe Biden, a Democrat, took office in 2021, including many from distant nations.

Republicans say Biden encouraged crossings by reversing tougher policies of former President Donald Trump, a Republican. The Biden administration argues that it has instituted more humane policies as migration has challenged countries across the Western Hemisphere.

Of the nearly 2 million migrants encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border between October 2022 and July 2023, 216 were on U.S. watchlists for potential links to terrorism, according to U.S. government statistics.

U.S. intelligence officials discovered a smuggling network to bring Uzbeks into the country and a smuggler with ties to a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

U.S. authorities have no indication that migrants aided by the smuggling network were tied to extremist groups or plotting terrorist attacks, Watson said.

Watson did not confirm links to the Islamic State specifically or that the smuggler was based in Turkey.

Migrants who "fit the profile" of those assisted by the smugglers are being placed in rapid deportation proceedings and "thoroughly vetted," Watson said.

The U.S. official said the FBI is trying to locate about 15 of roughly 120 Uzbek migrants who entered the U.S. through legal border crossings via the network.

An FBI spokesperson said the agency "has not identified a specific terrorism plot associated with foreign nationals who recently entered the United States at the southern border," and declined to comment on specifics.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered some 3,200 Uzbeks at U.S borders in fiscal year 2022, up from fewer than 700 a year earlier.

Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington; Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Washington; Mica Rosenberg in New York, and Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City; Editing by Mary Milliken and Andy Sullivan ]]> Tue, 29 Aug 2023 20:48:36 GMT https://www.reuters.com/world/us/smuggler-with-extremist-ties-helped-uzbeks-cross-us-mexico-border-us-says-2023-08-29/ https://www.reuters.com/world/us/smuggler-with-extremist-ties-helped-uzbeks-cross-us-mexico-border-us-says-2023-08-29/ < ```