Current Events in July 2021

Microsoft sent out an important heads-up to its customers on Friday to warn about malware that’s targeting Windows-based computer systems. This specific threat comes from LemonDuck, a crypto-mining malware that reportedly begins with a single infection and then spreads quickly across a computer network. If left unchecked, it can turn every resource from USB devices to emails into cryptocurrency mining slaves. 

Unfortunately, LemonDuck’s threat doesn’t stop with just Windows users. “It’s one of a few documented bot malware families that targets Linux systems as well as Windows devices,” Microsoft 365’s Defender Threat Intelligence Team warned users in a blog post.

“And, it has shown that it can quickly take advantage of news, events, or the release of new exploits to run effective campaigns. For example, in 2020, it was observed using COVID-19-themed lures in email attacks. In 2021, it exploited newly patched Exchange Server vulnerabilities to gain access to outdated systems.”

The Microsoft 365 team says it is taking this threat seriously because of LemonDuck’s ability to constantly evolve. While the malware is primarily known for its cryptocurrency mining objectives, it has the ability to morph and escalate its insurgence by stealing credentials, removing security controls, spreading via emails, and putting more tools in place to interact with human-operated activities.

Red flags

There’s not much a typical Windows (or Linux) user can do on a network-wide scale, but there are some things everyday users should be aware of if they want to avoid being turned into a LemonDuck victim.

The most important piece of advice is to be vigilant when it comes to emails. Microsoft researchers say LemonDuck’s standard email subjects and body content can include jarring phrases like “The Truth of COVID-19” or seemingly out-of-place phrases like “farewell letter” or “good bye.” 

The team says these phrases are usually meant to elicit a reaction and get you to click on something. When that happens, your device is then infected by the malware. While these words and phrases are one red flag to look out for, there are two other easy ones that you can usually spot right away: poor spelling and suspicious files. 

Spelling mistakes are a common component of many scam messages, so you should beware of any email that is littered with these errors. When it comes to files, Microsoft says many scam emails tend to use .doc, .js, or .zip files that usually have a title like “readme” to entice users into clicking on them. Just make sure you don’t.

Coronavirus‌ ‌(COVID-19)‌ ‌tally‌ ‌as‌ ‌‌compiled‌‌ ‌by‌ ‌Johns‌ ‌Hopkins‌ ‌University.‌ ‌(Previous‌ ‌numbers‌ ‌in‌ ‌parentheses.)‌ 

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 34,289,384 (34,236,626)‌

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 610,218 (609,906)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 192,763,112 (192,246,727)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 4,139,486 (4,130,933)‌

Vaccine hesitancy at the Olympics

Extraordinary precautions -- including the exclusion of spectators -- are being taken at the summer games in Tokyo to prevent the spread of COVID-19, so it stands to reason that all participants would be vaccinated. But that’s not the case.

On the U.S. team, officials say about 100 athletes have refused to be vaccinated. Rather than expressing alarm, team officials see the glass as half full, noting that 83% of U.S. athletes have gotten the shot.

“Eighty-three percent is actually a substantial number, and we’re quite happy with it,” said Dr. Jonathan Finnoff, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s medical chief.

Panel leans toward endorsing booster shots

A committee of health experts assembled to give advice to federal health agencies has issued its preliminary guidance about booster shots, suggesting that they may be a good idea. However, the panel withheld a formal recommendation, saying it wants to see regulatory action first.

Committee members are studying the booster shot proposal in light of research suggesting that the vaccines may not be strong enough to completely protect people with compromised immune systems. However, people with strong immune systems will probably not need a booster shot, health experts say.

The panel did endorse the continued use of Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot vaccine, saying the benefits outweigh the slight risk of a rare brain disorder among some people who have gotten the shot.

Outbreaks on NFL teams will result in forfeited games

The National Football League (NFL) has reportedly informed teams that there will be no postponed games this season because of COVID-19. In a memo, the league said a team will forfeit any game it isn’t able to play because of an outbreak of the virus among unvaccinated players.

The NFL Network reports that the memo warns teams that the 18-game season will not be extended to accommodate teams whose players have not been vaccinated. It also said none of the players on either team of a forfeited game would be paid.

The NFL did not miss a single game last season, but it was forced to postpone games and rearrange schedules when players tested positive for the virus.

Around the nation

• Wisconsin: Gov. Tony Evers and state health officials are stepping up their campaign to urge residents to get vaccinated. The officials have responded to several days of increasing cases of the virus. Julie Willems Van Dijk, deputy secretary of the state Department of Health Services, says those who aren’t vaccinated are “sitting ducks” for COVID-19.

• Michigan: The Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners has voted to use some of its federal COVID-19 aid to give themselves bonuses. The $65,000 is being described as “hazard pay.”

• Nevada: Nevada is emerging as a new COVID-19 hotspot, and state health officials blame a lack of vaccinations. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, has reported that only 39% of the total population is fully vaccinated, according to Nevada's COVID-19 data.

• Florida: Gov. Ron DeSantis is dismissing suggestions that he order new lockdowns because of a surge in coronavirus cases. DeSantis also said the state would have a “normal school year” and would resist any push by federal authorities to put in place mask mandates for school children.

• Vermont: With tough restrictions in place, Vermont weathered the pandemic as well as any state. However, the Delta variant is proving to be a challenge. Vermont recorded 34 new cases in a 24-hour period this week, the most in two months.

A new study conducted by researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse explored how the COVID-19 death toll is impacting children. According to their findings, more than 1.5 million children lost a primary or secondary caregiver due to the pandemic, and there are likely to be long-term effects on young people’s mental health. 

“We know from our research that loss of a parent or caregiver can upend children’s lives and potentially affect their development if they are not in a stable home setting,” said researcher Chuck A. Nelson III, Ph.D. 

“If we take into consideration variants of concern or possible severity of illness among youth, we must not forget that the pandemic continues to pose a threat to parents and caregivers -- and their children.” 

Mounting COVID-19 death toll

For the study, the researchers analyzed mortality and fertility data from nearly two dozen countries around the world between March 2020, and April 2021. They looked specifically at the deaths of parents and secondary caregivers, such as grandparents that live with their grandkids. 

The team found that more than 1.5 million children around the world lost primary or secondary caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than one million children losing one or both of their parents. The study also found that nearly five times as many children lost fathers during the pandemic period. 

From a global perspective, the U.S. was among the top ten countries with the highest number of caregiver deaths, along with Peru, South Africa, India, and Brazil, among others. 

How the loss of caregivers impacts kids

The researchers are now concerned about how the trauma following a loss of this magnitude will impact kids’ mental long term. They explained that when grandparents live in the house, they are often responsible for a lot of the caregiving, including getting kids to school on time and allowing parents to go to work. Therefore, losing a grandparent can change kids’ day-to-day routines and put added stress on families, both of which can impact mental health and well-being. 

For children that lost a parent, there is a heightened risk for mental health concerns, like anxiety and depression, along with a greater likelihood of domestic or sexual violence. 

The researchers hope consumers take advantage of available resources to help them cope with the losses they may have suffered over the last year and a half. They say doing so can help kids through their grief and help ease the burden of loss. 

“Studies like this play a crucial role in illuminating the COVID-19 pandemic’s long-lasting consequences for families and the future mental health and well-being of children across the globe,” said researcher Dr. Nora D. Volkow. “Though the trauma a child experiences after the loss of a parent or caregiver can be devastating, there are evidence-based interventions that can prevent further adverse consequences, such as substance use, and we must ensure that children have access to these interventions.” 

Google has updated its “about this result” feature in Search and will now provide context about how and why a particular result was retrieved. 

The “about this result” information box was added earlier this year to make it easier for users to vet sources they aren’t familiar with and provide additional “peace of mind” when searching. Now, Google wants to give users a little more insight into how its algorithm works so they can get the most out of the search engine. 

“When you search for information on Google, you’re probably accustomed to seeing a lot of relevant results in a fraction of a second,” the company said. “But maybe you’ve found yourself wondering how Google connected those results to the words you typed, especially if you didn’t get exactly what you were expecting to find.” 

Learning more about search results

In offering more insight into how its algorithm works, Google is aiming to help users make better searches in the future. 

“Starting today, when you visit an About This Result panel — the three dots next to most results — you’ll get even more information about your results to help you make sense of the information and figure out which result will be most useful,” the company explained.

The company is now giving users information on how it links search terms to specific sites. For example, the tech giant said a search for “how to cook fish in the oven” would lead to a recipe from a site that included the words “how, cook, fish, and oven” and were associated with other terms like “ingredients” and “recipe.” The algorithm also relies on matching language and applying relevant geographic locations. 

The feature is available to users searching for English language results starting today. Google said it hopes to expand availability in the coming months. 

Gasoline prices are following crude oil prices higher, but a buildup in supplies may keep future price hikes in check, at least for the time being.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the national average price of regular gas is $3.15 a gallon, about the same as last Friday. The price has climbed 12 cents a gallon since Memorial Day weekend.

The average price of premium gas is $3.77 a gallon, also the same as a week ago. The average price of diesel fuel is $3.27 a gallon, with no change from last week’s price.

At mid-week, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported U.S. crude oil stockpiles increased last week by 2.1 million barrels, resulting in a drop in the price of crude. After oil-producing nations agreed last weekend to increase oil production, industry analysts say the outlook is for more oil at lower prices.

Despite the increase in oil stocks, the EIA also reports supplies of gasoline declined by 100,000 barrels for the week leading up to July 16. Gasoline production also declined, which could put upward pressure on prices at the pump, especially if demand continues its current pace.

On Twitter, GasBuddy’s Patrick DeHaan reported that from Sunday to Wednesday of this week gasoline demand was the highest of any period so far in 2021.

Despite stable prices nationwide, several Western states continued to see wide price swings. According to AAA, the statewide average price of regular gas gained nine cents a gallon in Nevada, eight cents in Utah, seven cents in Idaho, and four cents in Wyoming.

The average price fell five cents a gallon during the week in Oklahoma.

The states with the most expensive gas

These states currently have the highest prices for regular gas, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Survey:

• California ($4.32)

• Hawaii ($4.09)

• Nevada ($3.91)   

• Utah ($3.85)

• Washington ($3.83) 

• Idaho ($3.70)   

• Oregon ($3.69) 

• Alaska ($3.64) 

• Colorado ($3.53) 

• Wyoming ($3.46)   

The states with the cheapest regular gas

The survey found that these states currently have the lowest prices for regular gas:

• Mississippi ($2.78)

• Louisiana ($2.81)

• Texas ($2.82) 

• Alabama ($2.83)

• Missouri ($2.83)

• Arkansas ($2.85)

• Oklahoma ($2.86) 

• South Carolina ($2.87)

• Tennessee ($2.87)

• North Carolina ($2.89)

A new study conducted by researchers from Curtin University explored just how long women should wait to conceive again after pregnancy. 

Though many experts recommend that women wait between 18 months and two years to get pregnant again, their findings showed that the risk of complications was nearly identical when women were pregnant again within six months versus two years. 

“We compared approximately 3 million births from 1.2 million women with at least three children and discovered the risk of adverse birth outcomes after an interpregnancy interval of less than six months was no greater than for those born after an 18-23 month interval,” said researcher Dr. Gizachew Tessama. “Given that current recommendations on birth spacing is for a waiting time of at least 18 months to two years after live births, our findings are reassuring for families who conceive sooner than this.” 

Having safe and healthy pregnancies

For the study, the researchers tracked pregnancies and birth outcomes from women from the U.S., Australia, Finland, and Norway. More than 5.5 million women were involved in the study, and they collectively birthed more than 3.8 million babies. The researchers kept a record of the time in between their pregnancies and the safety of their pregnancies and deliveries. 

Ultimately, the team observed no significant differences between women who waited the recommended 18-24 months versus those who got pregnant much sooner. In terms of infants’ birth weight and preterm delivery, women who got pregnant again within six months had similar outcomes to women who waited more than a year. 

However, when women waited fewer than six months between pregnancies, there was an increased risk of spontaneous preterm birth. However, there was a higher risk for complications at birth when women waited longer than five years between pregnancies. 

Moving forward, the researchers plan to see if women’s ages play a role in the interval between pregnancies and any related complications. In the meantime, they hope these findings offer some comfort for consumers that have had successive pregnancies over shorter periods of time. 

The spring home-buying season appears to have gotten a late start. After four months of declines, sales of existing homes rose 1.4% from May to June, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Home sales were up nearly 23% when compared to June 2020, but that number loses a lot of meaning when you consider that real estate activity slowed considerably in the early weeks of the pandemic.

Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, said the increase in sales had less to do with increasing demand and more to do with the fact that home listings increased last month after falling to record lows.

"Supply has modestly improved in recent months due to more housing starts and existing homeowners listing their homes, all of which has resulted in an uptick in sales," Yun said. "Home sales continue to run at a pace above the rate seen before the pandemic."

The median price was $363,300

Inventory levels remain low and demand is still strong, so that’s had an effect on prices. In June, the NAR said the median existing-home sale price was $363,300, up 23.4% from June 2020. The median home price has now gone up for 112 straight months, posing a challenge for buyers.

"At a broad level, home prices are in no danger of a decline due to tight inventory conditions, but I do expect prices to appreciate at a slower pace by the end of the year," Yun said. "Ideally, the costs for a home would rise roughly in line with income growth, which is likely to happen in 2022 as more listings and new construction become available."

Homes continued to sell quickly last month. The time spent on the market before a ratified contract was 17 days, the same as in May. The average home took 24 days to sell in June 2020. Most homes -- 89% -- were on the market for less than a month.

First-time buyers accounted for 31% of sales in June, down from 35% a year ago. Yun says first-time buyers are increasingly being challenged by rising home prices and declining inventory.

However, buyers do have the advantage of near record-low mortgage rates. The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage interest rate was 2.98% during June.

Hankook Tire America is recalling 7,026 Kinergy GT (H436) tires, size 235/50R19H with DOT code 0521.

The tires may have been manufactured with an insufficient amount of curative agent, which could cause tread separation.

Tread separation can result in tire failure and a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Dealers and authorized independent service centers will replace the affected tires free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 29, 2021.

Owners may contact Hankook customer service at (800) 426-5665.

American Outdoor Brands of Columbia, Mo., is recalling about 13,800 Caldwell E-Max Pro BT Earmuffs with rechargeable lithium battery packs sold in the U.S. and Canada.

The soldering within the lithium-battery pack housing can allow the wiring to detach and cause the unit to overheat, posing fire and burn hazards.

No incidents or injuries are reported.

This recall involves the Caldwell rechargeable lithium-battery pack (SKU No. 1108859) that was included with black E-Max® Pro BT Earmuffs (SKU No. 1099596), which provide hearing protection while shooting firearms.

The rechargeable lithium-battery pack is housed in one of the earmuffs. The battery pack is 3.7 V and has a gray exterior. It measures 1.25 inches x 1.5 inches.

The name Caldwell is on the exterior of the battery pack. The earmuffs also can operate with three AAA alkaline batteries.

The earmuffs, manufactured in China, were sold at Midway USA, Bass Pro Shops and Davidsons stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com in April and May 2021, for about $100 for the earmuffs.

What to do

Consumers should immediately remove the recalled lithium-battery pack from the earmuffs and contact American Outdoor Brands for disposal instructions in accordance with local laws and to receive free replacement alkaline batteries, including shipping.

Consumers may contact American Outdoor Brands toll-free at (877) 416-5167 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CT) Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (CT) on Fridays, by email at support@caldwellshooting.com, or online at www.caldwellshooting.com/recall or www.caldwellshooting.com and click on the “Recall” link under the “Customer Service” at the bottom of the page for more information.

LSG Sky Chefs is recalling chicken salad sandwiches.

The product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

There are no reports of illnesses to date.

The chicken salad sandwiches, produced for Circle K stores in the Phoenix, Ariz., and Southern California areas, are packaged with Circle K branding, contain the UPC code 815138013996, and were sold between June 1 and July 5, 2021.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled product should not consume it, but discard or return it to Circle K for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact David Margulies or Shane Sumrow, (214) 368-0909 Monday through Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm (CST).

Coronavirus‌ ‌(COVID-19)‌ ‌tally‌ ‌as‌ ‌‌compiled‌‌ ‌by‌ ‌Johns‌ ‌Hopkins‌ ‌University.‌ ‌(Previous‌ ‌numbers‌ ‌in‌ ‌parentheses.)‌ 

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 34,236,626 (34,183,702)‌

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 609,906 (609,585)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 192,246,727 (191,687,762)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 4,130,933 (4,122,219)‌

White House reportedly considers a return to masks

Some local jurisdictions have begun strongly urging people, vaccinated or not, to wear masks while indoors in public spaces such as supermarkets. The White House is said to be considering just such a pivot in policy as well.

The Washington Post cites six people familiar with administration discussions on the matter who are discussing the current guidance -- that fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear masks -- and whether it needs to be updated in light of the current surge in Delta variant cases.

According to the Post, the White House currently wants to maintain a hands-off approach and leave it up to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) when it comes to the best path forward for mask guidelines. 

Unemployment claims rise unexpectedly

The late-pandemic labor market remains turbulent. While most economists expected jobless benefits claims to plunge to pandemic lows last week, they shot higher instead.

The Labor Department reports that initial claims for unemployment benefits rose last week by at least 51,000 to 419,000. The four-week average of claims, which had been trending lower over recent months, reversed course and moved slightly higher.

The surprise increase coincides with a surge in new cases of the coronavirus, especially infections caused by the Delta variant. The bigger picture presents a more optimistic view, however. The number of people still drawing jobless benefits fell by 1.2 million last week.

Some housing markets have been hurt by the pandemic

The real estate market has boomed during the coronavirus pandemic, with millions of people packing up and moving. While some housing markets have benefitted from the influx, it stands to reason that some housing markets have been hurt.

In a new report, ATTOM Data Solutions highlights the counties in America that are most vulnerable to the pandemic’s economic fallout. Many are clustered in New Jersey, Delaware, the Chicago area, and central Florida.

Todd Teta, chief product officer with ATTOM, says he believes the nation’s housing market will escape any major damage from the pandemic. "Nevertheless, the pandemic is still out there and remains a potent threat to home sales and values, as well as to the broader economy," he said.

Around the nation

• Virginia: Efforts to vaccinate adolescents have been slow, but a Richmond-area walkup clinic this week saw a huge turnout of young people. So many students showed up at a clinic at Tuckahoe Middle School on Wednesday that nurses ran out of the vaccine.

• New York: Vaccination mandates have been a highly contentious issue across the country, but New York City has reached a compromise. Mayor Bill de Blasio says employees at New York City's public hospitals and health clinics will be required to either get vaccinated or take weekly COVID-19 tests instead.

• Tennessee: A Nashville TV station is calling out Republican state legislators and accusing them of spreading misinformation about vaccines. The hard-hitting report aired on WKRN-TV after some Republican lawmakers objected to the Tennessee Department of Health providing outreach to get children 12 years and older vaccinated.

• Colorado: Gov. Jared Polis has stepped up his campaign to persuade residents to get vaccinated, pointing out that almost all of the severe cases and deaths have occurred in the unvaccinated population. "It's very different when it's a positive case in someone who's vaccinated versus someone who is unvaccinated," Polis said.

• Washington: Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich says he has chosen not to be vaccinated for what he called “private” reasons. Because of that, Rolovich said he will participate in the Pac-12 media day in Los Angeles using a video link instead of being there in person.

Scammers have proven once again that they’ll stop at nothing to defraud someone. 

With more than 35,000 wildfires ripping through the U.S. West, burning nearly 3 million acres and putting people at great health risks, the fraudster community has decided to see what they can make out of that calamity. According to Scamicide, scammers are posing as charities that help wildfire victims, but they’re only hoping to help themselves and no one else.

Think before you offer to donate

One of the leading reasons scammers love taking the charity route is because these organizations are not subject to the National Do Not Call Registry. That means legitimate charities can still contact you by phone even if you’re signed up.

The problem, says Scamicide’s Steve Weisman, is that you can never be sure who is really calling you, so you may be contacted either by a fake charity or a scammer posing as a legitimate charity. 

“Using a technique called spoofing, the scammers can manipulate your Caller ID to make it appear that the call is coming from a legitimate charity when it is not,” Weisman explains. “Similarly, when you are solicited for a charitable contribution by email or text message you cannot be sure as to whether the person contacting you is legitimate or not.”

There are other hallmarks of scam charities. The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) notes that with cryptocurrency being a hot commodity, some scammers are asking donors to use bitcoins or other digital assets to make their donations. If that happens to you, stop right there because it’s a big red flag that someone is out to fleece you.

Do your homework and ask the right questions

ConsumerAffairs reached out to Patricia McIlreavy, the President of The Center for Disaster Philanthropy, for more advice about how people can avoid charity scammers. At the top of her list of suggestions is doing your research. 

McIlreavy recommends that consumers ask the organization they’re donating to if it’s a registered non-profit and whether it has a proven history of working with communities in disasters. 

“Additionally, there are tools, such as Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, BBB Giving, Guidestar, which do the vetting research for you. Nonprofits detail their ratings with these organizations on their websites,” she said.

Another way to find out if the charity or fundraiser is registered in your state is by contacting the National Association of State Charity Officials. 

“It is commendable to want to help, and always a good idea to take an extra moment to ensure your hard-earned dollars get to the people in need,” McIlreavy said.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) suggests that you also consider these tips if you want to donate to a charity:

• Designate the disaster to make sure your funds are going to disaster relief, rather than a general fund. Note: The CDP has two active wildfire-related funds that you can check out if you want to donate to relief efforts.

• Don’t assume that charity messages posted on social media are legit. Research the organization yourself. Search the name of the organization with terms like “complaint,” “review,” “rating,” or “scam” to see if there are any potential issues.

It looks like the U.S.’ largest ongoing lawsuit could be finally drawing to a close, as 14 states have announced an agreement in the fight against opioids. The settlement collectively resolves nearly 4,000 lawsuits against Oxycontin maker Purdue Pharma and Johnson & Johnson. It also strikes a deal with medication distributors Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen Drug, as well as pharmacy chains like CVS.

The settlement is composed of two agreements. One is among the states, political subdivisions, and the three major pharmaceutical distributors (AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson). The other is among the states, political subdivisions, and Johnson & Johnson.

Under the agreement, Cardinal, McKesson, and Amerisource will pay out $21 million over the next 18 years. Johnson & Johnson will pay up to $5 million over a nine-year period.

And Purdue Pharma? In addition to filing for bankruptcy, the company has already agreed to cut a $4.5 billion deal with 15 states and plead guilty to three felony charges under a settlement agreement with the U.S. Justice Department.

North Carolina leads the way in settlement funds

The entire payout is contingent on 48 states agreeing to the deal. CourthouseNews reports that at least 44 states and 95% of cities must sign on to the agreement to get some of the money. So far, 15 states are on board, including New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Massachusetts, California, Delaware, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and Tennessee.

Of those, North Carolina will get the lion’s share of the settlement money -- $750 million. That money has already been earmarked to go toward mitigating opioid misuse in the state.

“The opioid epidemic has torn families apart and killed thousands of North Carolinians,” North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said in a press release. “Families across our state have shared with me their heart-wrenching stories about their loved ones who are struggling with the horrible disease of addiction or who overdosed and died. It has been my genuine honor on their behalf to lead these negotiations to hold accountable the companies that helped to create and fuel this crisis.”

Earlier this week, New York regulators reached a settlement with Amerisource, Cardinal, and McKesson for $1.1 billion. That money will be added to the $230 million it gained under a settlement agreement with Johnson & Johnson last month.

“The numerous companies that manufactured and distributed opioids across the nation did so without regard to life or even the national crisis they were helping to fuel,” said James in a press release. “Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, Cardinal Health, and Amerisource Bergen not only helped light the match, but continued to fuel the fire of opioid addiction for more than two decades.”

And the pharmacies? While several pharmacies haven’t admitted to any wrongdoing, a report from Reuters confirms that Walgreens, CVS, RiteAid, and Walmart have already agreed to pay a combined $26 million to settle claims with two New York counties. 

As for the others, CourthouseNews says the settlement terms would require those companies to hire an independent clearinghouse to monitor exactly where the drugs are going and how often. If the companies detect that pharmacies are showing signs of drug rerouting, they will have to stop shipping the medications and report the suspected offenders to state regulators. 

Authorities from France warned Wednesday that Chinese hackers are using hacked home and office routers as part of a large and ongoing attack campaign. 

In an advisory, France’s National Agency for Information Systems Security (ANSSI) said a hacking group known as APT31 (sometimes known as Zirconium or Judgment Panda) is using compromised routers to target French organizations. 

“ANSSI is currently handling a large intrusion campaign impacting numerous French entities,” ANSSI warned. “Attacks are still ongoing and are led by an intrusion set publicly referred to as APT31. It appears from our investigations that the threat actor uses a network of compromised home routers as operational relay boxes in order to perform stealth reconnaissance as well as attacks.”

The advisory did not specify which organizations were targeted in the campaign, but ANSSI said around 160 IP addresses can be used to indicate whether an organization has been a target. 

More scrutiny over supposed China hacking

France joins other foreign governments in accusing Chinese state-backed hackers of malicious cyber activity. Earlier this week, the U.S. and its allies formally accused China of being responsible for the Microsoft Exchange Server hack that compromised the information of numerous organizations. Beijing denied the hacking charges. 

“The United States ganged up with its allies to make unwarranted accusations against Chinese cybersecurity,” said foreign ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian. “This was made up out of thin air and confused right and wrong. It is purely a smear and suppression with political motives. China will never accept this.” 

Daimler said Thursday that its Mercedes-Benz brand plans to go fully electric by the end of the decade, as long as “market conditions allow” the transition. Beginning in 2025, Daimler said all of Mercedes-Benz’ “newly launched vehicle architectures will be electric-only.”

“The EV shift is picking up speed — especially in the luxury segment, where Mercedes-Benz belongs,” Ola Källenius, CEO of both Daimler and Mercedes-Benz, said in a statement. “The tipping point is getting closer and we will be ready as markets switch to electric-only by the end of this decade.” 

The Germany-based automaker said it plans to launch three electric-only architectures in 2025: MB.EA, which will relate to medium and large passenger cars; AMG.EA, which will be dedicated to performance vehicles; and VAN.EA, for light commercial vehicles and vans. 

The company said it will be investing more than 40 billion euros, or roughly $47 billion, in research and development projects between 2022 and 2030 in order to facilitate the shift to electric vehicles. 

“By managing this faster transformation while safeguarding our profitability targets, we will ensure the enduring success of Mercedes-Benz,” Källenius continued. “Thanks to our highly qualified and motivated workforce, I am convinced that we will be successful in this exciting new era."