Health As Drugmakers Face Opioid Lawsuits, Some Ask: Why Not Criminal Charges Too? "The Sackler family does not belong in bankruptcy court," Rep. Max Rose said of Purdue Pharma's owners. "They belong in handcuffs." He and others want charges for drug companies linked to the crisis. Brian Mann
Health Several Big Drug Companies Considering Massive Settlements To Resolve Opioid Suits Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson and other health care giants are discussing potential deals with authorities that could resolve thousands of lawsuits they're facing over the U.S. opioid epidemic. Brian Mann Colin Dwyer Nick Castele
Arts & Life Your Local Library May Have A New Offering In Stock: A Resident Social Worker Libraries have never been just about books; they're also crucial hubs of community support. Some are even expanding that role, and supporting their librarians, by bringing in trained social workers. Colin Dwyer
National Reckitt Benckiser Agrees To Pay $1.4 Billion In Opioid Settlement The deal to resolve all U.S. federal investigations and claims is the biggest drug industry settlement so far stemming from the nation's deadly opioid epidemic. Brian Mann
Health Hepatitis C Not A Barrier For Organ Transplantation, Study Finds Researchers found that antiviral drugs are effective in preventing transmission of the hepatitis C virus from donated hearts and lungs to recipients. The result could help reduce organ wait times. Richard Harris
Politics Ex-White House Economist Alan Krueger Dies; Saw Lessons For Economy In Rock Music Princeton economist Alan Krueger, who served in the Obama White House, has died. Krueger's research interests included the minimum wage, the opioid epidemic and rock 'n' roll. He was 58. Scott Horsley
National Report: Americans Are Now More Likely To Die Of An Opioid Overdose Than On The Road Americans now have a 1 in 96 chance of dying from an opioid overdose, according to new analysis from the National Safety Council. Ian Stewart
National U.S. Life Expectancy Drops Amid 'Disturbing' Rise In Overdoses And Suicides "These sobering statistics are a wakeup call that we are losing too many Americans, too early and too often, to conditions that are preventable," says CDC Director Robert Redfield. Colin Dwyer
National Opioid Deaths May Be Starting To Plateau, HHS Chief Says Overdose deaths started to level off near the end of 2017 and are "finally bending in the right direction," says Alex Azar, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, citing early data. Emily Sullivan
