Sackler family to pay $6 billion for their roll in fueling the opioid crisis – National & International News – THU 3Mar2022

Sackler family payout for opioid crisis upped to $6 billion. Jan. 6 committee presents evidence of ‘criminal conspiracy’ by Trump and team. More than 1 million refugees from Ukraine.

NATIONAL NEWS

Sackler family payout for opioid crisis upped to $6 billion

The Sackler family, owner of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, has agreed to pay $6 billion to settle lawsuits over their role in fueling America’s opioid crisis. The money will go to people and communities affected by the opioid crisis and fund drug rehabilitation programs.

A similar agreement with a $4.3 billion payout a few months ago outraged plaintiffs and state attorneys general across the country. Several states rejected that agreement because it did not do enough to hold the Sacklers accountable.

Aside from increasing the payout, the new settlement also requires the Sacklers to issue a statement of regret for their role in the crisis. The Sacklers’ decision formal public letter of apology is a departure from their previous denials of responsibility.

Additionally, the Sacklers must allow universities, museums and other institutions to remove the Sackler name from buildings, scholarships, and fellowships.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong welcomed the new agreement with a powerful statement. “After years of lies and denial, the Sackler family must now directly apologize for the pain they have caused,” Tong said. “They must reckon face-to-face with the survivors of their reckless greed. … Museums and universities may now scrub the tarnished Sackler name from their walls — ensuring this family is remembered throughout history for their callous disdain for human suffering and nothing else”.

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Jan. 6 committee presents evidence of ‘criminal conspiracy’ by Trump and team

In a court filing yesterday, the Congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot presented its findings that former President Trump and his team engaged in a ‘criminal conspiracy’ to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

This does not necessarily mean that Trump or members of his team will actually face criminal charges. Nor is it the first time members of the committee have asserted that Trump & Co. committed criminal acts. But it is the first time the case has been set out in a legal document.

The committee submitted the filing in a lawsuit that will determine whether the committee can access the e-mails of Trump attorney John Eastman. Eastman has voluntarily turned over 8000 documents but has withheld many more citing attorney-client privilege. The committee’s filing contends that Eastman’s claim of attorney-client privilege is void because he conspired with Trump in attempting multiple crimes.

Committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) says the committee hopes to lay out its case against Trump and his associates in April.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Over 1 million refugees from Ukraine

After just over a week of fighting, over 1 million Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries as refugees. Human rights groups previously predicted that the total number of Ukrainian refugees could ultimately reach 5 million. The vast majority of those who have left so far have fled to Poland, a member of the European Union. Others have fled to Hungary and Slovakia, also EU states, and to Moldova, which is not an EU member.

The EU says Ukrainian refugees will be allowed to live and work within the bloc for up to three years. This is in stark contrast to the refusal by many EU states to receive refugees fleeing conflicts and poverty in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Poland, for example, has welcomed Ukrainians with open arms. Meanwhile, hundreds of refugees from Afghanistan and other countries have remained camped on the Poland-Belarus border throughout the harsh winter.

Even now, many African and Asian students who were studying in Ukraine have been denied entry into neighboring countries. Most of the students were hoping to return to their home countries rather than remain in the EU. Instead, they have been left stranded and forced to take their chances in a warzone.

Limited progress in Russia-Ukraine talks

Representatives from Russia and Ukraine held a second round of talks today near the Belarusian border. This round was slightly more productive than the first round which took place a few days ago. Today, the Russian and Ukrainian sides agreed to establish humanitarian corridors. This will hopefully make it easier and safer for people to evacuate Ukraine and to bring humanitarian aid into the country.

However, there was no resolution to bring an end to the hostilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But there is little reason to believe either that Putin would agree to these talks, nor that they would be more productive.

Earlier today, French President Emmanuel Macron called Putin. A read out of the call suggested that Putin remains committed to “demilitarizing” and “neutralizing” Ukraine. Macron apparently told Putin he was “making a big mistake”.

Later, Putin held a televised address in which he insisted that his “special military operation” in Ukraine was “going to plan”. Western analysts have widely refuted this.

Russia amps up “nuclear” rhetoric

At a news conference today in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov alluded to the possibility of nuclear conflict. Lavrov alluded to comments from President Biden. Biden had previously said he would not send American troops to Ukraine, saying that would be the beginning of a new world war. Lavrov said that a third world war could only be “nuclear war”. “If real war is waged against us”, Lavrov said “then those who make such plans should think about it [and] in my opinion such plans are being made”. 

Putin had previously accused Ukraine of attempting to develop nuclear weapons, citing that as a justification for seizing the defunct nuclear plant at Chernobyl. Some have wondered if this rhetoric was meant to justify a first strike.

So far, Western leaders have dismissed this statement and Putin’s order to increase the readiness of Russia’s nuclear “deterrence” systems as propaganda. NATO has said it has made no reciprocal preparations.

Today, the U.S. delayed a previously scheduled test of its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) systems to avoid any “misunderstandings” with the Russians.

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