20 people charged with drug distribution in Springfield area

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Federal authorities have charged 20 people with conspiring to distribute heroin and fentanyl in the Springfield region. Five criminal complaints were unsealed Friday after the suspects were arrested in a law enforcement sweep that began Thursday. Local, county, state and federal...

Oklahoma judge reduces J&J order in opioid lawsuit by $107M

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma judge who last summer ordered consumer products giant Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million to help address the state’s opioid crisis on Friday reduced that amount in his final order in the case by $107 million because of his miscalculation. District Judge Thad...

Oklahoma judge reduces amount Johnson & Johnson must pay state to help clean up opioid crisis by $107M to $465M

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma judge reduces amount Johnson & Johnson must pay state to help clean up opioid crisis by $107M to $465M.

Egypt: French traveler arrested for packing illegal pills

CAIRO (AP) — Cairo airport authorities say they have arrested a French passenger of Egyptian descent who was allegedly carrying hundreds of pills of banned drugs in his luggage. Ibrahim Abdel Latif, a senior official at the Customs Authority, said Friday that when inspectors searched the passenger’s...

Angels’ Trout overcomes injury, tragedy to win 3rd AL MVP

NEW YORK (AP) — It had never been so difficult for Mike Trout to arrive at the ballpark, get his mind and body ready, and perform at the level baseball fans have come to expect. And still, nobody did it better in the American League. Trout overcame injury and tragedy to win his third AL MVP award Thursday...

Fentanyl overdose kills Washington state Olympic athlete

MARYSVILLE, Wash. (AP) — Washington state medical examiners have confirmed that an Olympic discus thrower found dead in his hotel room in September died from a fentanyl overdose. KOMO-TV reports that Snohomish County medical examiners ruled that the death of 42-year-old Jarred Rome was an accident after...

The Latest: Powell sees job participation as major problem

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s testimony before the Joint Economic Committee about the outlook for the U.S. economy (all times local): ___ 11:55 a.m. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says two major long-term issues facing the U.S. economy are sluggish...

Defendants in opioid case say politico's input not needed

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Attorneys for Johnson & Johnson says there's no need for a judge who ordered the drugmaker to pay $572 million to help clean up Oklahoma's opioid crisis to let several of the state's Republican leaders intervene in the case. In a brief filed Tuesday, attorneys said the attempt by...

Tenn. doctor plans to plead guilty to opioid distribution

COLUMBIA, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee doctor who had five patients fatally overdose in a 10-month span intends to plead guilty to distributing a controlled substance. The Tennessean reports 64-year-old Dr. Darrel Rinehart's attorney filed a motion to have a hearing in December where Rinehart "intends to plead...

China sentences fentanyl traffickers after US tip about ring

XINGTAI, China (AP) — A Chinese court sentenced nine fentanyl traffickers on Thursday in a case that is the culmination of a rare collaboration between Chinese and U.S. law enforcement to crack down on global networks that manufacture and distribute lethal synthetic opioids. Liu Yong was sentenced to death...