American Farmers Shun USDA Surveys as Trust in Data Erodes
American farmers are ignoring US Department of Agriculture surveys in the latest sign of distrust in government data. Reply rates for the USDA’s annual prospective planting report sank in March to a record low, with just over a third of …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 4:50 PM |
Massive Explosion at NYC Home Sends Police Officers Flying
A massive, fiery explosion at a house in Queens sent several New York City police officers flying through the air early last Thursday morning as they were responding to a call of a man inside armed with a knife and …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 4:38 PM |
Kansas Man Sentenced for Insurance Fraud
Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt announced a Wyandotte County man has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for insurance fraud. Christopher Dunn, aged 33, pleaded guilty on March 2, 2026, in Wyandotte County District Court to one felony count …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 4:33 PM |
Westcap Launches Excess Liability Product
Westcap Insurance Services announced the launch of its new Excess Liability product, further enhancing its ability to deliver comprehensive risk solutions to clients in the construction and manufacturing sectors. The new offering is designed to complement existing coverages by providing …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 4:28 PM |
Study Suggests Federal Action to Realize Insurance Savings
A new analysis suggests Americans are being overcharged by $150 billion annually to insure their homes, autos and businesses — and it proposes federal guardrails so that a public beset by affordability pressures could see savings. The analysis by the …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 4:13 PM |
UK Court Orders Samsung to Pay China’s ZTE a $392M Lump Sum After Patent Trial
Samsung Electronics must pay a $392 million lump sum for a license to use ZTE’s patents for mobile phones, London’s High Court ruled on Friday [May 1] in the English leg of the companies’ global licensing dispute. ZTE has brought …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 2:44 PM |
New Mexico Seeks Changes to Meta Platforms in Youth Harm Trial
A trial is slated to begin in New Mexico on Monday that will test the state’s claims that Meta’s Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp platforms harmed young users’ mental health and its bid for a court order forcing the company to …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 2:36 PM |
Oliver Wyman to Acquire Restructuring Specialist CR3 Partners
Global management consulting firm Oliver Wyman has agreed to acquire CR3 Partners, a consulting firm specializing in restructuring, management consulting, and bankruptcy advisory services. The terms of the transaction, which is expected to close later this quarter, were not disclosed. …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 2:31 PM |
Most Are Overcharged for Property Insurance, Vanderbilt Study Says
A new analysis suggests Americans are being overcharged by $150 billion annually to insure their homes, autos and businesses — and it proposes federal guardrails so that a public beset by affordability pressures could see savings. The analysis by the …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 1:42 PM |
United Jet Hits Truck and Light Pole on Turnpike in Landing at Newark Airport
A United Airlines aircraft on Sunday struck a light pole and a trailer during its final approach to Newark Liberty International Airport, the New Jersey State Police said. The underside and tire of United Airlines Flight 169 struck a light …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 11:44 AM |
Hedge Fund Fermat Invests in First-of-a-Kind Catastrophe Bonds
Fermat Capital Management has invested in the Asian Development Bank’s first-ever catastrophe bonds, designed to shield Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan against specific types of natural disasters. The two sovereign bonds — each $80 million in size and with a three-year tenor …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 11:31 AM |
FEMA Tells Court It’s Offering Jobs Back to Employees Let Go in January
An attorney representing the Trump administration informed a U.S. District Court Friday evening that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has begun offering new appointments to disaster workers whose contracts the agency did not renew in January, reversing a controversial decision …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 11:31 AM |
US Says it Has Missile Destroyers in Gulf and 2 American Ships Have Crossed Hormuz
The U.S. military said two U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers had entered the Gulf to break an Iranian blockade and that two U.S. merchant ships had transited the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran said it had prevented a U.S. warship entering …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 11:15 AM |
Trump Administration Targets Dismantling of Already-Weakened DEI
After a remarkably successful effort to extinguish diversity, equity and inclusion programs at US employers, federal officials are stepping up their push against corporate America’s remaining DEI initiatives. Last week it was a review of Walt Disney Co. television station …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 10:49 AM |
Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship Leaves 3 Dead, WHO Says
Three people have died and one is in intensive care in South Africa after a cluster of hantavirus infections linked to a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, the World Health Organization said Sunday. One case has been confirmed by …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 10:33 AM |
China’s Unprecedented Defiance of US Sanctions Triggers Showdown
China has ordered its companies to ignore US sanctions, an unprecedented act of defiance that threatens to trap a vast banking sector in the crossfire as tension rises between the world’s largest economies. Beijing has often railed against unilateral sanctions …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 9:50 AM |
Baltic Exchange Denies Mercuria’s Allegations Over Hormuz Freight Losses
The Baltic Exchange, the world’s top provider of benchmark shipping indices, has denied allegations from Mercuria that some of its oil tanker pricing data caused losses at the commodity trader. In a court filing dated April 30, Switzerland-based Mercuria said …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 9:13 AM |
Plane Crashes in Texas Hill Country, Killing 5 Pickleball Players
Five members of a pickleball club who died after the small plane carrying them crashed in Texas are being mourned by a tight-knit community of fellow players. The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed Saturday that Justin Appling, Hayden Dillard, …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 7:00 AM |
SpaceX Sued for Alleged Home Damage in South Texas
A group of 80 South Texas plaintiffs are suing Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX, alleging its rocket testing caused “massive” sonic booms that damaged their houses repeatedly over a two-year period. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. Southern District …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 6:00 AM |
CISA Weighs Cutting Deadlines to Fix Digital Flaws Amid Worries Over AI
U.S. cybersecurity officials are considering sharply shorter deadlines for fixing critical flaws in government IT systems, amid concerns hackers could exploit them using artificial‑intelligence tools such as Anthropic’s Mythos, people familiar with the matter said. The move, which has not …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 5:15 AM |
Misclassification Costs Workers, Social Insurance
As many as 10–30% of employers misclassify workers at an enormous cost to both workers and social insurance systems. New analysis from the National Employment Law Project, focusing on state-level reports on employee misclassification, estimates that social insurance systems can …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 5:12 AM |
KBRA Assigns Issuer Rating to Universal as Q1 Results Mark ‘Fantastic’ Start to 2026
KBRA, the Kroll Bond Rating Agency, has assigned a BBB issuer rating to Universal Insurance Holdings, along with a BBB credit rating, ahead of the Florida insurance holding company’s refinance of $100 million in unsecured notes. The ratings are slightly …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 5:03 AM |
Berkshire CEO Abel Says Insurance Becoming Increasingly Competitive
Berkshire Hathaway reported improved first-quarter performance from the conglomerate’s insurance businesses, but CEO Greg Abel told investors the sector faces competitive headwinds. “The reality is that … as our insurance business softens, we cannot realize the value we should for …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 5:03 AM |
SC Bill Would Change ‘Free’ Windshield Replacement and Give DOI More Authority
Under a bill poised to win approval in the South Carolina legislature, the decades-old practice of letting many drivers automatically enjoy relatively painless windshield replacements may soon disappear. House Bill 4817, titled the “Insurance Rate Reduction and Policy Holder Protection …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 5:02 AM |
People Moves: Alliant Adds McCarter to Employee Benefits Team in Denver
Denver, Colorado-based Rachel McCarter joined Alliant Insurance Services as vice president within its employee benefits group. In this role, she will partner develop and implement benefits services designed to drive value and enhance employee engagement. McCarter has worked with clients …
POSTED MAY 04, 2026 5:00 AM |