US Rice, Cotton Farmers Get Biggest Relief in Trump Bailout
The US Department of Agriculture unveiled long-awaited details of its $12 billion aid package for farmers, with American growers of rice and cotton standing to get the biggest payments. But while the payments were welcomed by farmers and industry groups …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 4:38 PM |
Litigation Funding, Other New Laws in SE States Could Impact Liability Insurance
New laws in Southeastern states took effect this week, impacting several aspects of property and casualty insurance. In Georgia, Senate Bill 69 puts new restrictions on third-party litigation financing, a lawsuit funding practice that has raised growing concerns for insurers. …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 4:04 PM |
Texas Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Home Building Fraud Scheme
A Fort Worth business owner who received nearly $5 million from local customers for unfinished custom home building and remodeling projects pled guilty to a wire fraud conspiracy charge on Dec. 30, 2025, announced United States Attorney for the Northern …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 3:58 PM |
Cornerstone National Insurance Company Placed Into Receivership
Cornerstone National Insurance Company, a Missouri-domiciled property and casualty insurance company, was placed into receivership by the Circuit Court of Cole County. Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance Director, Angela L. Nelson, has been named receiver of Cornerstone, which allows …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 3:46 PM |
Berkshire Falls on Buffett’s Last Day as CEO, Gained 6,100,000% Over 60 Years
Berkshire Hathaway shares closed slightly lower on Warren Buffett’s final day as chief executive, with the legendary investor set to hand the reins to Greg Abel on Jan. 1. The price of Berkshire Class A shares edged down $600, or …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 3:39 PM |
Kansas Man Sentenced to Probation for Insurance Fraud
Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt this week announced a Sedgwick county man has been sentenced to 18 months of probation for insurance fraud. Shawn Gales, age 37, pleaded guilty on December 18, 2025, in Sedgwick County District Court to one …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 3:37 PM |
Aon Extends Employment Agreement With CEO Case
Aon Corp. said it has extended its contract with President and CEO Greg Case through 2030. Case’s contract was previously set to end on April 1, 2028. Case has led the brokerage, among the world’s largest, since he took over …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 3:16 PM |
Idaho Company Recalls Nearly 3,000 Pounds of Ground Beef for E. Coli Risk
An Idaho-based company is recalling nearly 3,000 pounds of raw ground beef that may have been contaminated with E. coli bacteria. The recall involves 16-ounce vacuum-sealed packages labeled “Forward Farms Grass-Fed Ground Beef.” Affected packages were produced Dec. 16 and …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 3:04 PM |
Definity Financial Completes $2.4B Acquisition of Travelers’ Canadian Businesses
Definity Financial Corp., the Canadian property/casualty insurer, announced the completion of its previously announced acquisition of the personal insurance business and the majority of the Canadian businesses of The Travelers Cos. The deal, which was first announced in May 2025, …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 2:39 PM |
Derailed Train in Kentucky Causes Chemical Leak and Sparks a Fire
A derailed CSX train leaked a flammable chemical and sparked a fire in a rural part of southern Kentucky on Tuesday, prompting authorities to issue a shelter-in-place order that was later lifted for nearby residents. No injuries were reported after …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 2:35 PM |
2 New Jersey Pilots Killed in Helicopter Collision Frequented Nearby Cafe Together
Two men who died after their helicopters collided midair in New Jersey last weekend both earned their private pilot licenses over a decade ago and would often have breakfast together at a cafe near the crash site before taking to …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 2:28 PM |
Disney Worker Injured Trying to Stop Runaway Boulder at Indiana Jones Show
A Walt Disney World worker in Florida was injured while attempting to stop a large runaway prop boulder from rolling into seated spectators at the Indiana Jones live show. The worker at the “Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular” at the …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 2:16 PM |
Nursing Home Bailouts. Why Vermont Has Given Millions to Keep Them Afloat
With the second-oldest population in the country, Vermont needs its nursing homes. Yet, while Vermonters rapidly age, the state’s long-term care capacity has dwindled, losing 900 beds in the last two decades. To keep the struggling system afloat, the state …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 1:39 PM |
Swiss Resort Fire Victims Sent Abroad as Tragedy Investigated
Critically injured victims of the deadly fire that engulfed a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana are being treated in specialist burns units as far afield as Stuttgart, Milan and Paris, underscoring the scale of the tragedy. The …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 1:21 PM |
The 14 Global Trends That Will Shape the Climate in 2026
The world is now moving into the latter half of a critical decade to fight climate change. Scientists have warned that nations need to cut carbon emissions nearly 50% by 2030 to stave off 1.5C temperature rise. The world is …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 12:30 PM |
Authorities Probing Damage to Undersea Telecom Cable in Gulf of Finland
Authorities are investigating damage to an undersea telecommunications cable in the Gulf of Finland early Wednesday that occurred between the capitals of Finland and Estonia. Finnish authorities seized and inspected the vessel suspected to have caused the damage, the country’s …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 11:43 AM |
Taiwan Stays on High Alert as Chinese Ships Pull Back After Massive Drills
Taiwan remained on high alert on Wednesday after China staged massive military drills around the island the previous day, keeping its emergency maritime response center running as it monitored Chinese naval maneuvers, the coast guard said. The exercises named “Justice …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 10:44 AM |
US Sanctions Chinese Companies, Tankers With Venezuela Links
The Trump administration stepped up a pressure campaign against Venezuela’s oil exports by sanctioning companies based in Hong Kong and mainland China, along with related oil tankers it accused of evading restrictions. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 10:13 AM |
Europe’s Space Agency Says Cyber Incident May Have Hit Servers
The European Space Agency said a cybersecurity issue may have impacted a “very small number” of external servers. In a post on the social media platform X on Tuesday, ESA said it was conducting a forensic analysis and had implemented …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 9:50 AM |
Porsche to Recall Over 173,000 Vehicles for Rearview Camera Issue
Porsche is recalling 173,538 vehicles in the U.S. as the rearview camera image may not display when the vehicle is placed in reverse, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Wednesday. This is one of the largest single …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 7:37 AM |
Whose Dog Is That? Delaware Courts Wade Into Pet Custody Fights
The country’s premier corporate law court, which routinely confronts the obduracy of controlling billionaires, is finding pet owners no less intractable in their deal-making. A conflict over ownership of the goldendoodle Tucker pushed Delaware’s Chancery Court into an emerging area …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 6:20 AM |
Labor Board Abandons One of Its Cases Against Musk’s SpaceX
The US labor board is abandoning a complaint over SpaceX’s severance and arbitration policies, resolving one front of a sprawling legal battle between the agency and Elon Musk’s aerospace company. In a Dec. 18 joint motion, attorneys for both SpaceX …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 6:14 AM |
US Lifts Sanctions on Trio Accused of Work on ‘Predator’ Spyware
The US government has lifted sanctions on three people who it previously accused of aiding in the proliferation of “Predator” spyware, a sophisticated surveillance technology that’s allegedly been used against Americans. The Department of Treasury’s removal of the business bans …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 6:06 AM |
People Moves: Alliant Hires Johnson as EVP in M&A Specialty
Alliant Insurance Services hired Adam Johnson as executive vice president within Alliant Specialty. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Johnson has experience in insuring venture capital and private equity funds, along with their portfolio companies. He develops strategic risk …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 6:00 AM |
How Maine Is Spending Its Share of Opioid Settlement Money
Over the past five years, the attorney general’s office, with Aaron Frey at the helm, has secured for Maine more than $260 million in settlements with major pharmaceutical companies accused of “supercharging” the opioid epidemic. It has overseen the settlements’ …
POSTED JANUARY 02, 2026 6:00 AM |