Mar 9, 2019

Request denied: Purdue Pharma to appear in court as scheduled

Photo: Liz O. Baylen/Getty Images

Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman decided on Friday that Purdue Pharma — the infamous manufacturer of OxyContin — along with Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd., are due in court May 28 in a multibillion-dollar lawsuit, despite efforts to postpone the trial, reports Reuters.

Details: Oklahoma's Attorney General Mike Hunter has accused the companies of feeding the state's opioid epidemic. Reuters also reported that Purdue was considering filing for bankruptcy, alleging such action could give the company time to review legal liabilities and delay the court case. Purdue's attorney argued moving the trial to Sept. 16 was necessary because the state "belatedly turned over 1.6 million pages of records critical to Purdue's defense ... But the judge said the drugmakers had not established the state's actions had prejudiced them."

Go deeper: Purdue Pharma let doctors underestimate OxyContin's strength

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Margaret Talev, Alexi McCammond

Sign of the times: A pro-Warren super PAC

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren at a rally in Nevada. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

A group of women progressives who back Sen. Elizabeth Warren has formed Persist PAC, a super PAC airing pro-Warren ads starting Wednesday in an effort to boost her performance ahead of Saturday's crucial Nevada caucuses, a spokesman told Axios.

Why it matters: Warren has spoken adamantly against the influence of unlimited spending and dark money in politics. But these supporters have concluded that before Warren can reform the system, she must win under the rules that exist — and that whether she likes it or not, their uncoordinated help may be needed to keep her viable through this weekend's contest and into South Carolina and Super Tuesday.

Go deeperUpdated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Fadel Allassan

Pentagon policy chief resigns amid reported discord with Trump

John Rood. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

John Rood, the Pentagon's top policy official, will resign from his post at the end of the month, CNN first reported and President Trump confirmed.

The state of play: CNN said Rood "was perceived as not embracing some of the changes in policy the White House and senior Pentagon officials wanted," such as peace talks in Afghanistan with the Taliban and a decision to cut back on military exercises with South Korea as the president courted North Korea's Kim Jong-un.

Go deeper1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Axios

Coronavirus cases rise, as warnings of global pandemic grow

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's NHC; Note: China refers to mainland China and the Diamond Princess is the cruise ship offshore Yokohama, Japan. Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

We may be "at the brink" of a global pandemic, warns a top U.S. public health official, as cases continue to spread despite containment efforts. Meanwhile, the global economy is being affected, including the tech manufacturing industry.

The big picture: COVID-19 has now killed more than 2,000 people and infected over 75,000 others, mostly in mainland China, where the National Health Commission announced 136 new deaths since Tuesday.

Go deeperUpdated 2 hours ago - Health