Walgreens to pay up to $350 million in US opioid settlement

Walgreens has agreed to pay up to $350 million in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, who accused the pharmacy of illegally filling millions of prescriptions in the last decade for opioids and other controlled substances. In a settlement Friday, the nationwide drugstore chain must pay the government at least $300 million and will owe another $50 million if the company is sold, merged, or transferred before 2032. The government’s complaint also alleges Walgreens sought payment for many of the invalid prescriptions through Medicare and other federal healthcare programs in violation of the False Claims Act.

Following shooting, students call on lawmakers to block effort to lower gun-buying law

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Student survivors of last week’s deadly shooting at Florida State University are urging legislators to block an effort to reverse a law passed in the wake of the 2018 Parkland shooting that lowered the state’s gun-buying age from 21 to 18. Days after a gunman terrorized the university in the state capital of Tallahassee, students traveled to the state capitol to call on legislators to take action to improve campus safety and protect them from gun violence. Thursday’s shooting killed two men who were not students and injured six others on FSU’s campus, about one mile from the Capitol building.

US Treasury secretary says trade war with China is not ‘sustainable’

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a Tuesday speech that the ongoing tariffs showdown with China is unsustainable and expects a “de-escalation” in the trade war between the world’s two largest economies. But in a private speech in Washington for JPMorgan Chase, Bessent also cautioned that talks between the United States and China had yet to formally start. President Donald Trump placed a 145% import tax on China, which countered with 125% tariffs on U.S. imports. Trump has placed tariffs on several dozen countries, causing the stock market to stumble and interest rates to increase on U.S. debt as investors worry about slower economic growth and higher inflationary pressures.

Pennsylvania governor reopens fire-damaged official residence to public

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is reopening the governor’s official residence to the public, barely a week after an alleged arson fire tore through one of its wings. Shapiro said after Tuesday’s annual children’s Easter egg hunt there that he’s not going to live in fear and plans to begin sleeping in the mansion again soon. Large waste disposal bins have been set up while workers clear fire-damaged rooms in the three-story brick Georgian-style residence. The fire broke out in the middle of the night, forcing Shapiro and his family to evacuate. A 38-year-old man has been jailed on charges including attempted homicide and arson.