Trump pushes drug-dealer death penalty as opioid crisis response

President Donald Trump, targeting the US opioid epidemic, has called for the execution of drug dealers, a proposal that so far has gained little support in Congress, amid criticism from some drug abuse and criminal justice experts. "This is about winning a very, very tough problem, and if we don't get tough on these dealers, it's not going to happen."

Judge: Corps responsible for flooding, damage in 4 states

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should act immediately to make flood control the top priority on the Missouri River, an attorney for hundreds of farmers, landowners and business operators said Wednesday after a federal judge ruled the agency was responsible for recurring flooding. Judge Nancy B. Firestone's ruling Tuesday in Washington cited river management changes initiated by the Corps of Engineers starting in 2004, including efforts to aid endangered fish and birds, that led to damages estimated to exceed $300 million in four states: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa.

With high water rolling down the river, Army Corps begins opening Bonnet Carre Spillway

The first bay is opened at the Bonnet Carre Spillway as it is opened by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Norco, La. Thursday, March 8, 2018, to relieve flooding risk down river in New Orleans where the Mississippi River is expected to reach flood stage at 17 feet later in the week.

Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill says drug giant is “stonewalling” her opioid investigation

The world's largest generic drug maker, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, has refused to fully cooperate with a Senate investigation into whether major opioid manufacturers contributed to the deadly drug epidemic, according to Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who is leading the Senate probe. Teva has answered some of McCaskill's questions, providing the Senate committee with general information about its efforts to track and report suspicious orders for its opioid prescriptions, according to a series of letters between McCaskill and the company.

The Latest: 9th death reported following powerful nor’easter

The Latest on the nor'easter that's battering coastal areas from Maryland to Maine : 9:30 p.m. Police in Andover, New Jersey say a man was killed by downed power lines during the storm that rampaged up and down the East Coast. NJ.com reports that the 41-year-old man came in contact with live power lines at about 6:45 p.m. Friday.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions says feds will take action in Cleveland opioid lawsuits

The U.S. Department of Justice will get involved with a federal case in Cleveland that consolidates hundreds of government lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday. Sessions said the Justice Department will file a "statement of interest" in the case, currently being heard by a federal judge in Cleveland , filed by local governments, including Cincinnati and Cuyahoga County.

Texas launches Harvey recovery tracker 6 months after storm

Texas launched a public online tool to track incoming and outgoing funds for Hurricane Harvey recovery on Monday, six months after the storm hit and two months after The Associated Press reported that it did not have one. Gov. Greg Abbott called the tracker - which provides a county-level view of the more than $13 billion in flood insurance payouts, hotel vouchers and other forms of federal aid that has been disbursed so far - "a good start in achieving transparency" in a statement from the Texas A&M University System-based Commission to Rebuild Texas.

The Health 202: States are going after opioid makers

Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events Erika Marble visits the gravesite of Edward Martin III, her fiance and father of her two children, who died in 2014 from an overdose of the opioid fentanyl. To understand how states are going on the offensive against opioid makers and distributors for the devastation their pills have caused, look no further than Kentucky, where about as many people die of overdoses every year as from car accidents and gunshots combined.

Flood fears rise as wicked storm system tears across southern, central U.S.

A violent storm system with relentless rains and fierce winds that pounded the southern and central U.S. over the weekend could lead to treacherous flooding in the days ahead. The system that stretched from Texas to the Canadian maritime provinces left a path of destruction as it cut eastward Sunday: Homes were leveled, trees uprooted, cars demolished.