Bad Democrat

From Ink Free News: Grocery store giant Kroger is planning to cut thousands over jobs over the coming years.

The company, which has about 100 stores across Indiana, plans to slash 3,000 corporate jobs over the next three years, according to an internal memo by CEO Greg Foran obtained by The Cincinnati Enquirer, part of USA Today Co.

The multi-state grocery chain headquartered in Cincinnati plans to eliminate more than a third of its roughly 8,200 corporate staff, according to The Enquirer.

“Our business is becoming leaner, more focused and more competitive,” CEO Greg Foran wrote in the Monday, Oct. 12 memo to employees. “This transformation will also result in fewer roles across the company, which means we will reduce our corporate workforce across many functions.”

From the Office of Public Affairs (Dept. of Justice): CVS Pharmacy Inc., a Rhode Island-based pharmacy chain, and its related corporate entities (collectively, CVS) have agreed to pay $315 million to resolve allegations that, from October 17, 2013 through December 2, 2025, CVS illegally filled prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), and then sought payment for many of those invalid prescriptions from Medicare and other federal healthcare programs in violation of the False Claims Act (FCA).

The settlement resolves allegations in the government’s complaint, which the United States filed on Dec. 13, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, that CVS knowingly filled prescriptions for controlled substances that lacked a legitimate medical purpose, were not valid, and/or were not issued in the usual course of professional practice. The United States alleged that CVS dispensed prescriptions for dangerous and excessive quantities of opioids, opioid prescriptions filled too early, and “trinity” prescriptions, a dangerous and abused combination of an opioid, a benzodiazepine, and a muscle relaxant. CVS also allegedly filled prescriptions for controlled substances from “pill mill” prescribers who issued large numbers of controlled substance prescriptions without any medical purpose. Further, the United States alleged that CVS pharmacists filled these prescriptions despite clear red flags indicating that there was a high likelihood that the prescriptions lacked a legitimate medical purpose, were not valid, or were not issued in the course of professional practice. Many of these prescriptions were ultimately billed to and reimbursed by federal healthcare programs.

The complaint further alleged that CVS’s violations stemmed from corporate-imposed performance metrics, incentive compensation, and staffing policies that prioritized corporate profits over patient safety. CVS failed to employ enough pharmacists to serve patients, comply with CVS’s legal obligations, and meet corporate performance metrics. In addition, CVS’s policies allegedly prevented pharmacists from warning one another about certain problematic prescribers.

Bank of America admits willfully violating Bank Secrecy Act regulations and failing to “timely report” more than $5 billion in “suspicious” transactions, Treasury said.

From CNBC: Bank of America was hit with more than $1.2 billion in federal penalties Tuesday after regulators said the nation’s second-largest bank failed for years to report more than $5 billion in suspicious transactions and fix longstanding anti-money-laundering problems.

More than $1 billion of the unreported activity involved national security and other high-priority risks, including Chinese money laundering networks and activity tied to the southwest border, Treasury said in a press release.

President Donald Trump doubled down Monday on his decision to allow Russian diesel imports amid growing backlash, calling it the “right choice” and arguing that Europe has previously purchased energy products from Russia as well.

Trump said in a Monday morning social media post that the “European Union paid Russia 250 Billion Dollars for Energy” and added, “I made the right choice for the American People — ALWAYS, AMERICA FIRST!”

From Gaslamp Ball: In the latest negotiations, MLB proposed a shortened season from 162 to 154 games beginning in 2029. Every week would have an off day on Monday for all but two or four teams. The teams not off on Mondays would play a nationally televised game(s) and have their off day on Thursday.

MLB feels this new format would be good for player health with a guaranteed off day every week as well as showcasing teams and players every week in the Monday contests. There would be no loss of revenue because part of the new structure would include revenue sharing for all teams in the league.

From FBI Los Angeles: Nine individuals were charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, eight of whom are alleged to be associates of the Mexican Mafia prison gang, were charged for their roles in a conspiracy to murder, attempted murder, shooting at an occupied vehicle, and extortion of an individual for perceived violations of Mexican Mafia rules. An additional individual was charged with providing assistance to one of the defendants by removing evidence in the form of expended ammunition casings of the attempted murder. 

Beginning in July 2026, the FBI’s San Gabriel Valley Safe Streets Task Force and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Bureau have been investigating an attempted murder that took place in the city of Pomona, as well as the ongoing extortion of the intended victim. The victim was required to pay an extortion in order to not be targeted with violence in Pomona, and to have a vehicle returned that was taken as part of the extortion. 

According to investigators and deputy district attorneys who filed the case, the attempted murder, murder conspiracy, and extortion are alleged to have been coordinated by several high-ranking associates of the Mexican Mafia over a perceived debt owed by the victim, an act considered to be a serious violation of the criminal organization. 

From NBC:

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that AI models are believed to have been used in some recent hacking incidents against banks and called for the country to develop cybersecurity methods suited to the AI era.

“In some hacking incidents, signs have emerged of AI being used, causing considerable public concern and anxiety,” Lee said during a Cabinet meeting.

“Please establish the circumstances swiftly and clearly, and concentrate personnel and resources on minimizing the damage.”

South Korea‘s police have launched a full-scale investigation into the hacking attacks against commercial banks that led to a breach of customers’ personal information, the Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday.

Shinhan Bank, KB Kookmin Bank and others had reported cyberattacks, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) said on Friday, while Yonhap reported that Hana Bank and Woori Bank also suffered breaches.

Authorities have not yet disclosed details on what kind of AI tools were used in the hacking incidents or the full scale of the breaches.

From Google AI Overview: PepsiCo voluntarily recalled 122,021 cases of Gatorade due to undeclared Yellow No. 5 and/or Yellow No. 6 food dyes.

Recall Details

• Products Involved: 28-ounce bottles of Gatorade Lemon Lime, Gatorade Lemon Lime Zero, Gatorade Orange, and Gatorade Orange Zero.
• Lot Dates: Bears lot dates between April 2027, May 2027, and June 2027.
• Classification: Classified as a Class II recall by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), meaning exposure may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences.
• Reason for Recall: The bottles may contain synthetic food dyes (Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6) that were not declared on the product labels, which can trigger rare allergic reactions or sensitivities.
• Distribution States: Distributed across 37 states, including California, New York, Florida, and Texas.

From Google AI Overview: An Energy Department employee was arrested by the FBI on charges of attempting to provide material support to Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Arrest Details

• Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy: A 51-year-old electrical engineer from Richland, Washington, employed by the U.S. Department of Energy.
• Charges: Facing federal charges for providing or attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
• Maximum Penalty: Up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.