The National Digest

No Charges in Georgia Lawmaker Grocery Store Dispute

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ATLANTA (AP) — Police say they will not file any charges in the dispute between a black Georgia lawmaker and a white man she accused of verbally assaulting her for having too many items in a grocery checkout line.

Rep. Erica Thomas, D-Austell, speaks during a news conference in Atlanta. Thomas says she was verbally attacked in a supermarket by a white man who told her, “Go back where you came from.” Rep. Erica Thomas of Austell tearfully described the confrontation in a Facebook video Friday, July 19, 2019. She acknowledged being in an express line with too many items but said she got in the line because she is nine months pregnant and cannot stand for long periods. (Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) The Associated Press

Cobb County Police spokesman Sergeant Wayne Delk said Tuesday that authorities investigated and won’t charge anyone. The dispute happened Friday at a Publix grocery store in Mableton, Georgia.

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The National Digest

Equifax Ordered to Pay $575M Over 2017 Data Breach that Affected 150 Million People

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Equifax Ordered to Pay $575M Over Breach

Equifax Ordered to Pay $575M Over Breach

Equifax reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.(Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

The credit reporting agency Equifax has agreed to pay at least $575 million as part of a global settlement over its 2017 data breach that exposed the Social Security numbers and other private information of almost 150 million people.

The company reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The parties alleged that Equifax failed to take reasonable steps to secure its network, which directly led to the data breach.

As part of the proposed settlement, Equifax will pay $300 million to a fund that provides credit monitoring services for people affected by the breach, which also released names, dates of birth and addresses. The fund also compensates customers who bought credit or identity monitoring services from Equifax and paid additional fees as a result of the breach.

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The National Digest

Excessive Heat and Humidity Building Across Midwest and Northeast

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Excessive heat and humidity building across Midwest and Northeast Heat and humidity began building across a wide swath of the nation on Friday as dozens of cities declared heat emergencies and excessive heat warnings and advisories were posted by the National Weather Service.

However, the most extreme days in the heat wave are likely to be on Saturday and Sunday for many areas.

Power companies have braced for a surge in energy consumption as close to 100 million Americans live in an area where a daily record-high temperature could be set on Saturday, when the heat wave peaks.

Over the next few days, there will be little relief at night as low temperatures in many places, particularly cities along the I-95 corridor, will struggle to see lows dip below 80 degrees at the height of the heat wave, which will bring the hottest weather in years.

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The National Digest

States Where People Want to Quit Smoking The Most

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States Where People Want to Quit Smoking the Most

Most smokers have tried to quit – but making an attempt is more common in some states than others.

In 2017, a median of 65.4% of adult smokers in U.S. states and territories had made quit attempts within the last year – a mark only slightly up from 2011 and well below the federal government’s Healthy People 2020 goal of 80% or higher, according to a new analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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The National Digest

Drug Companies Pushed 76 Billion Opioid Pills Across U.S. From 2006 Through 2012

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76 Billion Opioid Pills Fueled U.S. Crisis

Nearly 100,000 people reportedly lost their lives to a prescripton opioid-related overdose from 2006 through 2012.(Getty Images)

The country’s largest drug companies flooded U.S. markets with 76 billion prescription pain pills amid the nation’s opioid epidemic from 2006 through 2012, according to a Washington Post analysis of a government database.

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