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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Driverless cars will be tested in California for the first time without a person behind a steering wheel under new rules that state regulators approved Monday for the fast-developing technology.

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California Scraps Safety Driver Rules For Self-Driving Cars

California Scraps Safety Driver Rules For Self-Driving Cars

By Daisuke Wakabayashi, THE NEW YORK TIMES

February 26, 2018

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/26/technology/driverless-cars-californi…

SAN FRANCISCO — California regulators have given the green light to truly driverless cars.

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Self-Driving Cars With No In-Vehicle Backup Driver Get OK For California Public Roads

Self-Driving Cars With No In-Vehicle Backup Driver Get OK For California Public Roads

By Ethan Baron, MERCURY NEWS

February 26, 2018

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/02/26/self-driving-cars-with-no-in-veh…

Self-driving cars with no human backup behind the wheel will be legal on California roads for testing and transporting the public starting April 2.

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Consumer Groups Slam Trump Administration Over Proposal To Expand Short-Term Health Plans

Consumer Groups Slam Trump Administration Over Proposal To Expand Short-Term Health Plans

By Kenny Goldberg, KPBS San Diego, CA

February 26 2018

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2018/feb/26/consumer-groups-slam-trump-adminis…

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Four HIV Patients File Class Action Lawsuit Against CVS

Four HIV Patients File Class Action Lawsuit Against CVS

The plaintiffs, all HIV-positive, claim CVS broke the law by forcing them to pay enormous additional costs.

By Benjamin M. Adams, HIV PLUS MAGAZINE

February 23, 2018

https://www.hivplusmag.com/law-crime/2018/2/23/four-hiv-patients-file-c…

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Insurance Companies – Not “On Your Side”

Insurance Companies – Not “On Your Side”

Feb. 22, 2018 - THEPOPTORT.COM

http://www.thepoptort.com/2018/02/insurance-companies-not-on-your-side.html

And they’re not a “good neighbor” either. And they don’t have “good hands.” (I could go on.) But you probably already knew that.

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SESTA-FOSTA, Together At Last

SESTA-FOSTA, TOGETHER AT LAST

By Margaret Harding McGill, POLITICO'S MORNING TECH

February 22, 2018

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HIV Patients Claim In Court CVS Steered Beneficiaries To Its Pharmacies

HIV Patients Claim In Court CVS Steered Beneficiaries To Its Pharmacies

By David Lim, HEALTHCARE DIVE

February 22, 2018

https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/hiv-patients-claim-in-court-cvs-ste…

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HIV Patients Sue CVS Over Pharmacy Networks

HIV Patients Sue CVS Over Pharmacy Networks

By Bob Herman, AXIOS

February 21, 2018

https://www.axios.com/cvs-pharmacy-lawsuit-hiv-1519160365-c6f5527a-f5f2…

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Supreme Court Turns Away Challenge To California Law That Regulates Insurance Hikes

Supreme Court Turns Away Challenge To California Law That Regulates Insurance Hikes

Prop 103 has saved California consumers over $100 billion since being enacted 30 years ago

By Mark Huffman, CONSUMER AFFAIRS

February 21, 2018

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/supreme-court-turns-away-challenge…

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Waymo Gets the Go to Launch 1st Driverless Ride-Sharing Program

Waymo Gets the Go to Launch 1st Driverless Ride-Sharing Program

Service set to begin within the year in Phoenix area, then expand to other markets.

By Paul E. Einstein, THE DETROIT BUREAU

February 19, 2018

http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2018/02/waymo-gets-the-go-to-launch-1st…

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Car-Loan Rates Expected To Rise

Car-Loan Rates Expected To Rise

By Keith Laing, THE DETROIT NEWS

February 19, 2018

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2018/02/19/car-loan-rat…

Washington — Concern about potential inflation in the U.S. economy has sparked concern that auto-loan interest rates could spike at a time when domestic car sales have already been sluggish.

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CVS Hit With Class Action Lawsuits From HIV Patients

CVS Hit With Class Action Lawsuits From HIV Patients

By Jon Parton, COURTHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

February 16, 2018

https://www.courthousenews.com/cvs-hit-with-class-action-lawsuits-from-…

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Op-Ed Commentary: Don’t Let Robot Cars Go Out Of Control On California Roads

Op-Ed Commentary: Don’t Let Robot Cars Go Out Of Control On California Roads

By Jamie Court, SPECIAL TO THE SACRAMENTO BEE

February 16, 2018

http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article200374179.html

Self-driving cars cannot yet drive themselves. This is the unmistakable conclusion of new data from the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

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CVS Sued Over Delivery Of HIV Specialty Drugs

CVS Sued Over Delivery Of HIV Specialty Drugs

By Jacklyn Wille, BLOOMBERG LAW

February 16, 2018

CVS Health Corp. is in the crosshairs of a new lawsuit challenging how it administers prescription drug benefits for people taking HIV/AIDS medications.

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State Farm Pulls Out All The Legal Stops To Avoid Paying $100 Million In Customer Refunds

State Farm Pulls Out All The Legal Stops To Avoid Paying $100 Million In Customer Refunds

By Michael Hiltzik, LOS ANGELES TIMES

February 16, 2018

http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-state-farm-201802…

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Western States Petroleum Association & Members Have Dumped $170 Million Into CA Campaigns

Western States Petroleum Association & Members Have Dumped $170 Million Into CA Campaigns

By Dan Bacher, INDYBAY.ORG

February 14, 2018

https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2018/02/14/18806728.php

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'Less Than a Drop in the Bucket' -- Dueling Perspectives on California's First Stem Cell Royalty Check

'Less Than a Drop in the Bucket' -- Dueling Perspectives on California's First Stem Cell Royalty Check

By David Jensen, CALIFORNIA STEM CELL REPORT

February 14, 2018

http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.in/2018/02/less-than-drop-in-b…

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Self-Driving Car Safety Legislation Stalls in The Senate

Self-Driving Car Safety Legislation Stalls in The Senate

By John D. McKinnon, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

February 12, 2018

https://www.wsj.com/articles/self-driving-car-safety-legislation-stalls…

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Editorial: AG Becerra’s Delay Enables More Opioid Deaths

Editorial: AG Becerra’s Delay Enables More Opioid Deaths

By Mercury News & East Bay Express Editorial Boards

February 10, 2018

https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/02/10/editorial-ag-becerras-delay-ena…

While state Attorney General Xavier Becerra has fiddled, thousands more Californians have died from opioid overdoses.

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Google Patents Creepy Big Brother-Style System That Uses Cameras And Sensors To Watch Your Kids And Tell Them Off When They've Been Misbehaving

Google Patents Creepy Big Brother-Style System That Uses Cameras And Sensors To Watch Your Kids And Tell Them Off When They've Been Misbehaving

By Phoebe Westin, THE DAILY MAIL UK

February 9, 2018

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5371975/Google-patents-c…

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'Climate Leaders' Justin Trudeau and Jerry Brown Are Both Promoters Of Oil Industry Expansion

'Climate Leaders' Justin Trudeau and Jerry Brown Are Both Promoters Of Oil Industry Expansion

By Dan Bacher, DAILY KOS

February 9, 2018

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/2/9/1740062/--Climate-leaders-Jus…

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Californians Flood State Capitol to Oppose Offshore Drilling

Californians Flood State Capitol to Oppose Offshore Drilling

By Nick Cahill, COURTHOUSE NEWS

February 8, 2018

https://www.courthousenews.com/californians-flood-state-capitol-to-oppo…

SACRAMENTO (CN) – With the federal government plotting new offshore oil leases, California lawmakers and environmentalists have coalesced around a clear goal: Keeping big oil off California’s coastline.

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What We Can Learn About Autonomous Progress From California Disengagement Reports

What We Can Learn About Autonomous Progress From California Disengagement Reports

By Pete Bigelow, CAR AND DRIVER

February 5, 2018

https://blog.caranddriver.com/what-we-can-learn-about-autonomous-progre…

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Lobby Groups Spend Record $339 Million

Lobby Groups Spend Record $339 Million

By Patrick McGreevy, LOS ANGELES TIMES - SACRAMENTO WATCH BLOG

February 5, 2018

Fueled by activity from the oil industry attempting to influence the cap-and-trade debate, interest groups spent a record of more than $339 million lobbying California government officials last year.

The spending activity to influence elected officials and bureaucrats far exceeds the previous record of $314.7 million in 2015, new lobbying reports show.

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Big Oil's Top 3 Spenders Lavish $17.6 Million In Lobbying 'Hush Money' In 2017

Big Oil's Top 3 Spenders Lavish $17.6 Million In Lobbying 'Hush Money' In 2017

By Dan Bacher, ELK GROVE NEWS

February 3, 2018

http://www.elkgrovenews.net/2018/02/big-oils-top-3-spenders-lavish-176…

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Self-Driving Vehicles Put Through Paces

Self-Driving Vehicles Put Through Paces

American Center for Mobility near Detroit touts itself as offering 'perfect environment' for testing driverless, connected vehicles

By Eric D. Lawrence, DAYTON DAILY NEWS

February 2, 2018

The American Center for Mobility opened its first phase in December. It includes a 2.5-mile highway loop and 700-foot curved tunnel; the center notes that it offers four-season testing, day and night, in sun, rain, ice and snow.

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Disengage, Disengage! Cali DMV Reports Show How Often Human Drivers Override Robot Cars

Disengage, Disengage! Cali DMV Reports Show How Often Human Drivers Override Robot Cars

Driverless tech not ready, to shock of nobody

By Richard Priday, THE REGISTER UK

February 2, 2018

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/02/02/cali_dmv_driverless_disengagem…

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Jamie Dimon, Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffet Lost Patience With Skyrocketing Health Costs

Jamie Dimon, Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffet Lost Patience With Skyrocketing Health Costs -

Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan will form a company to improve employee health care

By Quentin Fottrell, MARKETWATCH.COM

January 30, 2018https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-chart-explains-why-jamie-dimon-j…

Read more about Jamie Dimon, Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffet Lost Patience With Skyrocketing Health Costs

Why Climate Activists Protested Jerry Brown’s Swan Song

Why Climate Activists Protested Jerry Brown’s Swan Song

Climate-change activists hoping to hear the governor propose a new climate initiative during his State of the State speech Thursday were disappointed.

By Larry Buhl, CAPITAL AND MAIN

January 29, 2018

https://capitalandmain.com/why-climate-activists-protested-jerry-browns…

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Big Oil Praises Governor Brown's Final State of the State Address

Big Oil Praises Governor Brown's Final State of the State Address

By Dan Bacher, DAILY KOS

January 26, 2018

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/1/26/1736102/-Big-Oil-Praises-Gov…

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Renting A Car? Using The Bluetooth Could Put You At Risk For Identity Theft

Renting A Car? Using The Bluetooth Could Put You At Risk For Identity Theft

By Rebekah L. Sanders, THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC

January 26, 2018

https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/consumers/2018/01/26/ren…

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Hyundai's False MPG Advertising

After receiving complaints from Hyundai owners across the country, in November, 2011 Consumer Watchdog challenged the US Environmental Protection Agency to audit Hyundai over the "40 Miles Per Gallon" MPG claims on the window sticker of its Elantra. On November 2, 2012, the EPA confirmed Consumer Watchdog's allegations, announcing that Hyundai and KIA would be required to change the false MPG window sticker claims on many of their vehicles, including Elantra.