Sacklers withdrew over $10 billion in a decade from Purdue Pharma: NYT

(Reuters) - The Sackler family - owners of Purdue Pharma - transferred more than $10 billion in a decade from the OxyContin maker to its trusts and holding companies, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing a new audit commissioned by the drugmaker. The audit, which was prepared by consulting firm Alix Partners, is likely to add further scrutiny on how much the Sackler family should pay to resolve lawsuits that Purdue Pharma face regarding the U.S. opioid epidemic, the New York Times added. Lawsuits filed by state and local governments allege Purdue and the Sacklers contributed to a public health crisis that has claimed the lives of nearly 400,000 people since 1999 by aggressively marketing opioids while downplaying their addiction and overdose risks.

The audit showed that from 2008 through 2017, Purdue’s payouts to the Sackler family totaled $10.7 billion, the report said. The auditors reported that they did not know how much cash distributed to the Sacklers was actually used to pay taxes. “We need full transparency into their total assets and must know whether they sheltered them in an effort to protect against creditors and victims,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said. Purdue reaped up to $13 billion in profits to Sackler family, the U.S. states said in October, opposing efforts to halt lawsuits alleging the company and its owners helped fuel the epidemic.

“We are committed to holding the Sacklers responsible for the role they played in fueling the opioid crisis and will not stop fighting until we have achieved justice for victims,” James said. The drugmaker had filed for bankruptcy protection in September to pause thousands of lawsuits while it tries to build support for a proposed settlement it estimates is worth $10 billion. The audit report was filed on Monday evening in bankruptcy court in White Plains, New York, the New York Times said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-purduepharma-bankruptcy-audit/sacklers-withdrew-over-10-billion-in-a-decade-from-purdue-pharma-nyt-idUSKBN1YL060?il=0

Johnson plans to block extension of Brexit transition beyond 2020

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will take the bold step of legislating to prevent any extension of the Brexit transition period beyond 2020, British media including The Times and the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. Making any extension illegal, a move first reported by ITV, would set up a potential cliff-edge unless Johnson can strike a trade deal with the European Union in just 11 months. After the United Kingdom leaves the EU on Jan. 31, it enters a transition period in which it remains an EU member in all but name while both sides try to hammer out a new trading relationship.

By enshrining in law his campaign promise not to extend the transition period beyond the end of 2020, Johnson cuts the amount of time he has to strike a trade deal to 11 months from nearly three years. The laws needed to enact Brexit will be put before parliament on Friday, Johnson’s spokesman had said earlier. While Johnson’s large majority gives him the flexibility to change the law should he need to, he is sending a bold message to the EU. The bloc’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has warned that 11 months is not enough time to strike a comprehensive trade deal.

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu/johnson-plans-to-block-extension-of-brexit-transition-beyond-2020-idUSKBN1YK25G

Democrats release tips for election campaigns to fight online disinformation

(Reuters) - U.S. political campaigns should make someone in their teams responsible for monitoring online disinformation about their candidate ahead of the 2020 elections, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) said on Monday. The recommendation was part of a slew of tips published by the DNC on how campaigns, state parties, the general public and social media companies can combat disinformation. “Campaigns and state parties are not powerless in the fight against online disinformation,” the DNC said in the recommendations. It suggested a press or digital staff member would be best-placed for the role of “counter-disinformation lead.” “The DNC will provide guidance on how to effectively counter disinformation, but campaigns need to be aware of what’s being said about their candidate online and take appropriate action,” it said.

The DNC also released its analysis of what social media companies Facebook Inc, Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google are currently doing to fight disinformation and where, it said, they are “coming up short.” Social media companies have come under increased scrutiny since U.S. intelligence agencies said a Russian cyber-influence operation used their sites during the 2016 presidential election to try and help Republican President Donald Trump get elected. Russia has denied the allegation. In its analysis, the DNC called out Facebook, Google and its video-streaming service YouTube for not ending ad partnerships with state-controlled media, and Facebook and Twitter for not making their content algorithms more transparent to journalists or academics. Twitter said it has made progress since 2016, citing a ban on advertising from state-controlled media and a public archive of influence operations it has uncovered. Facebook and Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The committee said that while its counter-disinformation unit, under Chief Security Officer Bob Lord, builds and purchases tools to detect disinformation and works to combat its spread, this was a “whole-of-society problem.” The DNC also shared its digital literacy tips for the general public, which included steps such as actively seeking out multiple authoritative sources, being aware of “Russian propaganda outlets” and learning about the flow of online disinformation.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-disinformation/democrats-release-tips-for-election-campaigns-to-fight-online-disinformation-idUSKBN1YK26P?il=0