Clears way for smoking cessation program: The Supreme Court will leave alone a state court order requiring tobacco companies to pay $270 million for a smoking cessation program in Louisiana. The justices today turned away an appeal from cigarette makers in a long-running class-action lawsuit first filed by Louisiana smokers in May 1996. The smokers prevailed at every step in state courts, but Justice Antonin Scalia temporarily blocked payment of the money in September, citing concerns that the cigarette makers might have been deprived of their legal rights. Last week, the court ended a massive class action on behalf of up to 1.6 million women who work at Wal-Mart. That case turned on federal rules governing class actions, and by rejecting the tobacco case, the justices indicated there was no overlap between the two.
Faces up to 300 years in prison: Rod Blagojevich, who rode his talkative everyman image to two terms as Illinois governor before scandal made him a national punch line, was convicted today on a wide range of corruption charges, including the incendiary allegation that he tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama’s Senate seat. The verdict was a bitter defeat for Blagojevich, who had spent 2˝ years professing his innocence on reality TV shows and later on the witness stand. His defense team had insisted that hours of FBI wiretap recordings were just the ramblings of a politician who liked to think out loud. He faces up to 300 years in prison, although sentencing guidelines are sure to reduce his time behind bars.
Wants cars and trucks to get 56 miles to the gallon by 2025: The Obama administration is telling American automakers that it would like cars and light trucks to average 56.2 miles per gallon by 2025. Government and industry sources familiar with the discussions say that’s the number being floated by administration officials in the early rounds of negotiations on a 2017-2025 fuel economy standard. The White House wants to boost fuel economy to reduce reliance on oil and cut down on global warming pollution. In early 2009, it brokered a landmark agreement that required automobiles on average to get 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 and set the first-ever standard for greenhouse gas emissions from tailpipes. A formal proposal is due in September. The change would increase the cost of vehicles, but that money would be recouped in fuel savings.
