Purdue sentencing clears path for opioid settlement

April 21, 2026

Summary

A Purdue Pharma sentencing was expected to advance a settlement requiring Sackler family members to pay up to $7 billion.

Why this matters

The case is a major test of how opioid litigation will deliver money for addiction response and compensation to victims. It also helps determine whether Purdue’s bankruptcy settlement can move forward after years of legal challenges.

A judge is expected to sentence OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma on Tuesday to forfeit $225 million to the Justice Department, a step that would clear the way for a broader settlement over the company’s role in the opioid crisis to take effect.

The payment was part of a 2020 agreement resolving federal civil and criminal investigations. If approved, the government would not collect other penalties in exchange for Purdue settling thousands of lawsuits.

Another judge approved the broader settlement last year, and it could take effect May 1. It requires Sackler family members who own Purdue to pay up to $7 billion over 15 years to state, local, and Native American tribal governments, some individual victims, and others.

Purdue, based in Stamford, Connecticut, pleaded guilty in November 2020 to three federal criminal charges. The company admitted it lacked an effective program to prevent its prescription painkillers from being diverted to the black market after telling the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that it did.

Purdue also admitted it paid doctors through a speakers program to prescribe the drugs and paid an electronic medical records company to send doctors patient information that encouraged more opioid prescriptions.

Under the plea deal, the government agreed not to collect $5.3 billion in criminal forfeitures and fines and $2.8 billion in civil liabilities. Portions of that money are instead counted in the broader settlement, from which the federal government will receive a small share.

Under the settlement, Purdue would be replaced by a new company, Knoa Pharma, operated for the public benefit with a board appointed by states. Sackler family members would be protected from opioid-related lawsuits brought by those who accept the settlement.

Court filings show Purdue had paid more than $1 billion by the end of last year to law firms and other professionals involved in the case. Sackler family members received $10.7 billion in payments from Purdue from 2008 to 2018, but the company has not paid them since 2018, and the last family member left Purdue’s board in 2019.

More than 54,000 people with personal-injury claims against Purdue voted to accept the settlement, while 218 voted against it. Some victims and relatives opposed it, saying it fell short of accountability in a crisis linked to 900,000 U.S. deaths since 1999.

More top news

Business

T-Mobile files new layoffs in Tennessee, Texas, Colorado

T-Mobile also cut jobs in 2023, when NPR reported the company laid off 5,000 employees, or about 7% of its workforce. Then-CEO Mike Sievert said at the time that he did not foresee additional cuts.

Full story +

T-Mobile filed multiple Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filings in April, affecting hundreds of workers in Tennessee, Texas, and Colorado after announcing 393 job cuts in Washington two months earlier.

Recent filings showed the largest reduction in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where T-Mobile said it would permanently lay off 200 employees at its Customer Delight Drive facility effective June 8, 2026. Local reports said the customer care center employs about 900 people. None of the affected employees is represented by a union.

In Austin, Texas, T-Mobile said it was winding down the accessibility relay function at its call center, affecting 75 employees, including relay specialists, managers, and bilingual support staff. The company cited “changing business needs” and said the estimated first day of separation was June 8.

In Denver, Colorado, T-Mobile said it was winding down its business sales care function, resulting in 51 layoffs at its Broadway office effective June 8. The company said the facility would remain open, but that department would close.

The cuts came as T-Mobile reported strong results. For the fourth quarter of 2025, the company posted $24.33 billion in revenue, up 11% from a year earlier, and $2.1 billion in net income. T-Mobile said it expected adjusted free cash flow of $18 billion to $18.7 billion in 2026.

The company also said it expected about $1.2 billion in cash outlays in 2026 for network optimization and workforce restructuring, falling to $1 billion in 2027.
Business

Tim Cook to step down as Apple CEO, Ternus named

Apple said the company now has a market value of $4 trillion and that its annual revenue more than quadrupled during Cook’s tenure.

Full story +

Apple said Monday that Tim Cook will step down as chief executive officer on Sept. 1 after leading the company since 2011. Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus will become CEO that day.

Cook will remain at Apple as executive chairman, and Ternus will join the board of directors. Arthur Levinson, Apple’s nonexecutive chairman for the past 15 years, will become lead independent director, also effective Sept. 1.

Cook succeeded Steve Jobs in 2011, six weeks before Jobs died of pancreatic cancer.

Cook joined Apple in 1998 after working at IBM, Intelligent Electronics, and Compaq. He was initially hired to improve Apple’s supply chain and later served as CEO during several of Jobs’ medical leaves in 2004, 2009, and 2011.

Apple credited Cook with building its services business to more than $100 billion a year and expanding its wearables category.
World

Australia, Japan announce $10B frigate deal

The agreement came as Japan expanded its defense export policy, easing long-standing restrictions tied to its post-World War II pacifist constitution.

Full story +

Australia will buy 11 Japanese-built Mogami-class frigates, with the first delivery expected in 2029, officials from both countries said Saturday, highlighting closer defense ties as both governments cite concerns about China’s military activities.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced the deal aboard the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force frigate JS Kumano in Melbourne.

The contract, worth up to $10 billion, calls for the first three ships to be built in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, according to Australian government statements.

The Australian navy said the 466-foot Mogami-class ships are designed for multirole operations and include a 32-cell vertical launch system, a range of up to 10,000 nautical miles, and the ability to operate an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter.

Marles said Australian sailors recently trained aboard the JS Kumano during naval exercises, according to an online transcript of his comments.

In a joint statement, Marles and Koizumi said they had discussed stability in the Indo-Pacific.

“We strongly opposed unlawful maritime claims, militarization of disputed features and other dangerous and coercive activities in the South China Sea,” the ministers said. “We expressed concern about instances of unsafe and unprofessional behavior by [China’s army] and its other maritime forces.”

They also reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Marles said closer cooperation between the two countries was important for regional security and called for fewer barriers between their defense industries. Koizumi said the agreement would help “to elevate our defense cooperation to a greater height.”
Middle East

Chinese carrier transits Taiwan Strait for first time since December

Days earlier the Japanese guided-missile destroyer JS Ikazuchi passed through the strait.

Full story +

China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning sailed through the Taiwan Strait this week, the first Chinese carrier transit there reported by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense since the Fujian made a similar trip in December.

Taiwan’s ministry announced the passage Monday in a brief statement on X, with an image of the Liaoning. Taiwan’s military “monitored the situation and responded,” it said.

The transit through the 110-mile-wide waterway between China and Taiwan came days after the Japanese guided-missile destroyer JS Ikazuchi passed through the strait. That was the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s fourth transit since June, according to Japan News.

The Ikazuchi made the trip on April 17, the anniversary of the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki, under which Japan forced China to cede Taiwan and recognize Korea’s independence, a date the South China Morning Post described in a Sunday commentary as “historically freighted” for China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun called Japan’s move a “dangerous plot of some in Japan to militarily intervene in the Taiwan Strait and undermine peace and stability there,” according to a transcript of a Friday news conference.

Beijing considers self-governed Taiwan a breakaway province that must be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. China also claims sovereignty over the Taiwan Strait.

The United States routinely sends warships, and less frequently aircraft, through the strait, which the Navy typically describes as routine transits between the East China Sea and South China Sea. U.S. allies also occasionally send warships and aircraft through the waterway.

The previous Chinese carrier transit was by the Fujian on Dec. 16, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense.

Taiwan also reports near-daily activity by Chinese aircraft and warships, including crossings of the strait’s unofficial median line and entries into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. Between 6 a.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday, Taiwan reported 24 aircraft sorties, seven warships, and one other ship in the area. Eleven aircraft crossed the median line.

On Friday, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said the activity was intended to “safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity” and was “completely legitimate, reasonable, and entirely justified,” according to state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Europe

NATO fuel pipeline strains Europe jet fuel supply

Europe imports about 30%-40% of its jet fuel, leaving airlines exposed to disruption tied to instability in the Middle East, especially around the Strait of Hormuz.

Full story +

Jet fuel supply across Europe is tightening as military-priority rules on a key NATO fuel network add to broader market pressure.

The focus is the Central Europe Pipeline System, a Cold War-era network that supplies military and civilian aviation fuel. Rising demand tied to defense operations has tightened commercial supply and raised the risk of flight disruptions and higher costs during the peak summer travel season.

A NATO spokesperson confirmed the system operates under a framework that allows military requirements to take precedence during periods of heightened demand. The alliance did not provide current allocation levels or say how much supply may be shifting from civilian use.

The network spans more than 5,000 kilometers and links refineries, storage depots, and major airports across Western Europe.

Airlines and industry groups said they are monitoring conditions closely. The International Air Transport Association said carriers are prepared to source fuel from alternate locations, adjust routes, or carry additional fuel if needed.

In an April 17 statement, IATA Director General Willie Walsh said supply constraints could begin affecting flights within weeks, calling the outlook “sobering” and raising the possibility of cancellations if shortages worsen.

Air France and KLM said they had not reported immediate shortages, but contingency planning was underway. Frankfurt Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol said they had not reported major disruptions and were coordinating with suppliers and carriers.
Military & National Security

Marine Corps to return Okinawa land by late fall

About 200 new housing units under construction in the northern Kishaba Housing area behind Zukeran Elementary School

Full story +

The Japan-U.S. Joint Committee on Thursday finalized an agreement for the Marine Corps to return about 12 acres in Camp Foster’s Kishaba Housing area to Okinawa, according to a news release from Japan’s Ministry of Defense.

The 2013 Consolidation Plan for Facilities and Areas in Okinawa identified the site as one of three on Camp Foster to be returned after Japan provides replacement facilities. The Kishaba area slated for return includes 32 housing units, according to the plan.

The Marine Corps estimated the land will be returned in late fall.
Military & National Security

U.S., allies begin Philippines combat exercises

The drills will include mock battle scenarios and live-fire maneuvers in areas facing the disputed South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait

Full story +

The United States and the Philippines began one of their largest annual combat exercises on Monday, expanding this year’s drills to include other militaries as tensions persist in the South China Sea.

More than 17,000 U.S. and Philippine military personnel will take part in the Balikatan, or shoulder-to-shoulder, exercise, which will run for nearly three weeks. The Philippine military said forces from Japan, France, and Canada, which have visiting forces agreements with Manila, will also participate.

Nearly 10,000 U.S. personnel will join the exercises, a deployment U.S. military officials said showed Washington’s commitment to Asia despite its focus on the war against Iran.

“Regardless of the challenges elsewhere in the world, the United States focus on the Indo-Pacific and our ironclad commitment to the Philippines remains unwavering,” Marine Lt. Gen. Christian Wortman said at the opening ceremony.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner said the exercises aimed to strengthen deterrence and resilience in the region. He did not name any country, but he has previously criticized China over its actions against Philippine navy and coast guard forces in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan also claim parts of the waterway, a major global trade route. Confrontations have increased in recent years between Chinese and Philippine forces.

China has objected to the U.S.-Philippine drills, saying they are meant to contain its rise. The Philippine military has said the exercises do not target any country and also help allied forces prepare for natural disasters.

The U.S. has repeatedly said it is obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Philippine forces come under armed attack in disputed waters.

“We remain guided by a shared commitment to uphold international law, to respect sovereignty and to contribute to a free and open Indo-Pacific where nations can thrive without coercion,” Brawner said.

Philippine Marine Col. Dennis Hernandez told The Associated Press that Japanese forces will fire missiles from Ilocos Norte in northwestern Philippines to help sink a mock enemy ship about 40 kilometers (25 miles) away on the edge of the South China Sea. U.S. forces will use a marine drone loaded with explosives to strike the same target, he said.

Last year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Philippine officials in Manila that the administration would work with allies to increase deterrence against threats, including China’s actions in the South China Sea.
Military & National Security

Navy tests LOCUST laser aboard carrier Bush

It appears to be the first time a laser weapon has been installed on a U.S. aircraft carrier.

Full story +

U.S. Navy photos released Monday showed an AeroVironment LOCUST laser counter-drone system tested aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush on Oct. 5, 2025.

Image captions said that, during a live-fire event, the LOCUST laser weapon system “effectively detected, tracked, engaged, and neutralized multiple unmanned aerial vehicles marking a milestone toward fielding operational directed energy capabilities.”

AeroVironment said the test was conducted with the Navy and the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office.

LOCUST uses a turreted laser with electro-optical and infrared cameras for targeting and tracking. It can also be cued by additional sensors, including small radars and passive radio-frequency detection systems. The system is generally understood to operate in the 20-kilowatt range, with a demonstrated 26-kilowatt version, making it suited to defeating small drones.

The Army had taken delivery of palletized, Joint Light Tactical Vehicle-based, and Infantry Squad Vehicle-based LOCUST systems by December 2025, and had deployed palletized versions overseas. The Marine Corps has also sought Joint Light Tactical Vehicle-based versions.

The Bush test also appeared to be the first known Navy evaluation of LOCUST for shipboard use. The service has pursued shipboard laser and microwave weapons for years as part of broader counter-drone defenses, including after operations in and around the Red Sea and against Iran highlighted the threat from uncrewed aircraft.

Palletized systems can be installed on ships with available deck space and power, and in this test, the system was secured to the flight deck. But laser weapons also face limits: A single laser can engage one target at a time, range and effectiveness can be reduced by weather and atmospheric conditions, and shipboard use adds challenges, including saltwater exposure, rough seas, cooling, and power demands.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said in January that expanding directed-energy use remained a goal. “This is my goal, if it’s in line of sight of a ship, that the first solution that we’re using is directed energy,” he said.
Health

Purdue sentencing clears path for opioid settlement

Purdue pleaded guilty in November 2020 to three federal criminal charges for actions that sparked an opioid crisis across the country.

Full story +

A judge is expected to sentence OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma on Tuesday to forfeit $225 million to the Justice Department, a step that would clear the way for a broader settlement over the company’s role in the opioid crisis to take effect.

The payment was part of a 2020 agreement resolving federal civil and criminal investigations. If approved, the government would not collect other penalties in exchange for Purdue settling thousands of lawsuits.

Another judge approved the broader settlement last year, and it could take effect May 1. It requires Sackler family members who own Purdue to pay up to $7 billion over 15 years to state, local, and Native American tribal governments, some individual victims, and others.

Purdue, based in Stamford, Connecticut, pleaded guilty in November 2020 to three federal criminal charges. The company admitted it lacked an effective program to prevent its prescription painkillers from being diverted to the black market after telling the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that it did.

Purdue also admitted it paid doctors through a speakers program to prescribe the drugs and paid an electronic medical records company to send doctors patient information that encouraged more opioid prescriptions.

Under the plea deal, the government agreed not to collect $5.3 billion in criminal forfeitures and fines and $2.8 billion in civil liabilities. Portions of that money are instead counted in the broader settlement, from which the federal government will receive a small share.

Under the settlement, Purdue would be replaced by a new company, Knoa Pharma, operated for the public benefit with a board appointed by states. Sackler family members would be protected from opioid-related lawsuits brought by those who accept the settlement.

Court filings show Purdue had paid more than $1 billion by the end of last year to law firms and other professionals involved in the case. Sackler family members received $10.7 billion in payments from Purdue from 2008 to 2018, but the company has not paid them since 2018, and the last family member left Purdue’s board in 2019.

More than 54,000 people with personal-injury claims against Purdue voted to accept the settlement, while 218 voted against it. Some victims and relatives opposed it, saying it fell short of accountability in a crisis linked to 900,000 U.S. deaths since 1999.
Tech & Artificial Intelligence

LayerZero cites North Korea in $290M crypto theft

North Korean hacking operations have become a major source of crypto theft in recent years. Last year, North Korean hackers stole more than $2 billion in cryptocurrency. Since 2017, the total linked to North Korea has reached about $6 billion.

Full story +

Hackers stole more than $290 million in cryptocurrency from Kelp DAO over the weekend, making it the largest crypto theft reported this year.

By Monday, LayerZero, one of the projects affected, said “preliminary indicators” pointed to North Korea, specifically the group known as TraderTraitor.

In a post on X, LayerZero said the attackers exploited Kelp DAO through its LayerZero bridge, which lets blockchains send instructions to each other. It said the attackers then took advantage of Kelp DAO’s security setup, which did not require multiple verifications before transactions were approved. LayerZero said that allowed the hackers to drain funds through fraudulent transactions.

Kelp DAO disputed that account and blamed LayerZero for the theft.

The theft surpassed an earlier hack at crypto exchange Drift in April that stole about $285 million.