Watching America’s most reputable public health organization become the target of lawsuits brought by the very physicians and states it is meant to assist is almost disorienting. The fact that the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, and fifteen state governments are suing the CDC rather than fringe organizations or political outliers illustrates how drastically things have changed in a short period of time. The legal dispute began in January when the CDC discreetly declared that it would no longer recommend seven childhood vaccines. Flu, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus, some meningitis protections, and RSV have been…
Author: Sierra Foster
Sierra Foster
Born in Kansas City, Sierra Foster writes about politics and serves as Senior Editor at kbsd6.com. She was raised paying attention to this city, not just living in it. Sierra has a strong, deep connection to Kansas City, from the neighborhoods east of Troost to the discussions that take place in the city hall halls. Sierra, who is presently enrolled at the University of Kansas to pursue a degree in Political Science, applies the rigor of academic study to her journalism. She writes about politics in Missouri and Kansas as someone who genuinely cares about what happens to the people in these communities—the policies that impact them, the leaders who represent them, and the civic forces influencing their futures—rather than as an outsider watching from a distance. Her editorial coverage encompasses state-level policy, local government, and the national political currents that permeate bi-state regional life. Whether it's a city council vote or a Senate race, she has a special gift for turning complex policy language into writing that feels urgent, relatable, and worthwhile. Sierra seldom sits still off the page. She claims that playing soccer on a regular basis has sharpened her instincts for political reporting because of the sport's teamwork, strategy, and requirement to read a changing game in real time. She's probably somewhere in Kansas City with her friends when she's not writing or on the pitch, discovering new reasons to adore a city she already knows so well.
A certain type of frustration develops gradually. Attracted by a marketing campaign that promises something truly novel, such as a smarter phone, a more capable assistant, or an AI that truly understands you, you enter a store or place an online order. The money is paid by you. The package shows up. Then, week after week, the promised feature just doesn’t show up. With Apple Intelligence, that is basically what took place. Apple placed a strong focus on artificial intelligence (AI) when it unveiled the iPhone 16 lineup in late 2024. This included an enhanced Siri that could function as…
It’s difficult to forget the scene Nate Quarry described outside a federal courthouse in Las Vegas. A federal judge ultimately approved a $375 million antitrust settlement between the UFC and more than a thousand of its former fighters after twelve years—twelve years—of depositions, appeals, setbacks, and a near-collapse of the entire case just a year earlier. Quarry reported that the room burst into cheers and embraces. As he described it, he acknowledged that he was still on the verge of tears. Veteran fighters cuddling in a courtroom hallway conveys a message that the court documents are unable to fully convey.…
A utility company requesting less money than it initially requested is almost uncommon. Rare, or more precisely, unusual. Xcel Energy anticipated a revenue increase of about $63 million when it first requested a rate increase for its Minnesota gas utility. After more than two months of negotiations, a much more subdued $37.8 million increase was the result. Less than $25 million. That gap did not close on its own. A back-and-forth between Xcel, the Minnesota Department of Commerce, the Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota, and the Suburban Rate Authority—a group that represents ratepayers in 29 metro areas—led to the recent…
There’s a good chance you’re sitting on an unclaimed payout and are unaware of it if you’ve used Cash App since 2018. Following allegations related to two distinct data security incidents, Block Inc., the parent company of Cash App, consented to a $15 million class action settlement. For most people, the sum won’t change their lives, but it’s real money, and there isn’t much time to claim it. When Block revealed in April 2022 that a former employee had gained unauthorized access to Cash App Investing account data, the problems began. About 8.2 million current and former users were impacted…
The Facebook privacy settlement hasn’t finished paying people nearly three years after the legal process began. On June 9, 2026, a second round of payments started to arrive in the bank accounts, PayPal balances, and prepaid debit cards of millions of users who had largely forgotten that this money was ever coming. Even though the backstory is now fairly well known, the specifics still have some significance when you consider them. A political data company had collected Facebook user data to create voter profiles without users’ knowledge or consent, according to the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal. A series of lawsuits…
A $39 million settlement over eyeglasses has a subtle significance. No explosions, no whistleblowers in parking garages—not the kind of lawsuit that makes headlines on cable news. Just ten years’ worth of clients who sat in a chair, had their eyes measured by an allegedly accurate digital system, and left with prescription lenses. For years, Ariza et al. v. Luxottica Retail North America revolved around the question of whether those lenses were as good as advertised. The AccuFit Digital Measurement System, a technology that LensCrafters and its parent company Luxottica marketed as a better way to customize eyewear fit and…
It doesn’t always make the front page when a small Mississippi town files a federal lawsuit against one of the biggest uniform and workplace services companies in the nation. However, the City of Laurel v. Cintas Settlement Fund is precisely the kind of case that subtly changes how public funds are handled and how businesses adhere to the terms of government contracts. The United States District Court for the District of Nevada, Northern Division, received the lawsuit, which was officially captioned City of Laurel, Mississippi et al. v. Cintas Corporation No. 2. Fundamentally, the case charged Cintas with overcharging public…
The beginning of this tale has an almost unremarkable quality. At a Trader Joe’s checkout, a customer swipes a card. A receipt is printed. They fold it, put it in their pockets, and possibly discard it. That’s all. However, that receipt allegedly violated the law in secret, according to a federal lawsuit. Almost six years later, a $7.4 million settlement is sitting in a fund, awaiting claimants to come forward before the Trader Joe’s class action deadline expires. The case focuses on a particular issue and a particular time frame, from March 5, 2019, to July 19, 2019. The first…
Every time a consumer swipes a credit card at the register, a tiny portion of the transaction silently and undetectably vanishes into the coffers of Visa, Mastercard, and their banking partners. Most customers are unaware. The majority of retailers never stop observing. A federal judge in Brooklyn granted preliminary approval to a revised $38 billion settlement between the two card giants and the merchants who have spent two decades claiming they were being overcharged last week, marking a significant turning point in the tension that has been simmering since at least 2005. The agreement was described by US District Judge…