Volkswagen Fraud, Undercover Uber, and Johnson & Johnson Under Fire

Volkswagen’s CEO has apologized after news that the German automaker has been deliberately cheating on smog tests. Since 2009, nearly 500,000 diesel-powered Audis and Volkswagens were pre-installed with illegal software known as “defeat devices.” The software detects when the car is in for smog testing, and only then do emissions control systems kick in that allow the car to pass the test. But on the open road, the cars produce up to 40 times as much pollution as allowed by the Clean Air Act.

Then, in 1994, Johnson & Johnson started selling an anti-psychotic drug called Risperdal. The FDA approved it for adults with schizophrenia, but it expressly forbade Johnson & Johnson from marketing Risperdal to treat children and the elderly—there were too many dangerous side effects. Nevertheless, for more than a decade, that’s exactly what Johnson & Johnson did. And despite government sanctions for its behavior, and thousands of lawsuits, the company made billions in profits.

Next, a look at Paxil. A new study says it is not safe or effective for teenagers.

And Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez spent a day as an Uber driver and wrote about it in his latest piece. Finally, we round up the Emmys.

Banner Image Credit: Josh Garrett