World News: Capping the cost of insulin

Wednesday, March 1

A drugmaker has capped the cost of its insulin after pressure from the government. Rescue crews were at work after a head-on train collision in Greece. And the U.S. attorney general faced questions from lawmakers about what the Justice Department is doing to fight the fentanyl crisis.

👋 Hello! It's Laura Davis. The week is halfway over! And it's time for Wednesday's news.

But first, a historically buggy discovery. During a routine trip to Walmart, a university scientist picked a giant bug off the side of the building and took it home. Little did he know, nearly a decade later, he'd learn the giant flying bug was a "super-rare" Jurassic-era insect.

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Eli Lilly slashes prices on insulin

Eli Lilly and Co. said it will cut prices of its most commonly prescribed insulins up to 70% and expand a program that limits out-of-pocket costs for some consumers. The move comes as lawmakers and advocates have pressured drugmakers and insurers to improve affordability of the lifesaving medication. A study last year found more than 1.3 million American adults skipped, delayed buying or rationed doses of insulin because of the cost. Keep reading for more details.

Boxes of BASAGLAR a prefilled insulin KwikPen from manufacturer Eli Lilly seen at a home in Georgia. Eli Lilly said Wednesday it would cut the price of insulin, capping the monthly out-of-pocket cost of the lifesaving drug at $35.

John David Mercer, USA TODAY Network

38 dead, rail worker arrested after head-on train crash in Greece

As rescue crews worked to untangle the wreckage, the death toll rose to at least 38 and a railroad worker was arrested Wednesday after a fiery head-on collision of two trains in northern Greece. A passenger train was carrying more than 300 people, including many university students, when it hit an oncoming freight train at a high speed. A survivor described chaos amid dangling cables, broken windows and flames – "people screaming, people trapped." More than 80 people were injured, and the Greek government declared three days of national mourning. Keep reading.

•	How did Greece train crash happen? See aerial photos and a map of the fiery collision.

Firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. A train carrying hundreds of passengers has collided with an oncoming freight train in northern Greece, killing and injuring dozens passengers.

Firefighters and rescuers operate after a train collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023.

AP Photo/Vaggelis Kousioras

What everyone's talking about

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Attorney general: Fentanyl 'unleashed' by Mexican cartels

During a sometimes-contentious hearing, Attorney General Merrick Garland acknowledged Wednesday that current anti-drug policies have been unable to halt the flow of fentanyl that has contributed to record overdose deaths. Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee the drug problem is a "horrible epidemic unleashed on purpose" by criminal cartels based in Mexico. He pushed back on criticism of the federal response and said the Justice Department is treating the problem with "enormous urgency." More from the hearing.

•	'No family is immune': As Congress debates fentanyl, mothers share their grief at hearings.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 28: Rebecca Kiessling, a mother from Michigan who lost two sons to fentanyl poisoning, wipes away tears during a House Homeland Security Committee about the U.S-Mexico border on Capitol Hill February 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. This is the committee's first hearing on border security since the Republicans took control of the House.

Rebecca Kiessling, a mother from Michigan who lost two sons to fentanyl poisoning, wipes away tears during a House Homeland Security Committee about the U.S-Mexico border on Capitol Hill February 28, 2023.

Drew Angerer, Getty Images

Closing arguments begin in Murdaugh murder trial

After listening to more than five weeks of testimony from over 70 witnesses – including the suspect himself – attorneys began closing arguments Wednesday in the double murder trial of former South Carolina attorney Richard "Alex" Murdaugh. Murdaugh, part of a South Carolina legal dynasty, was charged with murdering his wife, Maggie, and son Paul. He has pleaded not guilty. After the shootings in June 2021, police launched investigations into two other deaths connected to Murdaugh and suspected crimes dating back more than a decade. Read our latest coverage from the trial.

Alex Murdaugh enters the courtroom before closing arguments begin in his trial for murder at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C. on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.

Joshua Boucher, AP

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A break from the news

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•	He officiated at J.Lo and Ben Affleck's wedding. Now, Jay Shetty is sharing love advice with the rest of us.

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com or follow along with her adventures – and misadventures – on Twitter. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

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