Canada

Low air quality levels prompted health advisories after smoke from wildfires in Canada blew into the Southeast. The air quality is forecast to improve Wednesday.

The state alleges the federal agency violated the Freedom of Information Act. The revised lawsuit includes allegations that the FDA did not properly respond to a records request submitted in May.

A Canada Senate report last year concluded “this horrific practice is not confined to the past, but clearly is continuing today.” In May, a doctor was penalized for forcibly sterilizing an Indigenous woman in 2019.

The judge issued an order granting the FDA's request for a stay and noting that a trial is scheduled in November.

The National Weather Service said air quality has "plummeted" across the Northeast. A disaster preparedness expert says people should take the warnings seriously.

The warnings — in English and French — include "poison in every puff,” “tobacco smoke harms children” and “cigarettes cause impotence.”

The FDA has long blocked the importation of cheap medicine, agreeing with pharmaceutical manufacturers that it opens the door to opioids. The agency’s own data shows that rarely happens.

Colorado, New Hampshire and New Mexico are also seeking federal permission to import cost-lowering prescription drugs from Canada. President Joe Biden endorsed the approach in his 2020 campaign but has yet to approve any state plan.

The Biden administration denies the state's allegations that it is "protecting the interests of pharmaceutical companies" or that it has not properly complied with a public records request.