New York

Happening Today: Powerball, James Comey, Roundup, CBD, Jussie Smollett, ‘Veep'

What to Know

  • A single ticket sold in Wisconsin matched all six numbers in the Powerball drawing to win the third-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history
  • A U.S. jury awarded $80 million in damages to a California man who blamed Roundup weed killer for his cancer
  • Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx denied she had any role in the decision to drop charges against 'Empire' actor Jussie Smollett

Get the top headlines of the day in your morning briefing from NBC 4 New York, Monday through Friday. Sign up for our newsletter here.

Winning $768M Powerball Ticket Sold in Wisconsin

A single ticket sold in Wisconsin matched all six numbers in the Powerball drawing to win the third-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history. Due to strong ticket sales, the jackpot climbed to an estimated $768.4 million at the time of the drawing with a cash option of $477 million. Powerball said the winning numbers are 16, 20, 37, 44, 62 and the Powerball number is 12. The $768.4 million is the third-largest behind the world record $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot shared by winners in California, Florida and Tennessee in January 2016, and the $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot won in South Carolina last October. Although the prize has grown steadily since the last jackpot winner on Dec. 26, the odds of matching the five white balls and single Powerball remain one in 292.2 million. The $768.4 million estimated figure refers to the annuity option, paid over 29 years. Nearly all grand prize winners opt for the cash prize, which for the drawing would be an estimated $477 million. Both prize options are before taxes. Seven tickets matched all five white balls, but missed matching the red Powerball in Wednesday's drawing to win a $1 million prize. Those tickets were sold in Arizona, two in California, Indiana, Missouri, New Jersey and New York. Two other tickets, sold in Kansas and Minnesota, matched all five white balls and doubled the prize to $2 million, because the tickets included the Power Play option for an additional $1.

Mueller Findings Show Trump Lied About FBI, James Comey Says

Former FBI Director James Comey, in his first television interview since special counsel Robert Mueller concluded his investigation, said the principal findings of the probe show President Trump's blistering criticism of the FBI were lies and his attempt to destroy the agency had failed. Comey, in an exclusive interview with NBC News, told "Nightly News" anchor Lester Holt that the release of Attorney General William Barr's summary of Mueller's investigation "establishes, I hope, to all people no matter where they are on the spectrum, that the FBI is not corrupt, not a nest of vipers, of spies, but an honest group of people trying to find out what is true."

Walgreens to Sell CBD Products in 1,500 Stores

Walgreens will sell CBD creams, patches and sprays in nearly 1,500 stores in select states, the company told CNBC. The drugstore chain will sell the cannabis-based products in Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vermont, South Carolina, Illinois and Indiana. Walgreens declined to specify which brands it would carry. “This product offering is in line with our efforts to provide a wider range of accessible health and wellbeing products and services to best meet the needs and preferences of our customers,” Walgreens spokesman Brian Faith said in an email to CNBC. Rival drugstore chain CVS introduced CBD-containing topicals, including creams and salves, to stores in eight states earlier in March. As the non-psychoactive cannabis compound becomes one of the hottest ingredients in consumer products, retailers are carefully evaluating the market. Consumers are increasingly curious about CBD, which promises to help everything from anxiety to pain even though there is scant evidence backing up these claims.

Man Awarded $80M in Lawsuit Claiming Roundup Causes Cancer

A U.S. jury awarded $80 million in damages to a California man who blamed Roundup weed killer for his cancer, in a case that his attorneys say could help determine the fate of hundreds of similar lawsuits. The six-person jury in San Francisco returned its verdict in favor of Edwin Hardeman, 70, who said he used Roundup products to treat poison oak, overgrowth and weeds on his San Francisco Bay Area property for years. The same jury previously found that Roundup was a substantial factor in Hardeman's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Agribusiness giant Monsanto says studies have established the active ingredient in its widely used weed killer, glyphosate, is safe. The company said it will appeal. A different jury in August awarded another man $289 million, but a judge later slashed it to $78 million. Monsanto has appealed. Hardeman's trial may be more significant than that case.

Embattled State's Attorney Denies Role in Dropping Smollett Charges

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx denied she had any role in the decision to drop charges against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett. Speaking in an interview with NBC, Foxx said she decided to recuse herself from the case a week before charges were filed so she could "ensure the public that I was operating transparently and clearly." Foxx recused herself from the case in February, with documents obtained earlier this month via Freedom of Information Act request showing that Foxx had asked Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson to turn the investigation over to the FBI. The documents also showed correspondence between Foxx, an unknown person and Tina Tchen, a one-time assistant to former President Barack Obama and Chief of Staff to Michelle Obama. Tchen said in a statement she knew members of the Smollett family from "prior work together." First Assistant State's Attorney Joseph Magats, who handled the case, said Foxx had nothing to do with the decision to drop charges, however.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Reveals Last Season Story Line of 'Veep'

Julia Louis-Dreyfus still had tears to shed as she said her official farewell to "Veep." The only problem is she forgot to bring tissues. Shooting wrapped for the series in December, but those tearful goodbyes were not enough as she and the cast of the HBO comedy series walked the red carpet for the last time. The multiple Emmy Award-winner, who plays politician Selina Meyer, shared what fans can expect from her character in the political comedy's seventh and last season. The final season of "Veep" premieres Sunday night on HBO. After the show's sixth season, Louis-Dreyfus announced that she had breast cancer. After a successful round of chemotherapy, she returned to the show.

Contact Us