Juul will pay $1.2 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits

[The Morning After]( Now available on your smart speaker and wherever you get your podcasts [Apple Podcasts]( | [Spotify]( | [Google Play]( | [iHeart Radio]( It's Monday, December 12, 2022. Juul has agreed to pay [$1.2 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits]( – including 8,500 personal injury cases. If you think that’s a huge amount for a relatively young company, it’s got substantial financial backing: [Marlboro owner, Altria]( invested $12.8 billion in Juul back in 2018. In 2018, Juul was the leader in the US e-cigarette market, but after a string of controversies, it slipped to second place behind Vuse. The US Food and Drug Administration ordered e-cigarette brands to stop selling flavored pods if they can't prove they can keep them out of minors' hands, and it attempted to [ban the sale of Juul items.]( Still, California sued Juul in 2019, accusing the company of targeting minors in the state, failing to verify the age of its customers and failing to warn users of their exposure to chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects. – Mat Smith The Morning After isn’t just a[newsletter]( – it’s also a daily podcast. Get our daily audio briefings, Monday through Friday, by[subscribing right here](. The biggest stories you might have missed - [The Biden administration may be working on an executive order to streamline space rules]( - [Hitting the Books: America might not exist if not for a pre-Revolution smallpox outbreak]( - [Recommended Reading: The 'Diablo IV' crunch]( - [The best laptops and tablets to give as holiday gifts in 2022]( - [Twitter Blue will relaunch on Monday with an $11 per month price tag on iOS]( - [You don't need a PS VR2 invite to pre-order direct from Sony]( - [US prosecutors are reportedly investigating FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried for fraud]( - [DJI's Mini 3 drone is cheaper, but more limited than the Pro model it's based on]( [NASA’s Artemis 1 Moon mission has returned to Earth]( The Orion crew vehicle landed in the Pacific Ocean. NASA's Artemis 1 mission has returned to Earth following a successful trip around the Moon. On Saturday, at approximately 12:40 PM ET, the uncrewed Orion vessel landed off the coast of Baja, California. Its almost 26-day journey included a new [spaceflight record]( and some [stunning photos of Earth's natural satellite](. [Continue reading.]( [A new self-driving tractor prototype has an electric motor]( Another tractor can run on manure gases. [[TMA] CNH]( CNH Industrial has unveiled what it says is the "first" electric light tractor prototype with self-driving features. The machine promises zero emissions, quieter operation than diesel models and, according to CNH, lower running costs. Sensors and cameras on the roof help the vehicle complete tasks, dodge obstacles and work in harmony with other equipment. You can even activate it from your phone. [Continue reading.]( [Engadget Podcast: AI chat and avatars dominated our socials this week]( Plus: This year in drones and action cams. This week, many of us saw our social media feeds taken over by colorful, surreal pictures of people we follow, except they don’t quite look like themselves. Lensa AI generated the imagesI, the latest in what feels like a now-annual trend to use a new app to create mockups of your face in various scenarios. This week’s Engadget Podcast discusses the fascination with them, and Engadget Editor-at-Large James Trew joins the team for a check-in on the state of action cameras. [Continue reading.]( [Chevy's first hybrid Corvette leaks ahead of summer 2023 arrival]( The E-Ray could pair a V8 with an electric motor to offer all-wheel drive. [[TMA] Chevy]( Fans on CorvetteBlogger and Corvette Forum discovered GM briefly made the 2024 Corvette E-Ray hybrid available through Chevy's online visualizer tool. The design combines the wide body of the C8 Z06 with the regular model's exhaust pipes. There are some new colors (Cacti green, anyone?) and model-specific wheels. The biggest changes, as you might guess, are in the engine. Images of the engine bay suggest the E-Ray will use the regular C8 Corvette's LT2 V8 engine. The absence of a charging port suggests this is a conventional hybrid rather than a plug-in. [Continue reading.]( [Gdgt Deals by StackCommerce: Find great deals on gadgets, software, services and more!]( The Morning After is a daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you'll miss if you don't [subscribe](. Now available on your smart speaker and wherever you get your podcasts: [Apple Podcasts]( | [Spotify]( | [Google Play]( | [iHeart Radio]( Craving even more? [Like us on Facebook]( or [follow us on Twitter](. Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? [Send us a note.]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you opted in at [engadget.com](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe from this newsletter.]( Copyright © 2022 Yahoo. All rights reserved.