Top Stories

• 3M Co. is pushing back against the Trump administration’s move to require it to prioritize orders for N95 respirators masks from the United States, saying the company is already maximizing its efforts to produce as many masks as possible and that the administration’s action could cause retaliation. In a statement, 3M said withholding supplies from workers in Canada and Latin America would have “significant humanitarian implications,” and inadvertently reduce the supply for the United States. (NPR News)

• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced he is opening the transfer of ventilators and medical supplies between medical facilities across the state, in an effort to get critical equipment to the facilities that need them most. Institutions on the giving end will be reimbursed for the equipment they share if it is not returned, as Cuomo estimates the state is within a week of running out of ventilators. (CNN)

• Altria Group Inc. pulled its electronic cigarette product from the market in October 2018 not because of public health concerns, but as a non-negotiable condition of investing in Juul Labs Inc., according to Federal Trade Commission officials investigating the $12.8 billion deal. According to the complaint, Altria told federal regulators it was shelving its products to protect children, but only exited the market on Juul’s insistence, allegations both companies deny. (Bloomberg)