DoJ sues to block UnitedHealth deal

The Justice Department is suing to block UnitedHealth Group’s $3.3 billion purchase of Amedisys, citing concerns the combination would hinder access to home health and hospice services in the U.S.

The antitrust complaint was filed in Maryland federal court Tuesday. In a statement, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the government is challenging UnitedHealth and Amedisys’ proposed merger because “patients and their families experiencing some of the most difficult moments of their lives deserve affordable, high quality care options.”

The suit follows UnitedHealth’s acquisition of LHC Group Inc., another home health and hospice provider. Since that transaction’s completion last year, the Justice Department said, UnitedHealth and Amedisys have emerged as the two largest providers of home health and hospice care in the country.

Four states’ attorneys general — from Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey and New York — are joining the Justice Department in the antitrust complaint.

Apple nearing launch of home AI device

Apple, aiming to catch up with rivals in the smart home market, is nearing the launch of a new product category: a wall-mounted display that can control appliances, handle videoconferencing and use AI to navigate apps.

The company is gearing up to announce the device as early as March and will position it as a command center for the home, Bloomberg reported.

The product, code-named J490, also will spotlight the new Apple Intelligence AI platform, unnamed sources told Bloomberg.

Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has made the device a priority for the company’s engineering and design departments, and is pushing to get it to market after more than three years of development.

The device has a roughly 6-inch screen and looks like a square iPad. It’s about the size of two iPhones side by side, with a thick edge around the display. There’s also a camera at the top front, a rechargeable built-in battery and internal speakers. Apple plans to offer it in silver and black options.

23andMe cuts 40% of its workforce

23andMe is laying off 40% of its workforce, or more than 200 employees, and discontinuing its therapeutics division as the struggling genetic testing company attempts to slash costs.

The company on Monday said it plans to wind down ongoing clinical trials “as quickly as practical” and that it was evaluating “strategic alternatives” for assets related to its drug development and research programs, which include studies on potential cancer treatments.

In a prepared statement, 23andMe CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki said the company was “taking these difficult but necessary actions” as it focuses on “the long-term success of our core consumer business and research partnerships.”

San diego to get Nonstop to Amsterdam

Starting in May, San Diego’s international airport will get its third nonstop to a major European destination — Amsterdam.

Operating the three-times-a-week flight between San Diego and Amsterdam will be KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, beginning May 8.

The new route, announced Tuesday, marks San Diego’s first new nonstop to Europe in two years. Lufthansa Airlines offers a daily flight to Munich, and British Airways flies twice a day between San Diego and London. KLM becomes the seventh international airline to offer service from San Diego.

Compiled from Bloomberg, Associated Press and San Diego Union-Tribune reports.