CONSUMER CATCH-UP: REAL ID deadline extended, Anthem and Attorney General reach $8.69 million settlement, Subway bread ruling

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- As original RealID deadline passes, Californians have an extra year to apply for new identification cards

Thursday would have been the start date for needing a REAL ID, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, that date has been pushed back a year.

New federal law requires more stringent identity-verification documentation when applying for an identification card that would allow the bearer to board a plane or enter a federal building. Regular drivers licenses would no longer be sufficient, and secondary forms of ID could be required.

The original start date for needing a REAL ID was October 1, 2020, but the government decided in March to push the date back to October 1, 2021. To apply for a REAL ID, applicants must visit a DMV office in person with specific documentation. Because of anticipated high demand for the new IDs, the DMV recommends applicants wait until their "regular renewal cycle" to apply.

A spokesperson for the California DMV said: "The REAL ID enforcement date is now set for October 1, 2021. DMV encourages customers to complete the online application and upload their required documents before they visit a field office. The application can be found at REALID.dmv.ca.gov."

California Attorney General announces settlement with Anthem over 2014 data breach

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced a $8.69 million settlement against health insurance provider Anthem for violations of consumer protections stemming from a 2014 data breach.

"When consumers must disclose confidential personal information to health insurers, these companies owe their customers the duty to protect their private data," said Attorney General Becerra. "Consumers are left with little choice but to trust that their personal health information will be safe and secure. Anthem failed in that duty to its customers."

The data breach, which occurred in 2014 and was publicly announced in 2015, affected 78 million consumers, including over 13.5 million Californians. Hackers were able to gain access to Anthem's systems and "consumers' names, addresses, email addresses, Social Security numbers, healthcare identification numbers, and dates of birth."

In addition to the monetary settlement, Anthem is required to "make changes to its information security program and remedy the vulnerabilities that permitted the data breach."

Subway's bread too sugary to be bread, Irish court rules

The bread used in sandwiches at Subway stores doesn't count as bread, according to the Irish Supreme Court -- at least, not when it comes to taxes in that country.

An Irish franchisee brought the case to court, claiming that bread is a "staple food" and should therefore be exempt from the country's value-added tax.

The court disagreed, ruling that Subway's bread has so much sugar in it that it doesn't qualify as bread, and should be considered a "confectionary or fancy baked good." In fact, Subway's bread has five times more sugar than is allowed by Irish tax laws.

"Subway's bread is, of course, bread," Subway said in a statement given to ABC News. "We have been baking fresh bread in our stores for more than three decades and our guests return each day for sandwiches made on bread that smells as good as it tastes."

Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.