The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a major first today, approving Truvada, a drug intended to prevent HIV infections for people at high-risk of contracting it. It’s the first pill approved to reduce the likelihood of getting HIV for people having sex with infected individuals. [More]
Government Policy
Large Credit Reporting Companies Will Now Be Under The CFPB’s Watchful Eye
By 7.16.12
The 30 largest credit reporting companies are about to have a brand new babysitter on the case — the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says it will be begin to supervise those companies starting this fall. Together, they account for 94% of the market’s annual receipts. [More]
Shortages Force Paramedics To Use Expired Drugs
By 7.13.12
Many of us have probably popped a pill or two that we knew had passed its expiration date. But when you get medical care from professionals, there is usually the expectation that you’re getting the freshest stuff available. But a conspiracy of conditions has led to some emergency responders stocking their ambulances with out-of-date drugs. [More]
Residents Cook Hot Dogs In Front Of Borough Hall To Protest Town’s Grilling Ban
By 7.13.12
If you live in Bellevue, PA, and want to do some grilling outside this summer, you’d better have a deep backyard, as a recently passed ordinance bans the use of grills within five feet of a house, porch or any other combustible material. Unhappy with the new rules, a few hundred people decided to have a wienie roast outside Bellevue Borough Hall yesterday. [More]
TripAdvisor Smacked With $80K Fine For Violating Fare Advertising Rule
By 7.13.12
TripAdvisor has fallen afoul of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s rule about fare advertising, resulting in a fine of $80,000. The rule went into effect in January, and stated that ticket agents and airlines must display fares as the total of what a consumer will pay, taxes and fees included. [More]
FTC Warns About Scam Tied To Affordable Care Act
By 7.13.12
It’s barely been two weeks since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the most controversial portion of the Affordable Care Act, and scammers have already been busy on the phone trying to steal folks’ money by pretending they work for the government and need your sensitive, personal information. [More]
July Recall Roundup – Twist’n Explode
By 7.13.12
In this month’s Recall Roundup: electronics short out and catch fire, little girls’ aqua shoes don’t grip as well as one might think, digital camera battery packs bite back, and someone thought that “Twist’n Sparkle” was a good product name. More like “Twist’n Explode.” [More]
Federal Judge Revokes Bail Of Bullying Eyeglass Vendor
By 7.13.12
Threatening to stalk, rape, mutilate, and kill your customers over a $150 chargeback is not a sustainable business model. We could have told you that, but it took a New York Times investigation, a Google algorithm change, and federal prosecution to stop the Brooklyn entrepreneur who built his eyewear business on the idea that online, there is no such thing as bad publicity. He allegedly sent out counterfeit designer eyewear, or no merchandise at all, then harassed and threatened customers who wanted their money back. When customers complained online, it boosted the profile of his brand. Now a federal judge has revoked the man’s bail ahead of sentencing after listening to testimony from some of those customers. [More]
USDA Declares Natural Disaster Situations In 26 States Hit By Drought
By 7.12.12
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared a state of natural disaster in more than 1,000 counties spread across 26 states, as drought and fires have hit the country hard this season. That covers about a third of all the farmers in the country. [More]
Duke Energy Kicks Out New CEO After 20 Minutes, Pays Him $45 Million
By 7.12.12
Two weeks ago, regulators approved the merger of two utility companies, Duke Energy and Progress Energy, both based in North Carolina. The merger of smaller Progress with larger Duke created the largest electric utility in the United States. Progress Energy CEO Bill Johnson was approved as CEO of the merged company. It was all very corporate and mundane until the corporate intrigue started. Johnson was on the job for about twenty minutes before board members from the Duke side asked for his resignation, replacing him with Duke CEO Jim Rogers. Not that there’s any need to cry for Johnson: he’ll get $45 million for that twenty minutes of work, and for keeping his trap shut about why he was ousted. [More]
Petition Calls On White House To Require TSA To Seek Public Comment On Full-Body Scanners
By 7.11.12
Almost exactly a year ago, a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the Transportation Security Administration had, in its rush to roll out full-body scanners at airports, broken its own rules by not publishing the policy in the Federal Register and allowing the public to comment on it before putting it into action. At the time, the court expected the TSA to “act promptly” and seek public comment. It hasn’t done so, and now a new petition seeks to have the White House require the TSA to do so. [More]
SF Muni Workers Don’t Know Their Own Rules, Fine Man $100 For Being $.05 Short
By 7.11.12
While many public transit systems have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to having the required fare, San Francisco commuters who use the Clipper Card system to pay for their Muni bus and rail rides can actually complete their trip; the uncollected fare will just be subtracted the next time the user adds money to their card. Unfortunately for one man, no one at Muni seems to know this, and he’s now out $125. [More]
You Probably Didn’t Give That Robocaller Permission To Call You
By 7.11.12
Until a few years ago, businesses only needed a tenuous “established business relationship” in order to justify blasting out pre-recorded phone messages to consumers. Even though it’s now required that robocallers get a signed authorization before autodialing your number, many are not following these rules. [More]
Will States Eventually Opt In To Medicaid Expansion?
By 7.11.12
With several states’ governors already saying they will opt out of the Medicaid expansion intended to bring health care to millions of currently uninsured Americans, some are calling it the death knell for this portion of the Affordable Care Act. But others say that the federal subsidies will be too tempting, and that it’s just a matter of time until these states decide to take part in the program. [More]
Woman Sues Porn Companies For Threatening To Sue Her Over Alleged Illegal Downloads
By 7.10.12
During the years when the music and movie business began going after people for allegedly downloading copyrighted files, the porn industry did very little, claiming it didn’t have the resources to wage large-scale legal battles. But then someone realized there was money to be made in just threatening people with legal action, and a slew of lawsuits followed. Though many people, even those who claim they are innocent, have just paid up to avoid having their peccadilloes made public, one woman has fired back with a suit of her own. [More]
Do We Still Need Fee-Disclosure Placards On ATMs?
By 7.10.12
Back in 1999, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act began requiring that ATMs provide two separate disclosures of associated fees — one on the ATM screen before the transaction is confirmed and a second placard placed in a conspicuous location on the ATM itself. Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed an amendment to the EFTA that would eliminate the placard requirement. [More]
FTC Says Calling Card Operation Only Delivers Fraction Of Promised Minutes
By 7.9.12
Back in May, our cohorts at Consumer Reports found that calling cards — especially those aimed at immigrants and intended for making international calls — were often loaded with fees and didn’t always deliver on the minutes they promised. Now, the folks at the Federal Trade Commission have taken action against the operators of one particular calling card that only provided an average of 40% of the promised minutes — and sometimes only a fraction of that. [More]
Texas Governor Says No To Medicaid Expansion
By 7.9.12
Last week, while states like Florida and South Carolina were stating their intentions to opt out of the portion of the Affordable Care Act that expands Medicaid coverage to millions of Americans, Texas — where approximately 2 million currently uninsured residents would have been eligible for coverage. remained oddly quiet on the matter. That is, until Governor Rick Perry declared his intention this morning. [More]
