The election is next week and while some might argue it’s a sporting event — the rounds of debate sparring, the marathon-like campaign stops — it’s not. So, if you were planning on betting for one side or the other, you might want to think again: Vegas doesn’t want your bet. [More]
Government Policy
Generic Drug Companies Could Soon Face Criminal Price-Collusion Charges
By 11.4.16
The pharmaceuticals industry has come under heavy scrutiny in recent years for soaring prices, though much of the attention has focused on name-brand drugs with no or minimal competition. However, multiple news reports now claim that some generic drug companies could soon face federal criminal charges over allegations that they colluded on price. [More]
Court Says Ballot Selfies Are Illegal In New York, At Least For This Election
By 11.4.16
Weeks after one federal appeals court ruled that New Hampshire’s ban on photos inside the voting booth is unconstitutional, a federal district court judge in New York state has come to a different conclusion about that state’s prohibition against sharing photos of your ballot. [More]
8 Things We Learned About Allegiant’s History Of Scary Midair Mechanical Failures
By 11.3.16 — Updated: 11.4.16
When you book a ticket on a discount airline, you might expect no-frills service in the cabin, but you don’t expect to be getting on a plane that’s any less safe than the more expensive competition. Yet after complaints from pilots and increased scrutiny from the FAA, the Tampa Bay Times crunched a lot of data and figured out that yes, Allegiant’s planes fail more than the U.S. average. [More]
Wells Fargo Under Investigation For Lying To Investors About Sales Practices
By 11.3.16
The Wells Fargo fake account fiasco continues to draw the attention of regulators who, just like the bank’s executives, somehow spent years not noticing that Wells Fargo employees were opening up bogus accounts to meet strict sales goals. This morning, the bank confirmed a Security and Exchange Commission probe related to this chicanery. [More]
DOJ Sues DirecTV Over Blackout Of SportsNet LA
By 11.2.16
The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against DirecTV, alleging that the nation’s largest satellite TV provider illegally shared non-public information with other pay-TV companies about their negotiations to carry SportsNet LA, the only cable channel in Los Angeles to air most Dodgers games. [More]
Feds Go After “Massive, Illegal” Debt-Collection Operation
By and 11.2.16 — Updated: 11.4.16
A large, nationwide debt-collection operation that allegedly brought in tens of millions of dollars through illegal means — like impersonating law-enforcement officers, or threatening arrest for non-payment — is the target of a joint legal action by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the New York state attorney general. [More]
Nutella’s Makers Want To Convince FDA That Chocolate Spread Isn’t Just For Dessert
By 11.2.16
When you think of sweet, hazelnut chocolate spread, are you imagining eating it for breakfast or for dessert? If you’re in the latter camp, you agree with the current stance of federal regulators. The makers of Nutella are now trying to make the case, however, that the spread should be considered more of a breakfast item. [More]
Why The Supreme Court Suddenly Cares About Cheerleader Uniforms
By 11.1.16 — Updated: 3.22.17
When you strip off the logos from your typical cheerleader’s uniform — especially in high school and college — you’re left with something that is still distinctly an outfit meant for a cheerleader. But can a uniform manufacturer copyright that basic uniform design? It’s a question currently before the U.S. Supreme Court, and one whose answer could have far-reaching implications. [More]
A Weird Way To Celebrate Halloween: Nabbing Gas From NJ Before Prices Go Up
By 11.1.16
A $0.23 tax hike per gallon of gasoline is finally happening in New Jersey today, and that meant a weird form of adult trick-or-treating took place last night: people from other states — okay, pretty much just New York — rushed over the border to get their last cheap fill-up before the higher tax went into effect. [More]
Senator Concerned AT&T/Time Warner Merger May Create Net Neutrality Violations
By 11.1.16
Well, that didn’t take long: Although the formal paperwork to make the AT&T / Time Warner merger happen hasn’t yet been filed anywhere for review and approval, several lawmakers have already been out in front of it voicing their sternest disapproval. Joining the club today? Sen. Ron Wyden (OR), who’s asking the FCC to please think of net neutrality, and consumers, when it comes time for merger review. [More]
FCC: No, Our Rules Are Not An Excuse For AT&T To Block Google Fiber In Louisville
By 11.1.16
Despite recently putting many Fiber plans on hold, there’s still a decent chance Google might bring its high-speed internet service to Louisville. And where there’s the possibility of competition, lawsuits arrive to stop it. Some of those complaints invoke the FCC, but the Commission has now chimed in — and it’s saying, basically: Hey, not so fast! Leave us out of this; you’re on your own. [More]
Some Student Loan Borrowers Improperly Denied Payment Assistance
By 11.1.16
Each year, more than five million student loan borrowers are better able to manage their debts thanks in part to government-based loan repayment plans. But yet another report has found that not all students qualified to participate in these income-driven repayment plans are able to, though at no fault of their own. [More]
The Consumerist Guide To Your 2016 Ballot Initiatives
By 11.1.16 — Updated: 11.2.16
We’re almost there: at long last, after one of the frankly just-plain weirdest years of news most of us can remember, Election Day is finally drawing nigh nationwide. And while the candidates at the top of the ticket have definitely captured most of the metaphorical air in the national room, there’s far more than just that at stake this year for most voters.
In addition to selecting candidates for dozens of federal, state, and local offices, voters have a wide array of state and local ballot initiatives to choose from this year. Many of those directly address major consumer issues of many kinds. So we’re helping you break those down, with a state-by-state guide. [More]
Supreme Court Asks Feds To Chime In On Decade-Old “Dancing Baby” YouTube Case
By 10.31.16
A nearly decade-long copyright dispute over a silly YouTube video of a baby dancing to a barely audible Prince song continues, with the U.S. Supreme Court now asking for the federal government to give its thoughts on the matter. [More]
Is Migraine Relief Worth $83 Per Pill To You?
By 10.31.16
While you might pay any amount of money for relief in the middle of a migraine headache, patients and insurance companies alike have their ceilings. That’s why it’s a problem when drug companies take old components and combine them into a “new” drug that isn’t so new at all… if you had just bought those pills separately. [More]
More States Legalizing Pot Could Force Feds To Do Something About Bank Access
By 10.31.16
Operating a store selling a product that’s legal in your state but illegal on the federal level creates a unique business challenge: running a business without being allowed to use banks. Yet ballot initiatives on Election Day, just over a week from today, could make recreational or medical cannabis legal for recreational or medical use in 34 states, and for both in populous states like California and Massachusetts. Could this push the feds to do something about the banking situation? [More]
Should Police Need A Warrant To Obtain Your Cellphone Location Data?
By 10.28.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
On TV and in the movies, when the police want location information on a suspect’s cellphone, the world-weary detectives just mosey into the office of a wireless company and bully/sweet-talk the receptionist into handing over this information by saying things like “You don’t want us to have to wait here while we get a warrant, do you?” In the real world, it’s not that simple, and the question of whether or not an actual warrant is needed has yet to be resolved. [More]
