Haircare products are supposed to do just that — care for your hair. So when consumers start reporting hair loss, balding, itching, and rash associated with using a certain product, the Food and Drug Administration is going to take those reports seriously. [More]
Government Policy
Cancer Centers Tripled Ad Spending In Last Decade; Are They Pushing Hope Or Hype?
By 7.18.16
If you watch cable TV — especially basic cable during the daytime — you’ve likely seen your share of heartwarming ads showing off cancer survivors who were saved from the brink by the handsome physicians and nurses at [Fill In The Blank] cancer treatment center. Over the last decade, direct-to-consumer marketing by cancer centers has soared, with much of that spending concentrated in the hands of about two dozen operators. However, some doctors are concerned that these ads aren’t selling patients on the reality, but on the experiences of a few rare cases. [More]
ConAgra Expands P.F. Chang’s Recall To Include 6 Additional Frozen Meals
By 7.18.16
After a long day, it can be nice to come home and grab a frozen meal from the fridge for a quick and easy dinner. If you’ve been stocking up on P.F. Chang’s frozen meals, you might want to double-check they aren’t included in a recently expanded recall of more than 195,000 pounds of frozen dinner product that may contain metal fragments. [More]
IKEA Recalls 80,000 Safety Gates & Extenders Over Fall Hazards
By 7.15.16
On the heels of its recall of 29 million dressers linked to three toddler deaths, IKEA announced this week that it would also call back 80,000 safety gates and safety gate extensions due to potential fall hazards.
Herbalife To Pay $200M To Members Who Lost Money; Must Change Business Model
By 7.15.16
Five months after Herbalife was reported to be working on a settlement to resolve a federal probe into its often controversial business practices – or what some people claim is a pyramid scheme – the company has agreed to restructure its business model and pay $200 million to consumers who purchased large quantities of its products and lost money. [More]
Senators Call For Inquiry Into Impact Of Airbnb & Other Short-Term Rentals On Affordable Housing
By 7.14.16
Short-term rental platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, and HomeAway are intended as a way to give travelers varied and interesting lodging options, while letting homeowners make a bit of money when they aren’t at home. However, a group of three senators are concerned that the affordable housing market is being squeezed by the increasing number of property owners cashing in on short-term rentals.
[More]
FCC Votes To Open Up Super-Speedy Airwaves For Future 5G Wireless Broadband
By 7.14.16
Boy, the future sounds great… at least according to the Federal Communications Commission. From medicine to manufacturing and music, the future’s got a level of autonomy and connected convenience that makes Star Trek look downright pedestrian. And it’s all down to policy that lets tech develop, of course — and so the FCC this morning voted unanimously to take the first step to open up new ultra-fast, super-speedy mobile broadband… for whenever it comes. [More]
What The Heck Is 5G Anyway, And Why Does It Matter?
By 7.13.16 — Updated: 2.22.17
Wireless companies like to throw around a lot of swanky-sounding terms to get you interested in their goods. The new hotness on everyone’s lips is 5G, which does not in fact exist yet. But it will, and the FCC today is going to vote on a proposal that will have a lot to do with getting it off the ground. So here’s everything you need to know about the future of your phone. [More]
For-Profit Educator Bridegepoint Education Under Investigation Over Federal Funding
By 7.13.16
Bridgepoint Education, the operator of for-profit colleges Ashford University and the University of the Rockies, added its name to the long list of higher education companies to find themselves on the receiving end of a federal investigation, as the Department of Justice has opened a probe into the organization’s federal student aid funding. [More]
FCC, Congress Go At It About Pretty Much Everything Once Again
By 7.12.16
The more the FCC actually tries to create or change regulations around communications companies, the more often chairman Tom Wheeler and the other four commissioners find themselves ordered to Capitol Hill for some kind of hearing. And so today in the continuing series, “The FCC And A Congressional Committee Argue With Each Other,” we learned more about privacy, set-top boxes, and zero-rating. [More]
Tesla Won’t Disable Autopilot Feature Amid NHTSA Investigation
By 7.12.16
Tesla’s Autopilot function isn’t going anywhere, company executives say, despite a recently launched federal safety investigation into what part the feature played in the first fatality crash to occur while the semi-autonomous function was activated, and a reported probe into whether Tesla properly informed its investors of the collision. [More]
IKEA Recalls 1.7 Million Topple-Prone Dressers In China After Media Frenzy
By 7.12.16
Swedish home-goods merchant IKEA is a global retailer, which unites all of humanity in having the exact same dressers in our bedrooms. While the Malm and other dressers that are especially prone to toppling over were recalled in the United States and Canada, the company sold the products in its stores all over the world, and they weren’t recalled in other markets, notably the European Union and or China. Now, after two weeks of state-controlled media fuss, IKEA in China has recalled the dressers. [More]
Tesla Probed By SEC Over Fatal Autopilot Crash
By 7.12.16
Nearly two weeks after Tesla announced the first fatal crash in one of the company’s electric vehicles while operating in semi-autonomous Autopilot mode, federal regulators are reportedly investigating whether the carmaker was forthright with offering information about the crash to investors. [More]
Rainbow Chip Cake, Carrot Cake, Blueberry Pancake Mix Recalled Due To Possible E. Coli-Laden Flour
By 7.11.16
The massive flour recall due to E. coli contamination at a General Mills flour plant has expanded, and has now reached the shelves of cake and pancake mixes. Potentially contaminated products include Krusteaz blueberry pancake mix, and Betty Crocker rainbow chip and carrot cake mixes. Yes, those Betty Crocker rainbow chips. [More]
Warner Bros. Paid Popular YouTubers To Post Positive Clips About Video Game
By 7.11.16
Being a “social media influencer” must be a pretty sweet deal: People send you free stuff, and pay you money just in the hopes that you’ll say nice things about their products. Problem is, those companies can get into trouble if the influencers don’t properly reveal that they were paid for their commentary. [More]
Here’s How AstraZeneca Is Trying To Block Generic Crestor For 7 More Years
By 7.8.16
How long should a drug company be allowed to be the exclusive manufacturer and seller of their product? Crestor, a best-selling statin (cholesterol-lowering drug) that has enjoyed exclusivity for the last 12 years, is due to lose that protection today. AstraZeneca, the maker of Crestor, is fighting that decision, hoping to squeeze a little more time as the drug’s exclusive manufacturer before generics hit the market. [More]
Safety Regulators Looking Into Brake Failure In 400K Harley Davidson Motorcycles
By 7.8.16
After receiving reports of three accidents resulting in two injuries, federal safety regulators have opened an investigation into possible brake failure in several Harley-Davidson motorcycle models. [More]
House Passes Bill Allowing Banks To Continue Using “Get Out Of Jail Free” Card
By 7.8.16
A few months back, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed new rules that would limit how banks, credit card companies, and other financial services could shield themselves from legitimate lawsuits by forcing customers to sign away their constitutional rights. Now, the House of Representatives has passed an appropriations bill that, if signed, would stop the CFPB from enforcing these rules and give banks back their “get out of jail free” cards. [More]
