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Consumer Protection
Johnson & Johnson announced that it will halt North American sales of its talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder, a product that for decades evoked images of cherubic infants and adoring moms, but in recent years has dragged the company into a quagmire of expensive litigation.
Warning Wire
With U.S. deaths from Covid-19 nearing 100,000, the toll has been greater in politically blue counties than in red, exacerbating differences in policy and ideology as political leaders chart a path to reopening the country. But with cases surging in some red counties across the country, the pattern may be changing.
Consumer Protection
The FDA has repeatedly urged expectant mothers to avoid medically unnecessary ultrasounds, like those performed for entertainment’s sake at keepsake ultrasound clinics. The situation reflects a misconception, even among some medical professionals, that repeated, long-term exposure is proven to be harmless to the developing fetus.
Public Health
In its attempted crackdown on bogus coronavirus remedies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has encountered an old nemesis: a “miracle” solution made of chlorine dioxide that experts say is akin to drinking bleach. But the Florida church peddling Miracle Mineral Solution, or MMS, as the chlorine dioxide drink is called, this week told the…
Environment
Western states and their mushrooming municipalities long have grappled with the twin concerns of rapid growth and dwindling water supplies. Now, in the midst of an historic megadrought predicted to last many more years, the issue has grown increasingly urgent.
Consumer Protection
This sounds too good to be true, was one of Brenda Ortiz’s first thoughts when a salesman showed up at her front door in Riverside County, California, in October 2018. He was with Vivint Solar, Ortiz recalled him saying, and
Environment
The ”Biodegradable” label can be a powerful draw for shoppers concerned about the future of the planet. But they might not be aware of a critical drawback: As biodegradable materials break down in a landfill, which is where they usually end up, they can release methane, a potent greenhouse gas with climate warming effects upwards of 30 times that of carbon dioxide.
Labor
Michele Gran used to warn her sons to be careful in the world. Then her worst nightmare came true.
Transportation Safety
U.S. transportation officials are seeking to speed deployment of driverless cars by easing certain safety standards, drawing strong protest from groups who say the move is premature because the safety of the technology is unproven.
Public Health
By the time Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California closed today — this time for real, sealing out even bikers and hikers — local residents were seething. The picturesque swath of desert east of Los Angeles had been overrun by visitors the weekend of March 21 – two days after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued…
Consumer Protection
The swindles have begun. As Americans struggle to cope with the spread of COVID-19, they will also need to brace themselves for “disaster fraud”—those cons that rely on post-catastrophe chaos to separate people from their money.
Consumer Protection
An environmental advocacy group is out today with its annual report on pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables. Raisin lovers, take note.
Nearly all conventionally-grown raisins have traces of two or more pesticides, according to government test data cited in a new report. That’s worrisome, says the environmental group that authored the report, because raisins are such a popular children’s snack.
Public Health
Americans are being told to limit public interactions during the coronavirus pandemic, and to stay at home as much as possible. They’re also being told not to denude grocery shelves by hoarding food and other essentials. But have these messages at times been contradictory? If people are supposed to avoid venturing out in public, including…
Consumer Protection
Con artists are cashing in on America’s clean energy revolution, tricking investors with bogus projects and empty promises.
Environment 
Public Health 
Consumer Protection Editor's note: See update at end of story.
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