Current Events in May 2019

CVS is closing 46 of its retail drug stores in the U.S., part of a move by the company to eliminate underperforming stores.

This company announced the move as it reported first-quarter earnings this week and said business is still good. The closings represent a tiny percentage of the retail pharmacy chain’s nearly 10,000 locations.

"During the three months ended March 31, 2019, the company performed a review of its retail stores and determined it would close 46 underperforming retail pharmacy stores during the second quarter of 2019," CVS said in a statement.

CVS CEO Larry Merlo said the company had a strong first quarter, representing a good start to the year after it joined forces with a health insurance company.

"Following the close of our Aetna acquisition in late November, our first full quarter of combined operations was a success in many ways,” Merlo said. “In the quarter we continued to advance our integration efforts while beginning to launch new innovations.

Concept stores

As part of its combination with Aetna, a health benefits provider, CVS is planning to open concept stores with “improved health services and lower costs.”

The concept stores will focus on the management of chronic conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease. The company may also look to add more services at its MinuteClinics to help identify and manage chronic diseases.

The number of retail store closings is increasing, but not necessarily because of weakness in the companies operating them. The continued shift to e-commerce shopping has reduced the need for as many brick and mortar locations.

In a note to clients last month, UBS predicted 75,000 more U.S. retail stores would close their doors, saying online channels such as Amazon are expected to grow their share of the retail sales pie from its current 16 percent to 25 percent by 2026. If that happens, as expected, it would force the closing of 75,000 retail stores.

Analysts at UBS were quick to admit that brick and mortar retailers upped their game last year, but they said the pace of productivity will be hard to sustain throughout 2019.

“This will likely lead to an acceleration in physical store closures in the upcoming year,” the analysts wrote.

The retail firms that have closed stores recently include Sears, Payless, and JC Penney.

The price of gasoline appears to have stabilized in the last week, with only minimal increases in most states and a slight decline in others.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the national average price of regular gas is $2.89 a gallon, just a penny more than seven days ago. The average price is only a few cents more than at this time last year. The average price of premium is $3.45 a gallon, two cents more than last week. The average price of diesel fuel is $3.10 a gallon, just a penny higher than seven days ago.

The unexpected stability in prices at the pump comes just a week after the U.S. withdrew waivers for countries to import Iranian oil, a move that reduced the world supply of oil and sent crude prices higher.

“Compared to the beginning of this year, motorists have definitely felt an increasing squeeze on their wallets at the pump,” said Jeanette Casselano, a AAA spokesperson. “These increases mean Americans are having to work more to afford to fill up their gas tanks.”

But a huge spike in crude oil inventories in the previous week probably had a moderating effect on pump prices this week. The Energy Information Administration reports oil supplies rose to 470.6 million barrels, nearly 35 million barrels more than at this time last year.

AAA says growing domestic crude stocks could play a role in helping to keep gas prices low this summer, since crude comprises roughly 50 percent of the cost consumers pay for fuel.

The states with the most expensive regular gas

These states currently have the highest prices for regular gas, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Survey:

• California ($4.09)

• Hawaii ($3.64)

• Washington ($3.52)

• Oregon ($3.41)

• Nevada ($3.46)

• Alaska ($3.41)

• Arizona ($3.14)

• Pennsylvania ($3.05)

• Utah ($3.06)

• Idaho ($3.07)

The states with the cheapest regular gas

The survey found these states currently have the lowest prices for regular gas:

• Alabama ($2.51)

• Mississippi ($2.53)

• Louisiana ($2.54)

• South Carolina ($2.55)

• Arkansas ($2.56)

• Missouri ($2.58)

• Oklahoma ($2.61)

• Tennessee ($2.61)

• Texas ($2.62)

• Virginia ($2.64)

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling eight model year 2019 Tiguan LWBs.

The tire information label contains inaccurate tire dimension and inflation pressure specifications.

The incorrect specifications can result in improper tire inflation or to installing a tire of the wrong size on the vehicle. Either of these situations can increase the risk of a vehicle crash.

What to do

Volkswagen has notified owners, and dealers will install a corrected tire information label free of charge.

The recall began April 16, 2019.

Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 01D2.

FeedingChange Canada is recalling Feeding Change brand Young Thai Coconut Meat.

The product may be contaminated with Salmonella.

No illnesses are reported.

Feeding Change, sold in retail stores in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Yukon, is being recalled:

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled product should not consume it, but discard or return it to the store where purchased.

Consumers with questions about the recall may call 800-442-2342.

New York City is now the first city in the nation to allow inmates to make free phone calls from its jails, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday.  

Anyone who has served time knows that phone calls can be prohibitively expensive. The calls are typically made possible with the money from inmate’s commissary accounts, which in turn are often funded by friends or family on the outside.

The jail telecommunications industry for years has been dominated by only a few companies. Inmate advocacy organizations say the corporations are virtual monopolies that enjoy limited oversight by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

At Rikers Island in New York City, inmates paid 50 cents to make a call and 5 cents for each additional minute on the phone. The jail contracted with Securus Technologies, a prison telecommunications giant based in Dallas.

Under the new law in New York City, which was passed by the City Council in August but is only being implemented starting this week, the city will now cover the cost of 21 minutes worth of domestic calls every three hours per inmate.  

“For too long have people in custody faced barriers to basic aspects of everyday life that can help create a more humane jails,” de Blasio said in a statement Tuesday. “With free phone calls, we’re eliminating one of those barriers and ensuring that people in custody have the opportunity to remain connected with their lawyers, families, and support networks that are so crucial to re-entry into one’s community."

Less than three months after the FCC reported strong rural broadband growth, the agency has come forward with an admission that those figures were inaccurate. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai says the estimates published in a draft report back in February were off by almost two million.

The number of U.S. consumers without access to a fixed broadband connection by the end of 2017 was actually 21.3 million. The agency said previously that the figure dropped by 25 percent in one year, from 26 million to 19.4 million between 2016 and 2017.

The admission follows a March report from an advocacy group called Free Press, which first discovered the inaccuracy. The group found that a new ISP called BarrierFree wrongly told the FCC that it started serving nearly 20 percent of the country in just six months.

“BarrierFree’s over-reporting in this manner not only produces wildly overinflated deployment claims for itself and these eight states: it also has a substantial impact on the putative change in deployment at the national level,” the organization said. “Indeed, BarrierFree is claiming to be the only ISP offering service in 15 percent of all Census blocks that were listed as unserved in the June 2017 Form 477 data.”

“We are unable to determine exactly why BarrierFree reported in this manner, or why the Commission failed to notice this apparent grievous error before boasting about the December 2017 results in its recent press release,” FreePress continued.

The group added that this isn’t the first time it has found the FCC guilty of over-reporting.

“Free Press highlighted it explicitly in 2014, prior to the Commission taking over NTIA’s block-level deployment collection. In fact, this issue was of such concern, the Commission issued a clarification to its Form 477 filing instructions specifically telling carriers that it ‘would rely on the ordering or installation of a not-yet leased circuit . . . to provide service in a census block not currently served should not treat that census block as having service available.”

Agency responds

Pai issued a statement in which he acknowledged the inflated figures but praised the agency’s progress in closing the digital divide.

"Fortunately, the new data doesn't change the report's fundamental conclusion: we are closing the digital divide, which means we're delivering on the FCC's top priority,” Pai said. “We're achieving this result by removing barriers to infrastructure investment, promoting competition, and providing efficient, effective support for rural broadband expansion through our Universal Service Fund programs."

The FCC has revised its 2017 broadband growth figures numbers in an updated draft.

Living alone, which many consumers view as a rite of passage, could come with some mental health concerns.

A new study found that, regardless of age or gender, people who live alone are at an increased risk of developing a mental disorder.

“Our study results indicate that living alone may be a risk factor for [common mental disorders] regardless of age and sex and that loneliness may be an important mediating factor,” the authors wrote. “Clinicians should be aware that those living alone have a higher prevalence of [common mental disorders] and that this may largely be explained by loneliness.”

Combating loneliness

To see how living alone affected the likelihood of a mental disorder, the researchers evaluated over 20,000 responses to the National Psychiatric Morbidity Survey in England that were submitted in 1993, 2000, and 2007.

In addition to questions about their current living situation and mental health, participants reported on their social support, dependence on alcohol and drugs, loneliness, current living arrangements, and height and weight.

To gauge participants’ mental health standing, the researchers utilized the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised (CIS-R), which allowed them to assess participants’ current behaviors and beliefs and how closely they lined up with common mental disorders (CMDs).

The researchers note that current social norms have made it more common for people to live by themselves. With fewer people getting married and having kids, and the population of the oldest demographic increasing, researchers saw the number of solo dwellers increase with each iteration of the survey.

As the number of people living alone grew, the percentage of those people who had mental disorders also grew. In 1993, less than nine percent of participants lived alone, while over 14 percent had a CMD. By 2007, nearly 11 percent of participants lived alone and nearly 16.5 percent identified with a common mental disorder.

Though the researchers found that these findings were consistent across all groups and genders, loneliness was the key in an overwhelming majority of the participants who had common mental disorders. According to the study, over 80 percent of participants’ mental disorders were linked to feelings of loneliness. The researchers hope that these findings inspire mental health professionals to implement initiatives that could help consumers tackle feelings of loneliness.

“Living alone is positively associated with common mental disorders in the general population in England,” said researcher Louis Jacob.

Staying social

Recent studies have explored how consumers are affected by loneliness and other mental health conditions. Researchers from Michigan Medicine found that adults between the ages of 50 and 80 years old who have health complications are more likely to feel isolated and lonely.

While taking trips outside can be beneficial in beating those lonely feelings, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Stony Brook University found that observing users’ Facebook posts can be an effective predictor of depression.

“There’s a perception that using social media is not good for one’s mental health, but it may turn out to be an important tool for diagnosing, monitoring, and eventually treating it,” said lead researcher H. Andrew Schwartz. “Here, we’ve shown that it can be used with clinical records, a step toward improving mental health with social media.”

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Facebook are currently negotiating a legal settlement that could make CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally liable for any future privacy issues, according to Politico and the New York Times.

Under the deal, which hasn’t yet been finalized, Zuckerberg would be named "designated compliance officer" for issues related to user privacy.

Other privacy-focused positions could also be added, including an FTC-approved privacy official who would monitor whether the company is complying with the FTC settlement and acting in the best interest of users, according to the Times. The settlement may also involve the addition of an “independent” oversight committee that might include Facebook board members.

Commitment to privacy

News of the potential deal comes less than a week after Facebook disclosed that it’s bracing for a fine of up to $5 billion for its handling of various privacy issues over the past few years. At Facebook’s F8 event this week, Zuckerberg emphasized the company’s commitment to privacy, unveiling the mantra: “The future is private.”

“The future is private,” Zuckerberg said at the event. “Over time, I believe that a private social platform will be even more important to our lives than our digital town squares. So today, we’re going to start talking about what this could look like as a product, what it means to have your social experience be more intimate, and how we need to change the way we run this company in order to build this.”

Facebook has vowed several times to be better when it comes to keeping user information secure, but those promises often seem to be followed by another privacy scandal. Zuckerberg acknowledged the fact that Facebook doesn’t have “the strongest reputation on privacy right now,” but he affirmed that Facebook is committed to turning things around.

“Now look, I get that a lot of people aren’t sure we’re serious about this,” Zuckerberg said. “We don’t exactly have the strongest reputation on privacy right now, to put it lightly. But I’m committed to doing this well and starting a new chapter for our product.”

With the grounding of the 737 MAX jetliner, the ever-changing policies on pets, and companies always working an angle to make more off of ancillary fees, finding the perfect match of an airline can be complicated.

However, if you’re gearing up for summer vacation, WalletHub’s new “2019’s Best Airlines” might give you some added insight as you weigh out the best options.

WalletHub took a deep dive into 15 different metrics -- from leg room to fleet age to mishandled baggage claims -- and compared nine U.S. airlines (the six largest plus three regional carriers).

Among the six largest domestic carriers, the “most satisfactory” score went to Southwest Airlines for lowest consumer-complaint rate in 2018. “Most reliable”? That would be Delta Air Lines with the lowest rate of cancelations, delays, mishandled luggage, and denied boardings.

Here are other highlights from WalletHub’s “best of”:

What the experts would like to see

WalletHub gave its survey an interesting spin by asking a panel of aviation pundits for their take on things like trends and moves the airlines could take to enhance passengers’ comfort.

For the question “Which do you believe would be the main trend for the medium term in the airline industry?,” Yi Gao, an Associate Professor, School of Aviation and Transportation Technology, Purdue University said, “The service on-board will be more polarized. On the pointy end, more premium seats are being fitted to business class and premium economy class. At the lower end, the basic economy fare will be more common on more routes in the next few years.”

“I would not be surprised if we see an increase in small players,” added Michael Bernacchi, Professor of Marketing at the University of Detroit Mercy. “Ride-sharing in the auto industry has only recently caused great disruption and blindsided many competitors. There is a small potential for the same happenings to pop up in the airplane industry.”

“This would be impossible to manage, but that is what people thought just a few years ago when referring to strangers stepping into another stranger’s car after having loose arrangements made from a cell phone app.”

As to the question of “What would be the easiest measures to be implemented by airlines in order to increase passengers comfort?,” Daniel Rust, Assistant Professor of Transportation and Logistics at the School of Business and Economics, University of Wisconsin-Superior, said that “in the never-ending quest to generate more revenue per flight, most airlines continue to squeeze additional rows of seats into the aircraft at the expense of passenger comfort.”

“If increasing passenger comfort is the goal, then airlines should increase seat pitch as well as install more ergonomically correct seat cushions -- especially in the economy sections of new narrow-body jetliners used on longer-duration flights.”

John Mott, Associate Professor, Director Advanced Aviation Analytics Institute for Research, Purdue University, weighed in with this opinion on passenger comfort. “With the advent of LCCs (Low-Cost Carriers) and Basic Economy fares among the major carriers, we now have a greater range of services available than ever before, giving fliers the ability to select the services that best match their needs and budget.”

“While research indicates that overall passenger satisfaction has increased somewhat over the last several years, comfort in the lower service levels is not at the level that many customers desire. Increasing seat pitch in all classes of service would improve this, but doing so carries economic consequences for the airlines.”

In its second-quarter earnings report, Qualcomm revealed that it will get between $4.5 billion and $4.7 billion from the deal it reached with Apple to resolve its years-long patent royalty dispute.

The two companies agreed on terms of a settlement early during an April trial, putting an end to a dispute that had been brewing since 2017.

The legal battle started when Apple argued that Qualcomm was abusing its position as a dominant supplier to charge “exorbitant” fees for patent licensing. Apple then began using Intel chips, which prompted Qualcomm to push to get iPhone imports banned in several countries for patent infringement.

Apple needed 5G chips

Apple had little choice but to settle with Qualcomm because it needed 5G modem chips for its 5G iPhones, according to Bloomberg. Apple originally planned to use Intel chips but determined they wouldn’t be ready in time for the 2020 release of the devices.

“If they didn’t settle with Qualcomm soon they’d miss next year’s product,” Mike Walkley, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity, told the publication. “Building their own baseband will take years and Intel is behind. Maybe that was the final thing that got this done.”

In addition to requiring a one-time payment from Apple, the settlement calls for the two companies to enter into a six-year licensing agreement, as well as a "multiyear" wireless chipset supply agreement. The $4.5 billion to $4.7 billion Apple will pay Qualcomm will include "cash payment from Apple and the release of related liabilities,” Qualcomm said, according to Axios.

“We are also pleased to have reached multi-year agreements with Apple and look forward to continuing to support them as a customer,” Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf said in a statement.

Famous bank robber Willie Sutton, when asked why he robbed banks, is reported to have replied: “because that’s where the money is.”

That common sense reason may be why hackers expend a lot of their energy trying to compromise networks operated by banks and other financial services institutions. Success promises a rather large payoff.

A study by IntSights, a threat intelligence company, found attacks against financial service industry (FSI) enterprises accounted for more than 25 percent of all cyber attacks in 2018. That was more than any of the other 27 industries the company tracked.

In many cases, the attacks were successful. The study found the number of compromised credit cards increased 212 percent last year. There was a 129 percent year-over-year increase in credential (login) leaks.

"Threat actors are using tactics like social media impersonation, malicious mobile applications, and phishing schemes to circumvent corporate networks and leverage organizations' brands to trick users and run scams," said Hadar Rosenberg, threat intelligence research analyst at IntSights.

Rosenberg says these kinds of attacks are not always directed against a corporate network but can still be damaging and costly. He says it’s important for organizations controlling sensitive financial information to constantly monitor potential threats before they manifest into attacks.

Change passwords frequently

That’s why consumers should frequently change login credentials for online banking and financial services accounts. Changing your password could mean your compromised information would be useless to a cyber thief.

The largest hack of an FSI enterprise occurred in 2017 when Equifax, the credit reporting agency, said hackers had broken into its network and stolen files on at least 143 million consumers. That number was later greatly expanded.

As a result, millions of consumers’ social security numbers are circulating on the dark web, requiring vigilant credit account monitoring to prevent identity theft.

In reviewing the terms of your credit card, you notice there’s a 3 percent foreign transaction fee. Not a problem, you think, since you don’t plan on any foreign travel in the future.

But you don’t have to leave the U.S. to get hit with this fee. It applies to any transaction with a business outside the U.S., and in this global economy, chances are you’ve paid a foreign transaction fee or two.

If you’ve purchased software from a company based in Dublin, for example, and paid with your credit card, you’ve paid the fee, unless you have a card that waives it. And the fee can be considerable. Many cards charge 3 percent of the purchase. If you’ve happened to subscribe to a foreign-based service of some type, you’re probably paying an extra 3 percent every month.

If you weren’t aware that you were paying that fee, you are hardly alone. A survey by personal finance site WalletHub found an estimated 80 percent of consumers aren’t aware they can be charged a foreign transaction fee if they never leave home. More than half of consumers don’t know whether or not their credit card charges a foreign transaction fee.

Passing it on to consumers

Sherrill L. Shaffer, an emeritus professor of banking and financial services at the University of Wyoming, says lenders get hit with the foreign transaction fee, so they pass it onto their customers.

“Foreign transactions impose extra costs on credit card companies, and they need to cover their costs via revenue,” Shaffer said. “They can choose either to fold that cost into their general fee structure or to cover it by a specific foreign transaction fee.”

Several credit card companies don’t charge their customers that specific fee. According to WalletHub, they include Capital One, Discover, USAA, and Barclays. Carrying one of these cards is especially helpful if you are planning to travel abroad because it minimizes the cost of currency conversion.

International travel can expose consumers to more than just a foreign transaction fee. Capital One warns travelers that a dynamic currency conversion, which converts the price of something in the local currency to dollars, can result in a fee of as much as 7 percent of the purchase price.

The job market may be much stronger than most economists believed. A new report from ADP and Moody’s Analytics shows the U.S. economy added 275,000 private sector jobs in April.

That’s the most since July and far exceeded the consensus estimate of 177,000 new jobs. On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will issue the government’s official employment report for April.

The ADP report showed jobs related to services increased the most last month. The business and professional services sector led the way, adding 59,000 positions. Companies that provide education and health services created 54,000 jobs. Leisure and hospitality companies grew by 53,000 positions.

The manufacturing sector, dampened by tariffs and trade disputes in recent months, showed new strength in April. Goods-producing industries gained 52,000 jobs, thanks in large part to a healthy increase in construction jobs.

Much of last month’s job growth occurred at businesses with between 50 and 499 employees. These mid-sized firms produced just over half of April’s payroll expansion. Small businesses added 77,000 jobs. Growth was slowest at the nation’s largest companies.

Holding firm

"The job market is holding firm, as businesses work hard to fill open positions,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics. “The economic soft patch at the start of the year has not materially impacted hiring.  April's job gains overstate the economy's strength, but they make the case that expansion continues on."

Ahu Yildirmaz, vice president and co-head of the ADP Research Institute, said April’s strong showing followed a first quarter that appeared to signal a slowdown in economic expansion.

The latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business appears to confirm a strong start to the second quarter. It found that economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew last month and the overall economy grew for the 120th consecutive month.

But even though that report documents continued economic growth, it said the expansion was at lower levels. The report said supplier deliveries, inventories, and imports were higher last month, primarily due to inventory growth exceeding consumption.

The findings of a new study could have many consumers reaching for walnuts.

Researchers from Penn State say that consuming walnuts, in conjunction with a diet that’s low in saturated fats, could be helpful in warding off heart disease and maintaining a healthy blood pressure.

“When participants ate whole walnuts, they saw greater benefits than when they consumed a diet with a similar fatty acid profile as walnuts without eating the nut itself,” said researcher Penny Kris-Etherton. “So it seems like there’s a little something extra in walnuts that are beneficial -- maybe their bioactive compounds, maybe the fiber, maybe something else -- that you don’t get in the fatty acids alone.”

Staying heart healthy

To see how walnuts affected heart health, the researchers had 45 participants follow three different diet plans. Prior to following these diets, the researchers wanted everyone to begin “on the same starting plane,” so they had the participants follow a diet that “mimic[ked] an average American diet.”

After following this base diet for two weeks, the participants were assigned to one of three eating regimens for a period of six weeks:

• A diet with no walnuts that contained the same amount of oleic acid (a fatty acid) that is found in walnuts;

• A diet that incorporated whole walnuts; or

• A diet that had the same amount of polyunsaturated fat and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) that is found in walnuts.

The researchers had the participants rotate through each diet program so that everyone could experience each diet, and they placed breaks in between each round of dieting. At the end of each round, participants had their vitals taken to account for changes in cholesterol, diastolic blood pressure, central systolic blood pressure, arterial stiffness, brachial pressure, and central pressure.

At the end of the trials, all three diets were effective in producing better vitals in the study participants, but consuming whole walnuts was found to be most effective in lowering blood pressure.

The researchers hope this study pushes consumers to reach for a handful of walnuts the next time they’re hungry. The team emphasized that each of the diet program reduced participants’ intake of saturated fats, which they certainly credit to producing better cardiovascular outcomes.

“An average American diet has about 12 percent calories from saturated fat, and all of our treatment diets all had about seven percent, using walnuts or vegetable oils as a replacement,” said researcher Alyssa Tindall. “So, seeing the positive benefits from all three diets sends a message that regardless of whether you replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats from walnuts or vegetable oils, you should see cardiovascular benefits.”

Nissan North America is recalling 5,744 model year 2019 Altimas. The brake switch bracket may be in the incorrect location, which may cause the brake switch to remain on.

If the brake switch remains in the ON position, the brake lights will remain illuminated when the brakes are not being pressed, which may confuse other drivers.

Additionally, the transmission shift lever may be moved out of the Park position without the brake pedal being pressed, allowing the vehicle to roll unexpectedly. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.

What to do

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and install a new brake pedal as needed free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin in May 2019.

Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.

Inspired Organics is recalling Organic Almond, Peanut, and Tahini Butters that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

The following items, distributed beginning April 12, 2018, exclusively by Lipari Foods, are being recalled:

The recalled products were distributed to food service and retail stores throughout Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled products should not consume them, but discard or return them to the place of purchase.

Consumers with questions may call (800) 729-3354, from8:15 am – 4:30 pm (EST) Monday through Friday.

Colorado Premium Foods of Carrolton, Ga., is recalling approximately 113,424 pounds of raw ground beef that may be contaminated with E. coli O103.

The Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is investigating an E. coli O103 outbreak to determine if the recalled products are involved.

At this time, there is no definitive link between these products and the E. coli O103 outbreak.

The following items, produced on March 26, March 29, April 2, April 5, April 10, and April 12, 2019, are being recalled:

• Two 24-lb. vacuum-packed packages in cardboard boxes containing raw “GROUND BEEF PUCK” with “Use Thru” dates of 4/14/19, 4/17/19, 4/20/19, 4/23/19, 4/28/19, and 4/30/19.

The recalled products, bearing establishment number “EST. 51308” inside the USDA mark of inspection on the boxes, were shipped to distributors in Port Orange, Fla., and Norcross, Ga., for further distribution to restaurants.

What to do

The recalled products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.

Consumers with questions regarding the recall may contact Ashley Barnes at (970) 313-4400.

If you’re a traveler, take note of this figure: $28.1 billion.

Now you know why airlines charge baggage fees.

The annual baggage fee review from IdeaWorksCompany -- an airline ancillary revenue consulting firm -- and online technology and travel platform CarTrawler is out, and it’s an eye-opener.

That $28.1 billion number reflects the worldwide billing-for-baggage component. The baggage revenue stream got a nice 19.07 percent bump in 2018 according to the survey, accounting for 3.2 percent of the total global airline revenue.

“Stringent baggage fee policies are hallmarks of top revenue-performing low-cost carriers,” writes Jay Sorensen, president of IdeaWorksCompany. “The surprising development within the last two years is the implementation of bag fees by some of the world’s leading global network airlines.”

Short of Southwest Airlines and its “(two) bags fly free” promise, domestic U.S. travelers don’t get the same type of bag fee waiver that most of the Asian and Middle Eastern-based airlines give. All European-based carriers, except for Turkish Airlines, typically charge for baggage as well.

“The abundant reliance upon bag fees in Europe and North America occurs largely due to the presence of a very significant low-cost carrier industry,” Sorensen said. “Elsewhere in the world, traditional airlines include baggage benefits for all fares and have not yet adopted basic economy fare strategies.”

"One thing to look out for going forward is dynamically priced bag fees, meaning that the price will vary according to demand. Spirit is a leader in this innovation," adds Robert Silk, Airlines Editor for Travel Weekly. "Still, flyers shouldn’t forget the big picture, which is a combination of your all-in cost for flying and the service you’re buying. A higher bag fee can be offset by a lower ticket prices or a better seat and connection.”

Any way around paying baggage fees?

One of the best ways for consumers to get around the bag fee issue is to apply for a co-branded credit card. Having one of those cards will usually get a fee waiver for the first bag checked, but only in the U.S. and Canada.

As an example, UpgradedPoints reports that consumers holding the Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard can get one free checked bag for you and up to eight companions on your itinerary, but it’s only valid on domestic flights.

“The sure-fire way to avoid this fee is to travel with a carry-on bag only,” advises Momondo’s Samantha Fanelli.

“However, if you simply cannot do without your checked luggage, try to pay for the bag online, as it is typically much cheaper to purchase your bag on the airline’s website rather than pay up front at the check-in counter. Be aware that maximum carry-on size varies from airline to airline, so to avoid having to check and pay for your bag in case your suitcase is too large, always make sure to check the luggage rules of your specific airline.”

One important note: Bag fees like anything else related to airline travel can change without a moment’s notice. It’s always smart to check the airline’s current policy regarding luggage and, if there’s something you don’t understand, give them a call and ask for clarification.

More than half (57 percent) of Americans who have already paid off their student loan debt support Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s proposal to wipe out student loan debt for millions of Americans, according to a recent INSIDER poll cited by Business Insider.

Eighty-two percent of respondents who said they’re currently paying off student loans support the Democratic presidential candidate’s plan to eliminate their debt, and 54 percent of people who never took out a student loan are in favor of the plan, the poll found.

Senator Warren’s plan would erase $50,000 in debt for each person with a household income of less than $100,000. It would also eliminate tuition and fees for two- and four-year public college degree programs, as well as call for a significant investment in Pell Grants over the next ten years.

Twenty-one percent don’t support the plan

While the survey suggested that a majority of Americans with and without student loan debt support the proposal, 21 percent of the 1,144 people polled said they didn’t support the measure. Thirteen percent of respondents said they neither supported nor opposed the proposal, and 9 percent said they were unsure how they felt about the plan.

In terms of political leanings, the INSIDER poll revealed “deep support among Democratic primary voters,” with 77 percent of Democrats who plan to vote saying they were somewhat or strongly supportive of the debt cancellation proposal.

Warren outlined the details of her plan a few weeks ago, calling it “an investment in our future.” In a post on Medium, she wrote that wiping out student loan debt -- which currently affects upwards of 40 million Americans -- would cost the federal government an estimated $640 billion.

An economic analysis concluded that the plan would eliminate all student debt for 75 percent of households with student debt and provide at least some debt cancellation for 95 percent of affected Americans.

Warren noted that the experts who conducted the analysis also concluded that the plan would help the economy through “consumer-driven economic stimulus, improved credit scores, greater home-buying rates and housing stability, higher college completion rates, and greater business formation.”