Current Events in June 2019

If you had trouble completing a credit card purchase at Target over the weekend, you’re hardly alone. The retailer suffered not one, but two technology issues that resulted in temporary backups in checkout lines.

Because of a company-wide network outage on Saturday, the check out system was inoperable, meaning consumers couldn’t complete the checkout process.

“The temporary outage...was the result of an internal technology issue that lasted for approximately two hours,” Target said in a statement on Saturday. “Our technology team worked quickly to identify and fix the issue, and we apologize for the inconvenience and frustration this caused for our guests.”

The company said an “initial but thorough review” showed the outage was not part of a data breach or any other security issue. It says no customer information was compromised at any time.

More trouble

Then, on Sunday, some Target customers took to social media to report the same thing happened again at some stores. A number of consumers reported that the card readers at checkout weren’t working, but they were able to complete their purchases using cash.

A spokesperson for Target later said the issue was with NCR, its payment processor. The issue affected only some stores and lasted for about 90 minutes.

NCR processes payments for a large number of U.S. retailers. So far, it appears Target was the only NCR client that experienced a problem on Sunday. Again, Target says the NCR issue was not security-related and did not appear to be connected to Saturday’s outage.

“We know many guests had a frustrating shopping experience in our stores this weekend,” a Target spokesperson  told CNBC. “For that, we are truly sorry. We never want to disappoint any guests and we’re working tirelessly to ensure these issues don’t happen again.”

Comcast has announced details of a new feature that will give another option to disabled and movement-impaired customers when it comes to controlling their televisions.

The company’s X1 eye control, available for free to Xfinity X1 customers, allows consumers to pair their set-top box with a web-based app that can track their eye movements. After being set up, customers will be able to focus on different buttons and commands on the display to do everything from changing the channel to adjusting the volume and accessing the TV guide.

Comcast says the technology will go a long way towards assisting the 48 million people who live with a physical or mobility disability in the U.S.

“Changing the channel on a TV is something most of us take for granted, but until now it was a near-impossible task for millions of viewers. When you make a product more inclusive, you create a better experience for everyone, and we’re hoping our new X1 feature makes a real difference in the lives of our customers,” said Tom Vlodkowski, Comcast’s vice president of accessibility.

Working with other assistive technologies

In its release on the X1 eye control technology, Comcast says that the new tool will work “seamlessly” with other eye gaze hardware and software, including Sip-and-Puff switches and other assistive technologies.

“We are pleased to see how Comcast continues to make their products and solutions accessible,” said Tara Rudnicki, the president of company specializing in touch and eye tracking assistive technology. “As an assistive technology company, we want to empower our users to live independent lives. With the X1 eye control now enabled with eye gaze, it will come to great use for many of them.”

One of the consumers making use of the technology is Jimmy Curran, a Philadelphia resident who suffers from Spinal Muscular Atrophy. You can see his reaction to the new technology and learn more by watching the video below.

A new study of YouTube testimonials promoting stem cell treatments (SCT) found that an alarming number of those videos were nothing more than a charade. Researchers say that much of this content simply promoted unproven treatments posing as real-life instances that happened to real patients experiencing real improvements.

The stem cell market is huge. By 2025, the total global market is estimated to hit a value of 15.6 billion dollars -- a dramatic rise from its value of 6.87 billion dollars in 2016. Charlatans around the world want to see if they can also get a piece of the action. In typical internet come-ons, these “providers” use misleading claims and hard-sell spiels to pitch every kind of cure from autism to breast enhancement. Unfortunately, consumers’ trust in these videos has resulted in physical, financial, and emotional injuries to patients, according to the study.

CellPress reports that an alarming 91 percent of the 159 YouTube videos evaluated were patients discussing health improvements; another 53.5 percent involved praising providers, and; 29.9 percent showed patients recommending specific SCTs.

In more than a third of the videos inspected, the always-powerful narrative angle was worked where providers posed questions to patients.

“Patient testimonials of unproven SCTs are found on clinic websites, blogs, social media sites, and are uploaded onto YouTube,” the study reported.

“Not only are [video testimonials] able to communicate messages to individuals with varied health literacy levels, but internet users have been shown to identify more strongly, and rate products more favorably, with audio/video testimonials as opposed to text or picture-based testimonials.”

Why YouTube?

Consumers typically find searches for medical-related queries usually lead to blogs and websites -- like the Mayo Clinic or WebMD. But, it’s video that’s the perfect method to use in this game.

Not only does video play to the limited attention span of the consumer, but it also plies the elements of attention and emotion better than text. It also doesn’t hurt that YouTube is the second most searched site in the world.

What to look out for

These SCT videos pull out all the stops on the benefits: improving health, quality of life, energy, increased appetite, weight gain, strength, movement, flexibility, sensation, circulation, verbal abilities, cognition, physical appearance, vision, and urination, as well as managing conditions like shaking/tremors, seizures, pain, and even drooling.

“In 58 percent of cases, patients acted out scenes, sometimes before/after scenes, showcasing health benefits such as improved mobility, decreased stiffness, or increased flexibility by getting out of bed, clapping, grabbing objects, sitting up, and performing exercises among others,” the study found.

But, there’s lots more that a consumer should raise an eyebrow on when it comes to any kind of SCT or health-related video. Things to watch include:

• Patients or others offering praise and showing gratitude to the clinic, provider, staff, or SCTs.

• Words of admiration, commendation, approval, and salvation that are routinely used by patients.

• Providers who are described as professional, knowledgeable, experienced, warm, caring, compassionate, fantastic, easy to talk with, and pleasant.

• Some patients who make reference to their prayers being answered, being blessed, or owing their life to the providers and staff. Many videos even go as far as showing a patient giving their doctor a high-five or a provider lovingly placing their hand on a patient.

• Scenes of heightened emotion involving a patient, such as crying, appearing distressed, stuttering, being unable to speak, or reflecting on their life prior to receiving the SCT.

Stem cell therapy is still trying to prove its legitimacy. But, until the bad actors are taken out and patient education and regulatory oversight rule the day, the study’s authors say consumers should have a discussion with their physician before making the next move.

U.S. Marshals have seized a large amount of dietary supplements from Chicago-based Life Rising, which makes and markets tablets, capsules, and teas.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which initiated the seizure, said it acted because it believed the company “prepared, packed, and/or held dietary supplements under conditions that do not conform to the dietary supplement current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) requirements.”

Marshalls carted away 300,000 containers of more than 500 products valued at around $3.5 million, the FDA said.

Lead contamination recall

A little more than a month ago, Life Rising announced a recall of some of its Chinese herbal products because of potential lead contamination. The company recalled Life Rising Holder-W Holder Warmer capsules, Life Rising NECK-ND Neck Clear capsules, and HoliCare Metabolism Cleansing (MET-CLS) tablets, but the company said it had received no reports of illness associated with the product.

According to the FDA, the recall came just days before the agency issued its own Safety Alert for those products. It says FDA inspectors found that the company’s dietary supplements were produced and stored under conditions that violated CGMP regulations.

Among the inspectors’ complaints were charges that the company didn’t establish product specifications for the identity, purity, strength, and composition of each finished batch of dietary supplement.

The agency said the supplement maker did not have written procedures for pest control or for maintaining, cleaning, and sanitizing equipment and surfaces used in the production of the supplements.

‘Aggressive action’

“This seizure underscores the agency’s commitment to taking aggressive action when manufacturers distribute adulterated dietary supplements that have the potential to put consumers at risk,” said Melinda K. Plaisier, the FDA’s Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs. “The FDA has a variety of enforcement tools at its disposal, and when products don’t comply with FDA regulations, we will not hesitate to take appropriate action.”

In 2016, the company recalled Life Rising brand Side Head Regulator TT” tablets after lab tests showed certain lots of the product had elevated lead levels. The FDA said it sent a warning letter to the company in 2017 citing alleged manufacturing violations.

The agency has taken the step of discouraging consumers from purchasing or using dietary supplement products bearing brand names Life Rising, Holicare, or HopeStream.

Pasture Raised Foods, doing business as Greener Pastures Chicken, a grower/non-inspected processor located in Elgin, Texas, is recalling an undetermined amount of frozen raw whole poultry products.

The products did not undergo federal inspection.

There are no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

The following frozen raw whole poultry items, produced from Nov. 29, 2018, through May 24, 2019, are being recalled:

• Varying weight vacuum sealed packages containing one whole “GREENER PASTURES CHICKEN” with the head and feet removed.

The products do not bear an official USDA mark of inspection but were labeled with establishment number “USDA P-34438” on the product label without authorization.

These recalled products items were shipped to retail, wholesale & restaurant locations, and to individual households, in Texas.

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 about the recall may contact Cameron Molberg at (202) 642-5417.

Teva Pharmaceuticals USA is expanding an earlier recall of losartan potassium tablets used for the treatment of hypertension, hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy, and nephropathy in Type 2 diabetic patients.

The product contains trace amounts of N-Nitroso N-Methyl 4-amino butyric acid (NMBA), a potential human carcinogen.

The expansion includes six (6) lots of bulk losartan potassium USP tablets: two lots of 50-mg strength and four lots of 100-mg strength.

• Losartan potassium tablets, USP 50 mg, are green, film-coated, oval-shaped biconvex tablets with “LK 50” on one side and ">" on the other side.
• Losartan potassium tablets, USP 100 mg, are dark green, film-coated, oval-shaped biconvex tablets with “LK100” on one side and ">" on the other side.

The bulk lots were sold exclusively to Golden State Medical Supply, of Camarillo, Calif, which packaged these bulk products under its own label and distributed retail bottles of 30, 90 and 1000 tablets to their customers.

The finished product lots included in this recall and listed below were sold by Teva in bulk containers.

The bulk tablet lots were repackaged into seven (7) finished product lots for further distribution by Golden State Medical Supply under its product label.

What to do

Patients taking Losartan Potassium tablets are advised to continue taking their medication and contact their pharmacist, physician, or medical provider for advice regarding an alternative treatment. The immediate risk of harm to a patient’s health is likely to be higher if the medicine is stopped abruptly without any alternative treatment.

Patients with medical-related questions, who wish to report an adverse event, or quality issues about the recalled products may contact Teva Medical Information by at (888)838-2872, option 3, then, option 4, Monday-Friday, 9:00AM – 5:00PM (ET) with voicemail available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, or by email at druginfo@tevapharm.com.

Patients wishing to return product may contact Teva’s product recall processor (Inmar) to obtain instructions and a return kit for returning their medication.

Contact Inmar at (877) 789-2065 from 9 am to 5 pm (ET) Monday – Friday) or by email Inmar at: tevarecalls@inmar.com.

Inmar will provide the materials needed to return their medication and instructions for reimbursement.

Audi is recalling 1,646 model year 2019 e-trons.

Moisture can enter the high-voltage battery system through a faulty seal on the charging socket.

Moisture in the high-voltage system can cause a short-circuit, increasing the risk of fire.

What to do

If warning lights appear along with the message "Electrical system: fault," the driver should immediately stop the vehicle, park outdoors away from structures, and do not charge it.

Owners should contact Audi Roadside Assistance at (800) 411-9988 to have the vehicle towed.

Audi will notify owners, and dealers will install a new seal and, as necessary, replace the affected system components free of charge.

Notices informing owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed in June 2019. Remedy parts are expected to become available in August 2019.

Owners may contact Audi's customer service at (800) 253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 93E8.

Amid mounting legal claims that the herbicide glyphosate causes cancer, Bayer has announced that it plans to invest $5.6 billion in developing new weedkillers over the next ten years. Bayer, which now owns Monsanto, says the move is intended to address public concerns about the risks of the ingredient.

While Bayer has maintained that glyphosate is safe, thousands of plaintiffs have claimed that long-term exposure to Monsanto's glyphosate-based Roundup was a factor in their cancer diagnoses.

Last August, a San Francisco jury awarded a former school groundskeeper $289 million after finding that his cancer was the result of years of using Roundup. More recently, a California jury awarded a couple $2 billion in damages after finding that sustained exposure to Roundup led to their cancer diagnoses.

Four years ago, the World Health Organization's cancer agency classified glyphosate as a “probable” carcinogen. The herbicide has been detected in beers and wines, pet food, oat-based cereals and even linked to shorter pregnancies.

To date, more than 13,000 lawsuits claim glyphosate is carcinogenic.

Developing alternative options

In a statement on Friday, Bayer said its multi-billion dollar investment won’t put an end to the use of glyphosate, but it will hopefully expand the number of comparable weed-killing options available to growers.

"While glyphosate will continue to play an important role in agriculture and in Bayer’s portfolio, the company is committed to offering more choices for growers," the company said.

Through its research and development investments, Bayer aims to create “tailored integrated weed management solutions” as well as “help develop customized solutions for farmers at a local level.” Additionally, Bayer says it’s aiming to "reduce the environmental impact” of its products by 30 percent by 2030.

Two lawsuits filed this week claim Amazon’s Echo Dot Kids records children’s voices without consent, the Seattle Times reported.

One suit was filed on behalf of a 10-year-old Massachusetts girl in Seattle federal court and another was filed on behalf of an 8-year-old boy in California Superior Court. The complaint, which seeks class action status, centers around the fact that both Washington and California are two-party consent states, meaning the consent of both parties is required before someone can be recorded.

In total, nine states — Florida, California, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Washington — prohibit recording conversations without the consent of children or their parents.

The suits claim Amazon shirks this law by failing to give users the opportunity to consent to the fact that their voice recordings are being permanently saved to Amazon’s servers.

“Alexa routinely records and voiceprints millions of children without their consent or the consent of their parents,” one of the complaints states. “When children say a wake word to an Alexa Device, the device records and transmits the children’s communications in the same manner that it handles adults’ communications. Neither the children nor their parents have consented to the children’s interactions being permanently recorded.”

“At no point does Amazon warn unregistered users that it is creating persistent voice recordings of their Alexa interactions, let alone obtain their consent to do so,” the Seattle suit said.

Privacy concerns

The complaint points out that a company the size of Amazon, which has been “built on the relentless acquisition of consumer behavioral data,” could use the data it collects from children in a “potentially invasive” way.

“It takes no great leap of imagination to be concerned that Amazon is developing voiceprints for millions of children that could allow the company (and potentially governments) to track a child’s use of Alexa-enabled devices in multiple locations and match those uses with a vast level of detail about the child’s life, ranging from private questions they have asked Alexa to the products they have used in their home,” the complaint stated.

The cases are seeking a court order requiring the company to obtain consent before recording children’s Alexa communications and to delete the recorded conversations of children that have already been made. They are also seeking damages of up to $5,000 per violation of the privacy laws in the nine aforementioned states.

Nearly half of consumers who were adults in 2007 say their financial condition hasn’t improved since the Great Recession, according to a new survey from BankRate.

That recession began in late 2008 and lasted until June 2009. It was marked by the collapse of the housing market, a wave of home foreclosures, and a financial crisis that nearly brought down the world economy.

The survey found that 48 percent of the subjects who responded said they have seen no financial improvement in their lives as the economy has recovered. Twenty-five percent said their finances are about the same. Twenty-three percent say they are worse off financially.

The Great Recession resulted in a massive shrinking of the U.S. economy. Businesses reacted by scaling back their payrolls and almost overnight the unemployment rate hit 10 percent.

Housing market collapse

The housing market was flooded with homes for sale because it suddenly became very difficult to get a mortgage. Home values, which rose to unreasonable levels during the housing bubble, plummeted and many homeowners found they owed more than their homes were worth.

Today the unemployment rate is 3.6 percent and businesses complain they can’t fill open jobs. But salaries have grown slowly and haven’t kept pace with the rising cost of healthcare and education. The BankRate survey shows that some consumers have enjoyed the fruits of the recovery more than others.

“The echoes of the financial crisis and Great Recession remain very present in the financial lives of many Americans, despite the improvement in the broader economy,” said Mark Hamrick, Bankrate’s senior economic analyst. “While some have managed to prosper in the decade since, there are still tens of millions who are struggling to even get back to where they were before the economy took a turn for the worse.”

Minority homeowners

The survey results are in line with a recent Zillow survey that revealed many minority homeowners still have not recovered from the foreclosure crisis that was a huge catalyst for the Great Recession.

The price of residential real estate is even higher than it was during the housing bubble, but the Zillow report found home values have been much slower to recover in neighborhoods with large minority populations, remaining almost 10 percent below their peak values.

Zillow Senior Economist Sarah Mikhitarian noted that losing home value is almost always associated with a decline in net worth.

"The housing bust and foreclosure crisis that followed resulted in a disproportionate number of people of color losing not only the roof over their heads but the wealth -- and the opportunity to potentially build more -- that came with it," she said.

The BankRate survey shows 20 percent of consumers saw the value of their home go down during the Great Recession. Another 19 percent said they lost money in the stock market and incurred substantial debt.

Seven percent of people in the survey wiped out their emergency funds, while 6 percent tapped into their retirement savings.

Lawmakers in New York voted Thursday to end non-medical vaccine exemptions for school-age children in an effort to combat the high number of measles cases in the state.

The legislation, which will go into effect immediately, comes the same week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that cases of measles in the U.S. have now exceeded 1,000.

New York has been hit particularly hard by the ongoing outbreak. As of June 3, 566 cases of measles have been confirmed in New York City. In Rockland County, another area of New York, 259 cases have been confirmed as of June 6. A majority of cases have been confirmed in areas of New York with Orthodox Jewish communities.  

Vaccine hesitancy

Federal health officials have attributed the resurgence in cases of measles, which was declared to have been entirely eliminated in 2000, to the increase in parents who oppose vaccination based on false information about the risks of vaccines.

Supporters of the new legislation suggest some parents may be citing religious reasons for allowing their children to go unvaccinated even though their opposition is actually rooted in discredited beliefs, such as the belief that vaccines cause autism.

“The science is crystal clear: Vaccines are safe, effective and the best way to keep our children safe. This administration has taken aggressive action to contain the measles outbreak, but given its scale, additional steps are needed to end this public health crisis,” Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, who signed the legislation, said in a statement.

“While I understand and respect freedom of religion, our first job is to protect the public health and by signing this measure into law, we will help prevent further transmissions and stop this outbreak right in its tracks,” Cuomo said.

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) said the measure will help improve public health by ensuring children receive the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella (or “MMR), which prevents the disease.

"We are in the midst of a measles epidemic which is completely preventable given proper immunizations,” Stewart-Cousins said in a statement.

Lawmakers in several other states are working toward introducing legislation to prevent parents from citing religious reasons for opting out of having their children vaccinated. California has already removed personal belief vaccine exemptions for children in both public and private schools, and Maine ended its religious exemption earlier this year.

As the density of Americans owning a smartphone continues to grow -- currently at 87 percent -- the use of those smartphones as the consumer’s go-to digital device is also growing.

However, a new Pew Research Center study discovers that smartphone owners who use a phone as their online connector, use them differently than they might with a regular computer.

If you’re guessing it’s the younger consumer -- the 18-to 29-year-olds -- leading the way, you’d be right. That group’s use is trending from 41 percent in 2013 to 58 percent in 2019. But, the growth is consistent across all demographics. Take the share of adults ages 30 to 49, for instance. Their use of a smartphone to go online has nearly doubled – from 24 percent in 2013 to 47 percent today.

“These trends are part of a broader shift toward mobile technology that has changed the way people do everything from getting news to applying for jobs,” wrote Monica Anderson, a senior researcher at Pew.

“Indeed, mobile devices are not simply being used more often to go online – some Americans are forgoing traditional broadband at home altogether in favor of their smartphone. A majority of adults say they subscribe to home broadband, but about one-in-four (27 percent) do not. And growing shares of these non-adopters cite their mobile phone as a reason for not subscribing to these services.”

Wait a minute

Dropping broadband to do… everything via the phone? Like watch movies, listen to music, and shop everything?

Yep. And there are two simple reasons:

• For one, smartphones have become so, well, smart, that digital consumers can do everything they want or need to do online. Pew found that the 45 percent who go that route has nearly doubled, many citing the savings from ditching their monthly home broadband subscription. In addition, 80 percent of those non-broadband users say they’re simply not interested in getting high-speed connections at home.

• And, two, consumers are simply moving away from buying desktops, laptops, and tablets. That piece of the pie has fallen from 53 percent in 2013 to 30 percent today.

I’m fine as it is, thanks

Don’t care about broadband? You’re represented in the study, too. On the non-broadband user side, Pew notes that crowd never had high-speed internet at home to begin with, don’t show much interest in having it in the future.

“In previous Center surveys, Americans of all kinds have linked not having broadband to a number of disadvantages -- including difficulties finding job information or less access to government services,” Anderson said. “Despite these perceived challenges, non-adopters show little interest in becoming home broadband users in the future.”

Healthy habits should start at a young age, and a new study shows just how important it is for parents to prioritize their young children’s health.

Researchers found that children who are overweight by age four are over two times as likely to develop high blood pressure by age six, while also being vulnerable to other health conditions as they grow into adulthood.

“The myth that excess weight in children has no consequences hampers the prevention and control of this health problem,” said researcher Dr. Iñaki Galán. “Parents need to be more physically active with young children and provide a healthy diet.”

Knowing the risks

The researchers had nearly 1,800 four-year-olds participate in the study, with each child evaluated for body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and blood pressure. Two years later, the children were reevaluated for the same measures.

The study revealed that children who gained weight over the course of the two years were over two times as likely to have high blood pressure by the time they were six-years-old.

Children who experienced persistent abdominal obesity increased their risk of high blood pressure by 3.5 times, whereas children with persistent weight gain over the two years increased their risk of high blood pressure by over 2.5 times.

“There is a chain of risk, whereby overweight and obesity lead to high blood pressure, which heightens the chance of cardiovascular disease if allowed to track into adulthood,” said Dr. Galán. “But the results show that children who return to a normal weight also regain a healthy blood pressure.”

Dr. Galán was adamant that young children have their blood pressure checked regularly in order to track any cases that could potentially escalate into the high blood pressure range.

Many children aren’t moving enough, and the researchers stress the importance of a healthy diet and regular exercise, as well as interventions by parents to promote healthy lifestyles, and the efforts of schools to initiate activities that get kids moving during the day and providing healthy lunches.

Overall, the researchers hope that doctors treat these risks as such, regardless of how young the patients might be.

“Some pediatricians think the harms of overweight and obesity begin in adolescence but our study shows they are mistaken,” said Dr. Galán. “We need to detect excess weight as soon as possible so the damaging impact on blood pressure can be reversed.”

Keeping health at the forefront

In a similar vein, researchers recently found that half of children and teens in the U.S. are struggling with keeping healthy cholesterol levels. This is particularly troublesome because similar to blood pressure, high cholesterol during childhood and adolescence can linger into adulthood, leading to a slew of other health issues.

“High cholesterol in childhood is one of the key risk factors for developing heart disease later in life,” said Dr. Marma Perak. “Although we see favorable trends in all measures of cholesterol in children and adolescents over the years, we still need to work harder to ensure that many more kids have healthy cholesterol levels.”

For many consumers, working out happens whenever there’s a free moment, whether that’s early in the morning or later in the evening.

While working out is the bottom line, a new study found that the time of day consumers choose to exercise could be affecting their results down the line.

“There appears to be significant differences between the effect of exercise performed in the morning and evening, and these differences are probably controlled by the body’s circadian clock,” said researcher Joshua Thue Treebak.

Morning versus evening

To see how exercising at different times of day affects the body, the researchers had mice exercise both during the early morning hours and then later in the evening, and then evaluated their muscle function and overall health.

The good news for consumers is that there isn’t a best time to work out -- the body doesn’t get an added benefit by exercising in the morning or in the evening. However, the researchers did find significant differences in the muscles when the mice exercised in the morning hours versus when they worked out later at night.

“Morning exercise initiates gene programs in the muscle cells, making them more effective and better capable of metabolising sugar and fat,” Treebak said. “Evening exercise, on the other hand, increases whole body energy expenditure for an extended period of time.”

While morning workouts were associated with better muscle cell function, which the researchers attribute to the body’s natural circadian clock, nighttime workouts were associated with increased energy expenditure, which affects how many calories we burn on a daily basis. 

Ultimately, the researchers don’t want to push consumers to work out at one time over another, as the study did not yield a clear cut winner -- simply differences between the different times of day.

“On this basis, we cannot say for certain which is best, exercise in the morning or exercise in the evening,” Treebak said. “At this point, we can only conclude that the effects of the two appear to differ, and we certainly have to do more work to determine the potential mechanisms for the beneficial effects of exercise training performed at these two time-points.”

Finding the right timing

As this study revealed, our circadian clocks control not only our sleeping patterns, but they can also influence our exercise results. A recent study found that the best time to exercise could vary from person-to-person depending on whether you identify as an early bird or a night owl.

“Circadian rhythms dominate everything we do,” said researcher Paolo Sasone-Corsi. “Previous studies from our lab have suggested that at least 50 percent of our metabolism is circadian, and 50 percent of the metabolites in our body oscillate based on the circadian cycle. It makes sense that exercise would be one of the things that’s impacted.”

Those that prefer a nighttime workout can rest assured that their sleep will not be compromised, as a recent study found that exercising at night does not disrupt sleeping habits -- so long as it’s not intense physical activity.

A big drop in the price of crude oil is giving motorists a break at the gas pump as the summer driving season begins in earnest.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the national average price of regular gas is $2.70 a gallon, seven cents less than last Friday. It’s nearly 20 cents a gallon less than at this time last year.

The average price of premium has fallen six cents to $3.30 a gallon. The average price of diesel fuel is three cents less than last week, at $3.03 a gallon.

An attack on two tankers near the Persian Gulf this week caused oil prices to spike, but GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis, Patrick DeHaan, says the attacks will have no lasting effect on oil prices.

That’s due in part to growing domestic supplies of gasoline. The latest report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows U.S. fuel supplies grew by nearly a million barrels last week and now sit at 234.9 million barrels. Even with increasing demand. AAA says that should keep prices at the pump stable.

“As the summer driving season gets underway, increased gas stocks will help to supply high demand and keep prices low,” AAA said in its latest market update.

Even though the price of gas in California has fallen sharply in the last two weeks there remains a wide spread between the most expensive and cheapest states when it comes to gasoline.

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 ($3.85)

• Hawaii ($3.65)

• Washington ($3.44)

• Nevada ($3.43)

• Alaska ($3.42)

• Oregon ($3.30)

• Idaho ($3.13)

• Utah ($3.12)

• Arizona ($3.02)

• New York ($2.88)

The states with the cheapest regular gas

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

• Mississippi ($2.30)

• South Carolina ($2.32)

• Louisiana ($2.33)

• Alabama ($2.33)

• Arkansas ($2.37)

• Tennessee ($2.39)

• Texas ($2.41)

• Oklahoma ($2.42)

• Missouri ($2.46)

• Virginia ($2.46)

Facebook says its discontinued research app collected data from about 187,000 users who were paid $20 a month to allow the social media company observe how they used their phones.

The app made news earlier this year when Apple blocked Facebook from offering the app to iPhone users. At the time, Facebook said it users were paid for their participation, it never tried to hide the program, and none of the information was shared.

In a letter to members of Congress, Facebook disclosed it had collected data from 31,000 users in the U.S., 4,300 of whom were teenagers. The rest were consumers who lived in India.

At the time, Facebook said the app was part of an effort to help the company better serve its users.

“Since this research is aimed at helping Facebook understand how people use their mobile devices, we’ve provided extensive information about the type of data we collect and how they can participate,” a spokesperson said at the time.

The information may or may not be relevant to the current debate about Facebook’s size and scale, and whether it is a monopoly in need of regulation. The company has defended its discontinued research app as transparent and non-intrusive.

New research app

This week, Facebook released a new Android app, available to users who are at least 18 years-old. Facebook says users who download the app will agree to let Facebook analyze the apps on the phone, looking at how much they are used and the device or network that is being used.

The company says users who agree to participate will still receive compensation for sharing their data and can leave the program at any time.

As for the new research app, at least one lawmaker thinks it is an ill-conceived move. Sen. Richard Bloomenthan (D-Conn.) told CNET he thinks Facebook should be emphasizing consumer privacy.

"At a time when the company is under investigation for its data practices and anti-competitive actions, the Facebook Study app is at best tone-deaf and ill-considered," Bloomenthal told CNET.

Facebook and other tech giants have come under closer government scrutiny in recent weeks and could face antitrust action. For its part, Facebook is attempting to settle a Federal Trade Commission action over its handling of user data.

Ford Motor Company is recalling 107,857 model year 2013 F-150 pickup trucks equipped with 5.0L or 6.2L gasoline engines, that previously had the powertrain control module (PCM) software reprogrammed under an earlier recall.

The software used to reprogram the PCM did not have the necessary updates to prevent the transmission from unexpectedly downshifting into first gear, regardless of vehicle speed.

Unexpectedly downshifting into first gear may result in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin June 24, 2019.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S19.

Brodt Zenatti Holding of Jupiter, Florida is recalling all retail and bulk Karawan brand tahini and SoCo Brand tahini.

The products may be contaminated with Salmonella.

Four illnesses have been reported to date.

The following products are being recalled:

• Karawan Tahini imported from Palestine from December 2018, to April 2019: Unit size: 15.87-oz (450g) jar, 599.6 oz (17kgO and (599.6 oz) and 105.822-oz (3 kg) bucket; storage conditions: No refrigeration needed; expiration Date (s): Two years from the production. The expiration date is located on the lid of the containers.
• SoCo Tahini: Unit size: 13.4-oz (380g) container; storage conditions: No refrigeration needed; expiration Date (s): Two years from the production. The expiration date is located on the lid of the containers.

Karawan brand Tahini was shipped directly to distributors in New York and Texas, who then shipped it to Massachusetts and Virginia.

What to do

Consumers who purchased the recalled products should destroy or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact Brodt Zenatti Holding at (305) 570-9050, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Hayward Industries of Nashville, Tenn., is recalling about 300 Hayward Vent Kits sold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The recalled vent kits installed on gas pool heaters are not the proper size and can allow carbon monoxide to leak, posing a CO poisoning hazard.

No incidents or injuries have been reported.

This recall involves the Hayward UHXNEGVT15001 Negative Pressure 6-inch Vent Kit for pool heaters.

The vent kit is used exclusively on the Hayward H500FD Gas Heaters and includes one vent pipe adapter for negative pressure galvanized vent pipe, one flue cover plate with hole for vent, #10 sheet metal screws, vent pressure switches, vent pressure switch tubing and vent pressure switch jumper wire.

Only Hayward H500FD Gas Heaters that are installed indoors and use 6-inch negative pressure galvanized vent piping are affected by this recall.

The name Hayward is stamped into the furnace housing above the water pipes. The model and serial number H500FD is located to the left of the water pipes.

The vent kits, manufactured in the U.S., were sold at pool equipment distributors nationwide and online at poolsupply4less.com and tcpoolequipment.com from March 2015, through April 2019, for about $265.

What to do

Consumers should immediately turn off the pool heater and contact Hayward for free replacement and installation of a new vent kit and not use the pool heater until a new vent kit is installed.

Consumers may contact Hayward Industries toll-free at (888) 847-8717 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or online at http://www.recallrtr.com/haywardventkit for more information.