Current Events in September 2019

Dear Microsoft, a question: don’t your engineers test -- like thoroughly test -- things out before they release them to the consumer?

One would think, right?

Since Microsoft launched its anxiously awaited Windows 10 update, the end-user has found it be nothing more than a big, fat can of worms. First, there was a second update that was riddled with holes. Then there was a malware threat, followed by the discovery of a system gap that allowed hackers a way to get inside.

Now comes word that Windows 10’s latest fix can prevent both the Start Menu and Taskbar from functioning. A myriad of Reddit users say those issues include issues like “weird green lines,” an inability to type in the Start Menu, and the Start Menu “sticking.” In the words of one Reddit’er, the latest Windows 10 update is “unusable junk.”

Tired of pulling your hair out?

Word is that Microsoft is aware of the issues and doing its best to fix its fourth major issue in as many months.

There’s not much Windows 10 users can do until a new fix arrives, but there are a couple of options. Tech Radar recommends using “Cortana” -- Microsoft’s version of Alexa or Google Assistant -- or applying the new patch and losing search completely.

The other option is the good ‘ol support call. One ConsumerAffairs reviewer gave that angle -- and Microsoft support -- some much needed applause.

“After a Windows 10 update today, my search feature stopped working. When Microsoft virtual support failed to resolve my issue, I opted for a return call from a technician,” wrote the reviewer. 

“[The technician] was extremely patient and helpful. I gave him access to my screen and he solved the problem in approximately 30 minutes. A few years ago, I didn't get this kind of support, so I was EXTREMELY happy to see how efficient customer support is now, or at least with this employee.”

As more cities are adopting programs for consumers to rent bikes and scooters, injuries have been at the top of many researchers’ minds. 

A new study has found that the overwhelming majority of adult cyclists are opting not to wear helmets, emphasizing the need for mandated safety regulations. 

“Our findings and other research suggests that mandatory helmet laws can improve injury and mortality outcomes of bicycling accidents,” the researchers wrote. 

Staying safe on the road

The researchers came to their conclusions after analyzing a decade’s worth of cycling injuries from the National Trauma Data Bank. Between 2002 and 2012, over 76,000 adults were injured via cycling; of that number, over 80 percent were male and just 22 percent of all injured patients were wearing a helmet at the time of injury. 

The researchers dove deeper into the demographics to get a better understanding of the trends occurring among adult cyclists either opting for or against a helmet. The group with the highest record of helmet use was adults over 40, coming in at nearly 32 percent. Children under 17 had the lowest recorded helmet use, at just over 12 percent. 

There was a good amount of disparity between the genders as well, with women opting for helmets over 28 percent of the time; men wore helmets less than 21 percent of the time. When injuries landed cyclists in the hospital, the severity of the injuries and the length of the hospital stay was always worse for men. 

“It is perhaps not surprising that females were more likely to have worn a helmet than males when involved in an accident,” the researchers explained. “It is not entirely clear, however, why males in general had higher hospital and intensive care unit stay days, and in mortality. However, our analysis does show that females and males benefit almost equally by wearing a helmet.” 

Helmet use also differed among racial groups, with Hispanics wearing helmets just 7.5 percent of the time and African Americans opting for helmets just six percent of the time. Asian/Pacific Islander and white cyclists had a reported helmet use of nearly 27 percent.

Ultimately, the researchers hope that these findings emphasize how important it is for cyclists to wear helmets, as doing so can help consumers reduce their risk of serious and potentially life-threatening injuries. 

A new study conducted by researchers from the National University of Singapore discovered positive health benefits that consumers can gain from drinking tea regularly. 

The study revealed that, compared with those who don’t drink tea, regular tea drinkers showed better cognitive function and better overall brain health. 

“Our results offer the first evidence of positive contribution of tea drinking to brain structure, and suggest that drinking tea regularly has a protective effect against age-related decline in brain organization,” said researcher Feng Lei. 

Powerful effects of tea

While the researchers’ previous study showed how tea can improve consumers’ cognitive abilities, Lei and his team wanted to see how drinking tea regularly was affecting consumers’ brain function. 

All study participants were at least 60 years old, and the researchers analyzed their brain health using MRI scans. Participants reported on their own diet, physical activity, and other health-related information. 

At the end of the three-year study, the researchers learned that tea has a powerful effect on the human brain and can keep consumers’ sharp into later life. Those who were drinking tea at least four times per week had more promising brain scans than those who didn’t drink tea, as their neural pathways were operating more efficiently than non-tea drinkers. 

“Take the analogy of road traffic as an example -- consider brain regions as destinations, while the connections between brain regions are roads,” Feng said. “When a road system is better organized, the movement of vehicles and passengers is more efficient and uses less resources. Similarly, when the connections between brain regions are more structured, information processing can be performed more efficiently.” 

While consumers have several tea options to choose from, in this study, the ones that produced the best results were oolong tea, black tea, and green tea. 

“We have shown in our previous studies that tea drinkers had better cognitive function as compared to non-tea drinkers,” said Feng. “Our current results relating to brain network indirectly support our previous findings by showing that positive effects of regular tea drinking are the result of improved brain organisation brought about by preventing disruption to interregional connections.” 

Tea can help in other ways, too

A recent study revealed the powers of green tea, finding that the popular drink can help consumers fight obesity. 

In a study conducted on mice, the researchers found that green tea was instrumental in cutting down inflammation in the intestines and fat tissues. Ultimately, the mice exposed to the beverage gained less weight over time. 

“Two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, and we know that just telling people to eat less and exercise more isn’t working,” said researcher Richard Bruno. “It’s important to establish complementary health-promoting approaches that can prevent obesity and related problems.”

Pay raises have been hard to come by since the financial crisis, but a survey conducted by Aon, a professional services provider, suggests 2020 could be the year that paychecks get bigger.

There’s one caveat however; employees eligible for bonuses will do the best in terms of extra pay.

The survey projects that average salaries will end 3.1 percent higher by the end of 2019. It also shows that salaries will keep rising next year, with another increase of 3.2 percent. But keep in mind, that’s the average. The survey shows more money will flow into the paychecks of the highest-performing employees.

Bonuses make the difference

At the same time, what’s known as variable pay -- things like incentive or sign-on bonuses -- is expected to surge to record levels at 13.1 percent of total payroll, the largest allocation to projected variable pay in the history of the 43-year study.

"These increases in salary and variable pay reinforce the commitment of businesses to invest in talent, especially top performers,” said Ken Abosch, an employee rewards consultant at Aon. “This is a very positive development for employees who have seen mostly stagnant wage growth since 2011 when base pay budgets increased by 2.7 percent and variable pay spending was 11.6 percent of payroll."

It also represents an acknowledgment among employers that they must pay more to obtain and retain top-shelf talent in a tight labor pool. At the same time, these employers appear to be willing to spend this extra money only on their best talent.

Growth in variable pay

Aon says 90 percent of the businesses in its survey now have a broad-based variable pay plan that includes signing bonuses, individual performance awards, special recognition awards, and business incentives. 

And just because you might work for a small business, that doesn’t mean you’ll be missing out on increased variable pay. The survey found that people working for small businesses will see a greater increase in both base and variable pay than those working for big employers.

Working in a high cost-of-living market will also increase your chances of taking home more money next year since salaries -- and pay raises -- tend to be higher than average. If you work in Texas, you may have a better chance of landing a big bonus since 17.8 percent of payroll is allocated to variable pay in that state, well above the 13.1 percent national average.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is repealing a 2015 Obama administration-era rule that expanded the government’s definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act. 

EPA, along with the U.S. Army, is recodifying the regulatory text that existed prior to the 2015 rule change, ending what it called a regulatory patchwork.

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the move corrects “the previous administration’s overreach” in implementing federal regulations.

“This is a new WOTUS definition that will provide greater regulatory certainty for farmers, landowners, home builders, and developers nationwide,” Wheeler said.

Quick reaction

Environmental groups were quick to criticize the move. The American Fisheries Society was among the first to warn of the impact when the rule was proposed, saying the action would significantly narrow the scope of protections for U.S. waters. 

“The proposal would replace the science-based 2015 rule which includes protections for headwaters, intermittent and ephemeral streams, and wetlands,” the group said at the tiime. “The new proposal (Replacement Rule) would substantially weaken the Clean Water Act, one of the nation’s most effective natural resource laws.”

Jon Devine, director of federal water policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), says the Trump administration’s action will likely be challenged in court.

“The Clean Water Rule represented solid science and smart public policy,” Devine said in a statement. “Where it has been enforced, it has protected important waterways and wetlands, providing certainty to all stakeholders.”

Complexity of the waterway system

When it implemented the rule in 2015, the Obama administration said it was acknowledging the complexity of the nation’s waterway system and its importance to environmental health. But farmers, ranchers, and developers complained that the expanded definition of what constitutes a waterway was significantly limiting what they could do on their land.

In announcing the final rule, Wheeler said the Obama-era rule had produced numerous complaints and lawsuits from as many as 31 states. The Trump administration announced a review of WOTUS soon after taking office.

In spite of forecasts predicting falling gasoline prices into the end of summer, consumers in much of the nation saw little price movement over the last week. Prices were slightly higher in some states and slightly lower in others.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the national average price of regular is $2.57 a gallon, about the same as it was a week ago. Prices are still seven cents lower than a month ago. The average price of premium gas is $3.16 a gallon, also unchanged from seven days ago. The average price of diesel fuel remains unchanged from last Friday, at $2.92 a gallon.

While fuel prices remain a lot lower than at this time a year ago, consumers appear to be driving more. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports gasoline demand increased by 336,000 barrels a day in the previous week. The increase in demand has cut total gasoline supplies by around 700,000 barrels.

But downward price pressure may resume. In a tweet this week, Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said refineries should start delivering winter-grade gasoline in a week or so, replacing more expensive summer blends.

“EPA requires summer gasoline through Sept. 15, so winter gasoline could theoretically show up as soon as Sept. 16, but it'll usually take a couple of weeks to hit,” he wrote.

Over the last week most states saw little to no change in fuel prices, but Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois were exceptions. Prices at the pump in those states showed bigger-than-average increases.

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:

• Hawaii ($3.66)

• California ($3.62)

• Washington ($3.19)

• Nevada ($3.10)

• Oregon ($3.04)

• Alaska ($2.98)

• Arizona ($2.82)

• Utah ($2.77)

• Idaho ($2.77)

• Illinois ($2.74)

The states with the cheapest regular gas

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

• Mississippi ($2.19)

• Louisiana ($2.20)

• Alabama ($2.22)

• South Carolina ($2.23)

• Arkansas ($2.24)

• Tennessee ($2.27)

• Missouri ($2.30)

• Texas ($2.27)

• Virginia ($2.28)

• Oklahoma ($2.29)

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling 1,103,479 model year 2015-2017 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks with an 8 foot bed and a power locking tailgate.

Also being recalled are all model year 2013-2014 and model year 2018 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks built before April 1, 2018 with a 6 or 8 foot bed and a power locking tailgate.

Model year 2015-2017 Ram 1500 pickup trucks with truck beds other than 8 foot, are currently covered under an earlier recall.

The tailgate actuator limiter tab may fracture and cause the tailgate to unlatch and open while the vehicle is being driven.

If the tailgate opens while the vehicle is being driven, cargo may fall out the vehicle and create a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.

What to do

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will repair the tailgate latch free of charge.

The recall began May 23, 2019.

Chrysler is expected to notify owners of the expanded population on October 18, 2019.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at (800) 853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V44.

The Trump administration is reportedly gearing up to impose a ban on flavored e-cigarettes. 

The move comes as health officials continue to express concern over the number of teens who have picked up vaping in recent years. It also comes amid an ongoing national investigation into a surge in “severe” lung illnesses among e-cigarette users that has claimed six lives.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement on Wednesday that the administration is “making it clear that we intend to clear the market of flavored e-cigarettes to reverse the deeply concerning epidemic of youth e-cigarette use that is impacting children, families, schools and communities.” 

“We will not stand idly by as these products become an on-ramp to combustible cigarettes or nicotine addiction for a generation of youth,” Azar continued. 

He said the Trump Administration wants to pull the products from the market entirely, at least until the FDA can thoroughly review their safety. 

Late last week, health officials reported that e-cigarette use is likely behind more than 450 cases of lung illnesses affecting users in 33 states. As of Tuesday, six people have died from causes believed to be linked to the use of e-cigarettes and other devices. 

FDA guidance coming soon

President Trump said on Wednesday that the FDA would be issuing "some very strong recommendations" regarding the use of flavored e-cigarettes in "a couple of weeks,” according to CNN.

The policy expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks would require manufacturers of flavored e-cigarette products to remove their products from the market within 30 days.

"It'll take several weeks for us to put out the final guidance that will announce all the parameters around the enforcement policy, and then there will likely be about a 30-day delay to effective date, as is customary," Azar said. “At that point all flavored e-cigarettes other than tobacco flavor would have to be removed from the market."

Applications seeking FDA approval to reenter the market could be submitted at a later date. 

“We strongly agree with the need for aggressive category-wide action on flavored products,” a Juul spokesman told CNBC. “We will fully comply with the final FDA policy when effective.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently recommended that young adults, pregnant women, and non-smokers avoid using e-cigarettes and vaping products while the agency investigates the outbreak of lung illnesses. Those who use e-cigarette products are urged not to buy them off the street, modify them, or add any substances to the products that are not intended by the manufacturer. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced a plan on Thursday to revamp and broaden Social Security -- and when she says revamp, she means make it better for consumers. Her plan is to increase Social Security payouts by $200 a month by tapping into the investment income tax on some of the U.S.’ more well-to-do consumers and businesses.

As an example: if the plan went into play January 1, 2020, Social Security recipients would be getting an extra $2400 over what they received in 2019. Other components of the proposal include:

• Modernizing rules to increase benefits for lower-income families, women, people with disabilities, people of color, and public-sector workers.

• Paying for the modifications by “asking the top 2% of families to contribute their fair share to the program.”

Important consumer benefits

With Warren running for U.S. President, it’s hard to tell if this is a campaign sweetener or the lawmaker simply being a good representative of the people. However, her proposal fits well in her campaign pitch for equality in the American economy.

“One thing is clear: it’s getting harder to save enough for a decent retirement,” Warren commented in a news release.

“Social Security has become the main source of retirement income for most seniors. About half of married seniors and 70 percent of unmarried seniors rely on Social Security for at least half of their income. More than 20 percent of married seniors and 45 percent of unmarried seniors rely on Social Security for 90 percent or more of their income.”

Taking a deeper dive into cultural differences in the Social Security system, Warren said that current payouts under the program create a stark reality for those who need it. 

“As of 2014, 26 percent of Asian and Pacific Islander beneficiaries, 33 percent of Black beneficiaries, and 40 percent of Latinx beneficiaries relied on Social Security benefits as their only source of retirement income,” she said.

The payoff

Mind you, Warren isn’t flying blind on her Social Security wish list. She hired Moody’s Analytics to make sure that what she’s pitching can actually be pulled off. In Moody’s view, it can.

“The increase in benefits under the plan would immediately lift an estimated 4.9 million elderly people out of poverty under the supplemental poverty measure,” confirmed Mark.Zandi, Moody’s Chief Economist. 

“And for those in the bottom half of the income distribution, the plan increases average Social Security benefits by nearly 25 percent. Benefits for those in the top 10 percent of the distribution increase by less than 5 percent.”

Do it now, not later

Zandi said that the Social Security system is essentially broken and in desperate need of some do-or-die reform.

“If policymakers do nothing, the system will become insolvent in about 15 years, which, under current law, will result in significant cuts in Social Security benefits. For financially precarious low- and middle-income Americans, this is an especially scary possibility,” Zandi said.

This is not an overnight fix, Zandi says, but if the changes are put into effect now, those alterations should put the system in a healthier financial situation, not to mention extend its financial solvency by another 20 years.

Consumers took on $35.6 billion in new credit card debt during the second quarter of the year, according to a new credit study.

The personal finance site WalletHub reports that it’s the largest second-quarter buildup of credit card debt on record, raising new concerns about the financial health of U.S. consumers. While increased credit card spending doesn’t necessarily raise red flags, the additional debt, with double-digit interest rates, is cause for concern.

“Our overleveraging problem has been trending in the wrong direction for some time now, and the latest data indicate we’re truly entering dangerous territory,” said WalletHub CEO Odysseas Papadimitriou.

Consumers began the year owing more than $1 trillion on their credit card accounts but  managed to repay $38.2 billion in the first three months of the year. But spending discipline appeared to vanish in the second quarter as spending dramatically increased faster than payments. The study authors now project a $70 billion net increase in consumer credit card debt by the end of the year.

Expensive debt

Credit card debt is among the most expensive debt there is. The average credit card interest rate is around 16 percent, making it difficult to pay down large balances.

On a brighter note, the Federal Reserve is expected to cut a key interest rate when it meets next week, which almost always results in a reduction in most credit card rates. The WalletHub study estimates the savings to consumers from a Fed rate cut would be around $1.6 billion annually.

With a lower interest rate, consumers with a large credit card balance would be able to pay it off at a faster rate, especially if they increased their monthly payments a bit. But experts say they’re not seeing that trend.

“Unfortunately, that’s not what we’re seeing,” said Papadimitriou. “Instead, it seems like consumers are ramping up their reliance on credit card debt. This is an ominous signal, as there are a lot of similarities to the time shortly before the last recession.”

According to the study, the average credit card debt per household in the second quarter was $8,602, which is a 5 percent increase over the second quarter of 2018. Total credit card debt was also up 5 percent over a year ago.

Uber has argued that it won’t need to reclassify its drivers as employees under California’s Assembly Bill 5 because it’s technically a “technology platform for several different types of digital marketplaces.”

As a “platform,” the company argues that it won’t be required to reclassify any drivers from independent contractors to employees.

“We continue to believe drivers are properly classified as independent, and because we’ll continue to be responsive to what the vast majority of drivers tell us they want most — flexibility — drivers will not be automatically reclassified as employees, even after January of next year,” the company said in a statement.

Tony West, Uber’s chief legal official, said AB5 -- which is expected to go into effect on Jan. 1 after being signed by Governor Gavin Newsom -- “currently says nothing about rideshare drivers.” 

“What AB5 does do is fairly straightforward: it inserts into the California labor code a new legal test that must be used when determining whether a worker is classified as an independent contractor or an employee,” West said on a call with reporters. 

ABC test

West argued that Uber could pass the legal “ABC test” to determine if someone is an independent contractor. Under the test, a company must verify that the following are true: 

1. The worker is free from the control and direction of the hiring entity;

2. He or she works outside the usual course of the company’s business;

3. The worker is engaged in an “independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same nature as the work performed.”

West, who added that Uber is “no stranger to legal battles,” said previous rulings have found that “drivers’ work is outside the usual course of Uber’s business.”

Twitter users have taken issue with the official’s remarks, noting that Uber CEO Dara Khosroshahi has said numerous times over the past few years that "drivers are at the heart of the Uber experience," "drivers are who make Uber what it is," and "we can never forget that drivers represent the heart of our service." 

“This is a good point by @Uber,” wrote another Twitter user. “Just last week as my wife and I were leaving a bar, I turned to her and asked ‘are you getting a technology platform for several different types of digital marketplaces’ or should I?”

Trustwave security researcher Simon Kenin has discovered multiple bugs in D-Link and Comba routers, which could put users’ passwords and usernames at risk of being accessed by cybercriminals. 

Kenin explained that these flaws are serious because a router that’s been taken over by an outside party can “manipulate how your users resolve DNS hostnames to direct your users to malicious websites.” 

“An attacker-controlled router can deny access in and out of the network perhaps blocking your users from accessing important resources or blocking customers from accessing your website,” he said. 

D-Link vulnerabilities

In D-Link routers, two flaws were discovered in the firmware for the DSL-2875AL and DSL-2877AL wireless ADSL modem/router. 

In a post detailing the findings, Trustwave’s Karl Sigler wrote that D-Link’s response to the discovery of the bugs was “confusing and unfortunately very typical for organizations that are not set up to accept security problems from third party researchers like Trustwave SpiderLabs.” 

Sigler said Trustwave gave D-Link an extension to its 90-day disclosure window after the firm claimed its team was “unable to escalate the issue” with its R&D group within the initial window of time provided. D-Link eventually deployed firmware updates for both devices (DSL-2875AL, DSL-2877AL) to patch the flaws. 

“Users of these routers and access points will want to verify that they are on the most recent firmware and may want to use internal filtering controls or a separate filtering device like a firewall to limit access to the web-based management of these devices to only a small set of authorized IP addresses,” Trustwave said. 

Comba router vulnerabilities

The researchers found three vulnerabilities in Comba’s AC2400 Wi-Fi Access Controller and AP2600-IAccess Point. 

The flaw found in the AC2400 enabled the MD5 hashed password to be stored in plaintext in a file accessible to anyone who knows the device’s IP address. The AP2600-I flaws leaves the MD5 hashed password stored in the source of the log-in webpage as well as in a config file, leaving them both open to anyone who knows the device’s IP address.

Trustwave said its team reached out to Comba several times, but the company has not yet responded or issued a fix for the vulnerabilities. 

“Unfortunately, there is not much in the way of mitigating the Comba Telcom findings,” said Trustwave. “After reaching out multiple times, Comba Telcom was simply unresponsive.”

A new study has explored who ends up paying for damage caused by alcohol-related incidents, and the results have prompted a group of researchers to reconsider the taxes currently put on these products.

Current federal laws require alcohol to be taxed, though it’s up to the states to impose further taxes. The researchers believe that more taxes on alcohol would help to reduce consumers’ excessive alcohol consumption and ultimately lead to a safer, healthier society, as the current taxes don’t go far enough to cover the damage done following alcohol-induced damages. 

“Policy debates around alcohol taxes have mostly centered on public health benefits, but I think our study might change the focus of the debate somewhat, since it seems fair that those who drink the most and who produce and sell alcohol should cover the costs to society,” said researcher Jason G. Blanchette. 

Understanding the taxes

The researchers utilized state and federal tax data from 2010  to determine how different states’ alcohol taxes ultimately affected how much the government and consumers had to pay to resolve alcohol-related incidents. 

States have the option to tack on three other taxes, in addition to federal taxes: ad valorem taxes, state taxes, and specific excise taxes. The first two are dependent on the price of the alcohol, whereas the latter is dependent on the volume of alcohol. 

The researchers explained that all states charge consumers a specific excise tax. According to Blanchette, “that was the standard when alcohol prohibition was lifted.” But these taxes haven’t held up well over time because “they haven’t kept pace with inflation, so now they’re not worth much.”

Because hardly any states choose to impose their own additional taxes that would increase with higher-priced purchases, the researchers learned that the taxes the government collects hardly cover the cost of the damages that come from excessive alcohol consumption. 

While the federal government makes around 21 cents per drink on taxes, and states, on average, bring in 13 cents per drink on their taxes. Alcohol-related damages cost over two dollars per drink sold across the country. Though the government covers some of that money, consumers are ultimately the ones left with the price tag through their income tax. 

“The disparity between alcohol-related cost to government and alcohol taxes amounts to a large taxpayer-funded subsidy of excessive drinking and alcohol companies,” said researcher Dr. Timothy S. Naimi. 

The researchers believe that more can be done to alleviate this problem and take some of the monetary burden off of consumers who don’t drink excessively. They argue that one straightforward approach would be placing higher taxes on alcohol.

“The bottom line is that current alcohol taxes, even considering all types of tax including general sales taxes, don’t come close to covering alcohol-related costs,” Dr. Naimi said. 

The Federal Reserve meets next week and is expected to cut interest rates by a quarter-point. But that apparently will not be enough for President Trump.

Trump took to Twitter this week to castigate a “boneheaded” Fed for keeping interest rates too high, suggesting they should be at 0 percent or lower. Several European countries have cut rates to negative yields and in a series of tweets, the president suggested that would be a good move for the U.S. since it would make it cheaper to finance the considerable U.S. debt.

"The Federal Reserve should get our interest rates down to ZERO, or less," the president wrote in a tweet.

But European economies are gasping for air while the U.S. economy appears to still be growing. Most mainstream economists say there is very little economic rationale for negative U.S. interest rates.

After raising rates aggressively last year, the Fed has cut its key federal funds interest rate to a range of 2 percent to 2.25 percent. Historically, that’s very low. Cutting rates is normally something done when an economy is faltering, but economists say there has been little evidence of that in the U.S.

Critics charge negative rates hurt banks

There’s also a growing number of economists who say negative interest rates don’t spur an economy as they are intended to do. These critics argue that negative rates end up hurting banks and reducing inflation, with the effect of handcuffing economic growth.

"Negative interest rates have failed in Europe and Japan," Richard Fisher, former president of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank, told CNN.

Trump’s tweet once again rattled the markets as it suggested the White House is concerned about the U.S. economy. If the economy is on sound footing, market analysts reasoned, negative interest rates aren’t necessary.

Critics of negative interest rates often compare them to a tax on banks. Banks normally collect interest payments when they deposit their reserves at central banks like the Fed. But when negative rates are in effect, the banks have to pay central banks for holding onto their cash.

It’s a measure that is supposed to encourage banks to lend money but in practice, critics say it hasn’t worked that way.

A new study conducted by researchers from the Medical College of Georgia found that young women with obesity were at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, a condition that typically targets women in menopause and later in life. 

“The question we had is exactly what is happening with these young women,” said researcher Dr. Eric Belin de Chantemele. 

How hormones play a role

Previous research has shown how female sex hormones are instrumental in protecting pre-menopausal women from heart disease, which is why the researchers were curious about why this trend began emerging among young women. 

They conducted their study on mice in an effort to determine how the biology of being female and overweight affects patients chances of developing cardiovascular disease. 

In one trial, the researchers removed the receptor for the female sex hormone progesterone; in another trial, they removed the receptor for the hormone aldosterone, which can increase inflammation in the arteries and heart and contribute to high blood pressure. 

Obesity has been found to compromise the function of hormones, and so added weight can affect the body’s responses. In this case, young women with obesity are producing more aldosterone, which is negatively affecting their heart health. 

The researchers discovered that after they removed the receptors for progesterone in the mice, their aldosterone levels weren’t as high. That suggests that the hormone is a source of disease risk for women with obesity. 

To confirm that this was true, the researchers took the experiment one step further by removing the mice’s ovaries and injecting them separately with estrogen and progesterone. While the estrogen didn’t alter the mice’s other bodily hormonal responses, the progesterone alone was enough to increase the aldosterone levels. 

“Basically we think that progesterone is some sort of evolutionary mechanism for sustenance of an increased mineralocorticoid receptor expression in the vasculature of females,” said Dr. Jessica Faulkner. 

Women’s weight affects others

Recent studies have explored how women’s weight can affect their children, and how healthy habits -- or a lack thereof -- can be passed down. 

One study found that women who follow five healthy habits are more likely to have children who do the same. Another study found that though fathers’ diets and exercise don’t play a role, mothers who place an emphasis on healthy eating and physical activity can affect the likelihood that their children follow suit. 

“Parents have a major impact on their children’s health and lifestyle,” said researcher Marit Næss. “Behaviors that lead to obesity are easily transferred from parent to child.”

Ford Motor Company is recalling 482,520 model year 2018-2020 F-150s and model year 2019-2020 F-250s, F-350s, F-450s, & F-550s, and model year 2018-2019 Ford Explorers and model year 2019-2020 Expeditions with driver and/or passenger's manual front seat back recliner mechanisms.

Also included are model year 2020 Ford Explorers & Lincoln Aviators with rear outboard seats and manual seat back recliner mechanisms.

The recliner mechanisms may be missing the third pawl required for seat back strength, resulting in a loose seat back.

A seat back with an improperly assembled recliner mechanism may have reduced strength and may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

What to do

Ford will notify owners, and Ford and Lincoln dealers will inspect the seat structure and replace them, as necessary, free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin October 7, 2019.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19C07.

STIHL Incorporated of Virginia Beach, Va., is recalling about 73,000 STIHL PolyCut mowing heads.

The bolts connecting the plastic blades and holding the mowing head together can come loose and the mowing head can come apart, posing a risk of injury to the user or bystanders.

The firm has received 28 reports of loose bolts or mowing heads coming apart, including two reports of injuries.

This recall involves mowing head cutting attachments compatible with some models of STIHL-brand trimmers, brushcutters, and clearing saws.

The mowing heads can be identified by the name “STIHL” and model number “27-3” or “47-3” located on the original packaging and molded on the top side of the mowing head.

The mowing heads have three orange plastic blades, each attached with a bolt and a nut, a black top housing, and a white bottom housing.

The mowing heads, manufactured in the U.S., were sold at authorized full line STIHL servicing dealers nationwide from July 2018, through July 2019, for about $30 for the 27-3 model and about $40 for the 47-3 model.

What to do

Consumers should stop using the recalled mowing heads immediately and take them to an authorized STIHL dealer for a full refund.

Consumers may contact STIHL at (800) 610-6677 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, by e-mail stihlrecall@stihl.us or online at www.stihlusa.com and click on “Product Recalls” at the bottom of the page for more information.

Cooper Tire & Rubber is recalling 4,045 Roadmaster RM852 EM tires, size 295/75R22.5, with DOT date codes 4618 through 4818.

The innerliner gauge may be too thin, allowing the tire sidewall to fail.

A sidewall failure may cause the tire to rapidly deflate, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Cooper Tire has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the tires free of charge.

The recall began August 30, 2019.

Owners may contact Cooper Tire customer service at (800) 854-6288. Cooper Tire's number for this recall is 173.