Current Events in January 2021

Former President Trump has left the White House, but the controversy over his last weeks in office may be haunting one of his staunchest corporate supporters.

Bed Bath & Beyond has disclosed that it has stopped carrying My Pillow products, a brand that made a name for itself over the last decade by saturating the airwaves with TV commercials featuring its founder and CEO, Mike Lindell.

Lindell claims his products are being blacklisted by Bed Bath & Beyond and other retailers because of his strong support for Trump and his public claims that the election of President Biden was fraudulent -- a claim for which there has never been any evidence.

Bed Bath & Beyond denies Lindell’s claim or a political motive. In a statement to Yahoo Finance, the retailer said it was simply a business decision.

“As previously announced, we have been rationalizing our assortment to discontinue a number of underperforming items and brands. This includes the MyPillow product line,” a Bed Bath & Beyond spokesperson said in a statement. “Our decisions are data-driven, customer-inspired, and are delivering substantial growth in our key destination categories.”

Other retailers?

Lindell says Bed Bath & Beyond isn’t the only retailer to distance itself from the My Pillow brand. In recent days, he says Kohl’s, Wayfair, and H-E-B have decided to remove My Pillow products from their stores and websites. Lindell told the Minneapolis StarTribune that companies are reacting to pressure from “left-wing activist groups.”

The other retailers Lindell cited declined to comment.

Lindell has always been a strong Trump supporter, but he ratcheted up his rhetoric in the wake of the November election, which Biden won by a 7 million vote margin and an Electoral College vote of 306 to 232.

Lindell has repeated Trump’s baseless claim that Biden stole the election. The StarTribune reports that Lindell was photographed Friday at the White House, allegedly carrying a document suggesting apparent steps Trump could take to try to remain in power, including invoking martial law.

Lindell told the newspaper he is considering a run for governor of Minnesota. In the meantime, he could be facing a lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems. The company has sent Lindell a cease and desist letter, accusing him of defaming the company with claims that the machines purposefully miscounted votes.

Lindell told WCCO-TV in Minneapolis he would welcome a lawsuit by the voting machine company.

General Motors is recalling 213,128 model year 2012-2013 Buick Regals, model year 2013 Chevrolet Malibus, and model year 2010-2013 Buick Lacrosses sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia or Wisconsin.

These vehicles may have rear toe links that received excessive electrocoating (e-coat) corrosion protection, which could cause the e-coat to become brittle and break away when contacted by road debris.

Over time, the e-coat may chip away, exposing the metal toe link and making it more susceptible to corrosion. Corrosion may eventually cause the toe link to thin and ultimately to fracture.

A rear toe link fracture may reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners free of charge.

Parts are not currently available. Owners will be mailed an interim notification on February 15, 2021. A second notification will be mailed when parts are available, currently expected to be around March 21, 2021.

Owners may contact Buick customer service at (800) 521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at (800) 222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202308930.

Juratoys US of Millersburg, Pa., is recalling about 3,000 Janod Toy Confetti Trumpets sold in the U.S. and Canada.

The small plastic pieces inside the toy trumpets can come loose and can be ingested by children, posing a choking hazard.

No incidents or injuries are reported.

This recall involves Janod Confetti Trumpets with batch/SKU number J07632 sold separately or as part of a set.

The trumpet is made from wood and is red and white with colored dots on the tube. The batch/SKU number is on the bell of the trumpet.

The trumpet is also sold in the Janod Confetti Music “Live” Musical Set with batch/SKU number J07626. The batch number is on the packaging and on the backside of the ukulele. The set contained a ukulele, trumpet tambourine, clapper, and harmonica.

Only the trumpet in the sets is recalled.

The trumpets, manufactured in China, were sold at toy stores nationwide and online at Amazon and Maisonette.com from January 2019, and November 2020, for about $6 for the trumpet sold individually, and about $50 for the Confetti Music Live Set.

What to do

Consumers should immediately take the recalled toy away from children, stop using the Confetti Trumpet or the trumpet in the Confetti Music Live Set, dispose of the trumpet and contact Juratoys US for a refund.

Consumers may contact Juratoys US toll-free at (855)665-9287 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, by email at customercare@juratoysus.com or online at www.Janod.US and click on “Recall Information” at the bottom of the page for more information.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 24,273,831 (24,087,284)

Total U.S. deaths: 402,400 (399,264)

Total global cases: 96,396,565 (95,703,104)

Total global deaths: 2,063,594 (2,044,445)

Study finds vaccine is effective against mutated virus

The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech is just as effective at neutralizing the newly discovered virus strain as the original. That’s the finding of a study completed by the companies and reported by STAT News

The study has not been peer-reviewed, but its findings conform to early predictions that there is nothing in the variant that would give it a defense against the vaccine. The new variant -- called B.1.1.7. -- is already quickly spreading, and some health experts believe it may be responsible for the huge surge in cases over the last couple of months.

Meanwhile, a second variant of the virus was discovered this week at a hospital in Germany. That virus is being studied to determine how it differs from the first two versions.

Biden presides at pre-inaugural COVID-19 memorial service

The number of Americans lost to COVID-19 reached 400,000 on Tuesday, and President-elect Biden, on the eve of his inauguration as president, paused to pay tribute to them at a memorial service on the National Mall.

In an address to the nation, as lights honoring lost Americans lit up along the reflecting pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, Biden told a national television audience that “To heal, we must remember.”

“It’s hard sometimes to remember,” Biden said."But that's how we heal. It's important to do that as a nation. That's why we're here."

100 million vaccinations in 100 days

One of the Biden administration’s first orders of business will be to speed up the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine. Biden announced last week that he plans to take a national approach in an effort to vaccinate 100 million people in the first 100 days of his administration.

A number of states have asked for more vaccine doses and complained of supply and distribution bottlenecks. The Trump administration largely left logistics up to individual states. Biden has proposed more of a national approach.

As a first step, the incoming administration has proposed organizing retail pharmacies to become vaccination centers, along with using the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish mass vaccination centers at large venues.

Lidl paying employees to get the vaccine

Supermarket chain Lidl is the latest retailer to offer a financial incentive for its employees to get the coronavirus vaccine. The company has announced that it will pay employees who choose to be vaccinated an extra $200.

"We are proud to provide our employees the resources they need to receive the COVID-19 vaccine free of any obstacles," said Johannes Fieber, CEO of Lidl US. "From the outset of the pandemic, we have worked hard to put the health and safety of our employees first.”

The company said the additional payment will help offset the costs associated with vaccine administration, including travel costs and childcare. The company will also accommodate employee schedules for vaccine appointments.

Americans still stocking up on cleaning products

We’re ten months into the pandemic, and consumers are still snapping up cleaning products. Disinfectant wipes are still sometimes hard to find, and Americans are apparently giving their washing machines a workout.

Proctor and Gamble, the maker of Tide detergent and other cleaning products, has told investors that its profit forecast for 2021 is still rising. It’s raising its target for the second time in two quarters.

On the heels of a highly profitable 2020, the consumer products company now says it expects sales to grow by as much as 6 percent in fiscal 2021, up from its previous outlook of around 4 percent growth.

Around the nation

• Michigan: With vaccines in short supply, there isn’t a drop to waste. But the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reports that 21 shipments of the Moderna vaccine spoiled on its way to the state. That amounts to about 12,000 doses.

• Utah: State Senate President Stuart Adams has proposed lowering the age threshold for receiving the coronavirus vaccine from 75 to 65. “Vaccinating those 65 and older is the most significant step we can take to protect lives and livelihoods,” he said. “If we do that, we can open up the parts of our economy that are still struggling, including our entertainment facilities, convention centers, and hospitality services.”

• Louisiana: Dr. Joe Kanter, head of the Louisiana Department of Health, is warning hospitals and doctors after receiving reports that some have been favoring their own patients when administering the vaccine. "To the extent that such discrimination is occurring, it must immediately cease," Kanter wrote to the health facilities.

While Kroger was somewhat vague last week when it announced how it would be handling COVID-19 vaccines, Aldi, Dollar General, and Trader Joe's have given a definitive and concrete position.

On Tuesday, budget-niched grocery retailer Aldi said it will be providing assistance to its workers so they can access the vaccine and not lose wages from taking time away from work. Dollar General, Trader Joe’s, and Instacart also opted to do the same for their employees.

Officials from the companies said they felt the decision to support employees was the right thing to do for workers, customers, and the communities they serve.

“Through our mission of Serving Others, we take the responsibility to serve our customers and communities seriously,” Dollar General stated. “Providing accommodations so employees can receive this critical vaccine is one more way we can support them and eliminate the need to choose between earning their wages and protecting their well-being,” added Jason Hart, the CEO of ALDI U.S. 

Providing accommodations

The four companies are basically on parallel paths in their accommodations -- each creating a way to give workers the time and cost to get vaccinated without fretting over losing pay or taking time away from work. And for workers who prefer not to be vaccinated, the chains are giving the freedom to choose that route as well. Below is a summary of each company’s position.

Aldi: Aldi will give its hourly workers two hours of pay for each vaccine dose they receive, giving workers up to four hours total of paid time off. Aldi also said it will offer flexible scheduling and "cover costs associated with vaccine administration" for employees who want to get vaccinated. 

Dollar General: Dollar General says it’s working to remove barriers (e.g., travel time, mileage, child care needs, etc.) associated with getting the vaccine. Similar to Aldi, the company says it will pay frontline hourly team members an equivalent of four hours of regular pay after receiving a completed COVID-19 vaccination. Salaried workers will get additional work hours to accommodate their time away from the store. The company says it’s also developing a way for its distribution and transportation teams to enjoy similar accommodations.

Instacart: Instacart will reportedly have a "vaccine support stipend" of $25 available for in-store employees and its independent contractors who have been vaccinated. However, there’s a small hurdle for its independent shoppers. According to CNN’s coverage of the situation, those workers must have shopped for and delivered at least five batches for the company in the past 30 days.

Trader Joe’s: CNN also reported that Trader Joe's will give workers "an additional 2 hours of regular pay per dose for taking the time to get vaccinated.”

A “personal choice”

Grocery store workers are considered “frontline essential workers,” so they’re part of phase two of the CDC’s vaccination plan. Despite that “essential” tag, grocery chains have probably seen reports suggesting that more than a third of Americans are opposed to taking a COVID-19 vaccine and realize that a company-wide decree could spell trouble. 

While the United Food and Commercial Workers Union is fully behind grocery workers getting vaccinated, both Dollar General and Aldi have decided that making the vaccination optional might be the better way to go. 

“We understand the decision to receive the COVID-19 vaccination is a personal choice, and although we are encouraging employees to take it, we are not requiring them to do so,” Dollar General said.

“Understanding the vaccination of healthcare personnel and long-term care facility residents is underway and the CDC currently recommends the next phase of vaccinations be offered to frontline essential workers, we want to be on the forefront of facilitating our employees’ ability to receive the COVID-19 vaccine if they so choose—and we encourage all of our team to receive the vaccine when it’s available to them.”

The incoming Biden administration has signaled many policy changes that it plans to make in the days ahead, and many will affect consumers. Most have drawn applause from consumer advocates.

“Our administration will hit the ground running to deliver immediate, urgent relief to Americans; confront the overlapping crises of COVID-19, the historic economic downturn, systemic racism and inequality, and the climate crisis; and get this government working for the people it serves,” Pres-elect Joe Biden said in a statement shortly before his inauguration. 

“These tireless public servants will be a key part of our agenda to build back better — and I am confident they will help make meaningful change and move our country forward.”

Among the highest-profile initiatives, Biden has said he wants to send every American an additional $1,400 to supplement the $600 contained in the end-of-the-year stimulus bill. However, he will need the cooperation of Congress to do that.

Executive orders

But there are plenty of changes Biden can make through executive orders, just as his predecessor did. Biden has already announced that he plans to nationalize the COVID-19 vaccine rollout with the goal of vaccinating 100 million people in the first 100 days of his administration.

Another big change from the past four years may come in the form of financial regulation. Biden has tapped Rohit Chopra, the former student loan ombudsman for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), to be that agency’s executive director.

Chopra, who is a current commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is a close ally of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and consumer advocates were quick to applaud the choice.

“Consumers can rest just a little bit easier knowing that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will not just be on their side, but aggressively establishing rules to stop ripoffs and enforcing the rules against financial cheats and scamsters,” Public Citizen said in a statement.

Big changes

Democrats have been highly critical of the GOP's management of the CFPB, claiming it has failed to properly protect the financial interests of Americans. Ashley Harrington, senior counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending, foresees big changes at the agency.

“Commissioner Chopra has long fought for financial markets that are fair for consumers, including student loan borrowers,” Harrington said. “We are encouraged that the CFPB will now return to its mission of protecting people’s finances, which has heightened significance in this economic downturn, and which includes a strong fair lending program.

Some of Biden’s other appointments have also signaled a shift in emphasis. During her confirmation hearing this week to become Treasury Secretary, former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen told lawmakers that her emphasis would be on workers. She will replace Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, a former investment banker.

With the pandemic’s in-restaurant restrictions forcing American consumers to either cook at home, do carryout, or have their meals delivered, the ones who choose delivery have also had to eat the cost of that option. 

Sometimes those delivery charges are as much as the cost of the food and regulators are starting to get fed up with that disparity and taking up the consumer’s plight to try and even things out.

Squeezing out as much as they can

It won’t be easy though, mostly because delivery companies say their profit margins are thin enough as they are. In its third-quarter conference call, Uber -- the parent of Uber Delivery, the largest and fastest-growing food delivery business outside of China -- gave an illustration of an eater who orders a $30 meal. By the time delivery/service fees tacked on, and the restaurant gets its usual 30 percent marketplace fee, the adjusted net revenue is $8. 

While $8 seems like a fair profit, it apparently isn’t when corporate bean counters start weighing in. To try to earn a few extra cents off of a delivery, UberEats, DoorDash, and Postmates are trying to test price elasticity wherever they can by using location, availability, and delivery priority to squeeze more out of an order. 

When the New York Times broke down the associated costs on an order of two 6-inch Turkey Breast sandwiches from Subway last year, it found markups were 25 percent from GrubHub, 46 percent from DoorDash, 63 percent from Postmates, and a whopping 91 percent using UberEats. Oh -- and that doesn’t include a tip, either. 

Regulators take notice

When Californians recently passed Proposition 22 which keeps drivers classified as independent contractors, voters probably didn't think they would be picking up the tab for the added benefits drivers got as part of the deal. 

These added charges haven’t gone unnoticed. In September, congressional leaders from Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Washington state fired a shot across the bow of delivery operators, asking the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the companies for possible unfair practices tied to fee structures. 

“COVID-19 has made restaurants increasingly reliant on food delivery platforms as measures to reduce the spread of the virus continue to limit in-person dining,” the Sept. 22 letter signed by U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) stated.

The congresswomen had an added concern -- that the trio of Uber, DoorDash, and Grubhub controls roughly 98 percent of the overall U.S. market.

Where is this all going? On top of not making regulators fond of their business models, food delivery services also have to concern themselves with what happens when the pandemic comes to an end and consumers go back to dining inside of restaurants.

“It is no surprise that delivery platforms are trying to pass on costs imposed by regulators. The danger is that their customers start to step away from the table,” said the Wall Street Journal’s Laura Forman.

Netflix is launching a new “Shuffle Play” feature in the first half of 2021, Variety reports. The new feature lets users allow Netflix to serve up randomized content based on subscribers’ viewing history. 

The company said it’s been testing the feature since last summer. In its fourth quarter earnings report, Netflix COO and chief product officer Greg Peters said the shuffle option is geared toward consumers who turn on the service “and they’re not really sure what they want to watch.” 

“It’s really working for us where our members can basically indicate to us that they just want to skip browsing entirely, click one button and we’ll pick a title for them just to instantly play,” Peters said during the company’s Q4 investor interview Tuesday. “And that’s a great mechanism that’s worked quite well for members in that situation.”

Selection based on viewing history

With Netflix’s pool of content growing deeper each year, the company said it saw an opportunity to alleviate feelings of overwhelm for users. The company has previously attempted to make it easier to find content to watch by adding a “New & Popular” tab. Added last year, the tab shows users a selection of new, popular, and upcoming content. 

Netflix’s new shuffle tool will show users shows or movies similar to the ones they have watched previously. 

“Titles served up by Netflix when you hit the ‘Play Something’/’Shuffle Play’ button will be either shows or movies similar to ones you’ve watched previously; titles in genres you’ve viewed; or content you have saved in the ‘My List’ section,” Peters explained. “For example, when I recently clicked “Play Something,” Netflix started streaming ‘The Crown’ Season 1 (explaining that it was a drama similar to “The Queen’s Gambit,” which I binge-watched last month).” 

Netflix users will be given the option of clicking a “play something else” button if the content selected for them doesn’t sound appealing. 

President Joe Biden has instructed the Department of Education to extend federal student loan payment deferrals until October. 

The order adds an additional eight months onto a payment pause made possible under a bill passed by Congress at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Student loan payments were originally slated to resume as normal at the end of this month. 

Now, borrowers paying off federal loans won’t have to make payments until October 1; however they are allowed to continue making payments if they want to. 

On the campaign trail, President Biden called for wiping out $10,000 in student debt per borrower. He’s expected to push for it again in an economic relief bill likely to be proposed in February. 

Biden has appointed Rohit Chopra, the former student loan ombudsman for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), to be the CFPB’s executive director. Ashley Harrington, senior counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending, said she believes having Chopra at the helm will likely have positive effects for student loan borrowers. 

“Commissioner Chopra has long fought for financial markets that are fair for consumers, including student loan borrowers,” Harrington said. “We are encouraged that the CFPB will now return to its mission of protecting people’s finances, which has heightened significance in this economic downturn, and which includes a strong fair lending program.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the infection has taken a serious toll on consumers’ respiratory health; however, a new study conducted by researchers from Georgia State University has now found that the virus could potentially do more damage when it reaches the brain as opposed to the lungs. 

In an experiment tested on mice, the researchers learned that the most serious cases of COVID-19 were the ones that affected the brain. 

“Our thinking that it’s more of a respiratory disease is not necessarily true,” said researcher Mukesh Kumar. “Once it infects the brain, it can affect anything because the brain is controlling your lungs, the heart, everything. The brain is a very sensitive organ. It’s the central processor for everything.” 

How the body processes infection

The researchers had two groups of mice involved in the study: one group served as a control group and received a saline injection while the other group was infected with COVID-19. The main goal of the study was to see how the virus affected the mice’s organs. 

The study revealed that the infection is likely to cause the most severe symptoms when the virus reaches the brain. The researchers explained that the virus has a better chance of directly reaching the brain when it enters the body through the nose, as opposed to the mouth. Once in the brain, it’s difficult for the body to process the infection, and this can lead to serious, long-term health complications.  

“The brain is one of the regions where viruses like to hide because it cannot mount the kind of immune response that can clear viruses from other parts of the body,” Kumar said. “That’s why we’re seeing severe disease and all these multiple symptoms, like heart disease, stroke, and all these long-haulers with loss of smell, loss of taste. All of this has to do with the brain rather than with the lungs.” 

In the study, the researchers observed a high viral load in the mice’s lungs in the first few days post-infection; however, the lungs stabilized after that initial spike. Nearly one week post-infection, the researchers noted higher traces of the virus in the brain, which is when the mice started to experience the most severe symptoms. The researchers explained that this trajectory mimics what a lot of consumers have experienced with COVID-19 -- improvements after a few days, and then significant, rapid declines. 

Though these findings are important in understanding how COVID-19 can affect consumers’ health, the researchers still worry about the long-term impacts and the potentially endless recovery process. 

“It’s scary,” said Kumar. “A lot of people think they got COVID and they recovered and now they’re out of the woods. Now I feel like that’s never going to be true. You may never be out of the woods.” 

Cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes has disclosed that it was targeted by the same group of hackers behind the breach of IT software company SolarWinds. 

The firm said it doesn’t use SolarWinds’ IT software, through which hackers were able to break into the systems of companies including FireEye, Microsoft, and CrowdStrike. Instead, Malwarebytes said it was infiltrated using another intrusion vector. 

The bad actors were able to breach the firm’s internal systems by exploiting a dormant email protection product within its Office 365 tenant, the company said. 

“We can confirm the existence of another intrusion vector that works by abusing applications with privileged access to Microsoft Office 365 and Azure environments,” wrote Marcin Kleczynski, Malwarebytes co-founder and current CEO. 

Malwarebytes products ‘remain safe to use’

Malwarebytes said it found out about the intrusion on December 15, after the Microsoft Security Response center detected suspicious activity in the dormant Office 365 app. The activity was “consistent with the tactics, techniques and procedures” deployed by the hackers who carried out the SolarWinds attacks.

After learning of the breach, the company said it quickly launched an internal investigation to determine what hackers were able to gain access to. Malwarebytes said its anti-malware users can be assured that its software remains safe to use since it doesn’t use Microsoft’s Azure cloud services.

“After an extensive investigation, we determined the attacker only gained access to a limited subset of internal company emails,”  Kleczynski said. “We found no evidence of unauthorized access or compromise in any of our internal on-premises and production environments.” 

Malwarebytes’ announcement that it was targeted by the SolarWinds attackers brings the total number of affected security vendors to four. The group of threat actors previously targeted FireEye, Microsoft, and CrowdStrike in what is believed to have been an attempt to gather intelligence. 

Officials from the FBI, NSA, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently put out a joint statement naming the Russian government as the most likely culprit behind the cyber-espionage attacks. 

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has spawned many new scams, and one of the latest involves Netflix. Scammers are sending out texts offering free Netflix service for a year.

“Due to the pandemic, Netflix is offering everyone a free year of service to help you stay at home,” one of the messages says. “Click the link to sign up.”

People who click the link will be taken to a website made to look like a Netflix page. There, they will be asked to fill in some personal data including credit card information.

Wait a minute! Why does Netflix need a credit card to provide free service? The scammer who is operating the bogus site hopes you won’t think to ask that question and will instead provide the requested information, focusing on all that free content you’re about to enjoy.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) says its BBB Scam Tracker says it has received an increasing number of reports of this scam. If a victim provides a credit card number they find several fraudulent charges on their account.

According to one recent victim, the scammer charged their card repeatedly – even after they asked for a refund.

“[The scammers] said no other money would be taken out of my account again,” the victim reported. “Then, about a week later, they took $39.99, and I called and asked for a refund. They told me three days at first. Then, after three days I called back, and they told me seven-10 business days. It’s been 10 business days. And now I have no refund.”

What to do

People who are victimized by this scam should contact the fraud department of their credit card company immediately and report it. In most cases, the disputed charge will be removed.

To avoid this scam in the first place, don’t click on any links. If you think the offer might be legitimate, contact the company directly to verify it.  

Consumers should also understand that scammers have used Netflix to launch their schemes in the past. In 2019, scammers sent out phishing emails warning that the recipient’s Netflix account was about to be suspended because the company couldn’t process payment information.

The victim was then directed to a bogus site and asked to enter payment card information.

Kids’ mental health has been a source of concern in recent years, and now a new study conducted by researchers from the University of British Columbia has found that it could be even more of a concern for kids with autism. 

According to the researchers, nearly 80 percent of kids with autism are also dealing with a mental health condition, like anxiety or ADHD. 

“For a long time, mental health in kids with autism was neglected because the focus was on autism,” said researcher Dr. Connor Kerns. “There’s so much greater awareness now, but we don’t have enough people trained to provide mental health treatments to kids on the autism spectrum. We need to bridge these two systems and the different sets of providers that tend to treat these children.” 

Kids with autism are struggling with mental health

To better understand how kids with autism are struggling with mental health, the researchers analyzed responses from nearly 42,000 participants involved in the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health; these responses included data on more than 1,100 kids with autism between the ages of three and 17.

The researchers learned that nearly 80 percent of the kids involved in the study had been diagnosed with a mental health condition, and nearly 45 percent of kids at preschool age were struggling with mental health. Behavioral issues were the most common mental health condition affecting kids with autism, followed by ADHD and anxiety. 

To see the prevalence of mental health conditions among kids with autism, the researchers compared these results to general mental health concerns among all children. They learned that just over 14 percent of kids without autism struggled with mental health. Additionally, when looking specifically at anxiety, kids with special health care needs and kids with intellectual disabilities were three and six times less likely, respectively, to have anxiety than kids with autism. 

“There’s something specific about autism that is increasing this mental health burden, and it’s true not only for anxiety, but also for depression, behavior problems, and attention problems,” said Dr. Kerns. “This is a special population that requires special attention.” 

While getting treatment for mental health has been found to be difficult for all kids, the researchers hope that these findings spur changes in the systems currently in place. The earlier that kids with autism receive support services, the more likely they are to reap the benefits of such treatments. 

“The longer mental health conditions are allowed to exist and worsen, the harder they are going to be to treat,” Dr. Kerns said. “It’s much better to catch them early. Right now, we don’t have a great system for doing that.” 

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling 105,652 model year 2012-2014 Beetles and Beetle Convertibles.

The driver's-side airbag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures and high temperature cycling.

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

What to do

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver front airbag free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin February 12, 2021.

Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at (800) 893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69BC.

General Motors is recalling 624,216 of the following vehicles:

• Model year 2019-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500s & GMC Sierra 1500s,
• Model year 2021 Chevrolet Suburbans & Tahoes and GMC Yukon Xls, and
• Model year 2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500s & 3500s and GMC Sierra 2500s & 3500s.

The seat belt brackets may not be secured to the seat frame in the front row center seating position.

If a seat belt bracket is not secured, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

What to do

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly -- as necessary -- free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin February 1, 2021.

Owners may contact GMC customer service at (800) 462-8782, and Chevrolet customer service at (800) 222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202314670.

American Honda Motor Co. is recalling 27,838 model year 2020 CR-V & Accord Hybrids, and model year 2020-2021 Insights.

The DC-DC converter may shut down and prevent the 12-volt battery from recharging, possibly resulting in a loss of drive power.

A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.

What to do

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the power converter unit software free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin February 25, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at (888) 234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is K9E.

In a new report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predicted that the new COVID-19 variant, first detected in the U.K. in December, could become the dominant strain in the U.S. by March. 

Health officials said the new and more easily transmissible variant, known as B.1.1.7, has already landed in at least 10 states. Research has shown that it could experience "rapid growth" during the first months of 2021. 

"Multiple lines of evidence indicate that B.1.1.7 is more efficiently transmitted than are other SARS-CoV-2 variants," the CDC said.

The agency said the new strain "warrants universal and increased compliance with mitigation strategies, including distancing and masking. Higher vaccination coverage might need to be achieved to protect the public." 

Keep up precautionary measures

In light of the fact that the new strain has been found to spread more rapidly, health experts are urging people not to cut corners with health precautions. 

"Any risky behavior right now means we’re going to see more cases," said Dr. Ali Mokdad with the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. "We need to take care of it through vaccination and then we can go back to normal, but please – contain your urge to go back to normal.” 

Although the new variant is more contagious, it isn’t believed to react differently to vaccines than the strain that appeared in early 2020. Research has suggested that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine can protect people against the mutation. 

"Scientifically, it is highly likely that the immune response by this vaccine also can deal with the new virus variant," BioNTech co-founder Ugur Sahin said in December. He added that he is optimistic that BioNTech can quickly produce an effective vaccine for the new strain since its proteins are 99 percent the same as the original version. 

The United States is currently vaccinating the most vulnerable individuals, including those in nursing homes and first responders. However, as of Saturday, only around 12 million vaccine doses had been administered. 

Health officials continue to recommend that consumers wear a mask, social distance, and practice good hygiene to curb the spread of the virus. To guard against the newly discovered COVID-19 variant, some health experts have recommended upgrading from a cloth mask to a high-filtration (Hi-Fi) mask, like an N95. 

Can money bring people happiness? According to findings from a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, the short answer is yes. 

The study revealed that people who make more money have a greater sense of control, freedom, and security that is missing for those who make less money. This directly correlates to feeling more satisfied in life and being happier overall. 

“When you have more money, you have more choices about how to live your life,” said researcher Matthew Killingsworth. “You can likely see this in the pandemic. People living paycheck to paycheck who lose their job might need to take the first available job to stay afloat, even if it’s one they dislike. People with a financial cushion can wait for one that’s a better fit. Across decisions big and small, having more money gives a person more choices and a greater sense of autonomy.” 

Autonomy yields more happiness

To get a clear picture of how money can impact happiness, Killingsworth assessed two key components: how participants feel in-the-moment and how they feel about life overall. At the start of the study, the participants completed surveys that gauged their general well-being in life. 

Then, participants downloaded an app that Killingsworth created that logs in-the-moment well-being; the participants received several prompts at different times each day, and they reported on how they were feeling. The researchers compared the results from both of these assessments with the participants’ annual income to determine how money affects happiness. 

“This process provided repeated snapshots of people’s lives, which collectively gives us a composite image, a stop-motion movie of their lives,” said Killingsworth. 

Well-being rises with income

Ultimately, the researchers learned that participants who made the most money were happier both in the moment and collectively. However, the biggest takeaway from this study might be that these findings disprove an old belief that once someone hits the $75,000 a year mark, happiness levels out. This study actually found that there is no benchmark; the more money consumers make, the happier they’re likely to be. 

“It’s a compelling possibility, the idea that money stops mattering above that point, at least for how people actually feel moment to moment,” Killingsworth said. “But when I looked across a wide range of income levels, I found that all forms of well-being continued to rise with income. I don’t see any sort of kink in the curve, an inflection point where money stops mattering. Instead, it keeps increasing.” 

Money is just one factor

Though money was found to be a source of happiness for the participants, especially the more they earned, the researchers warned against placing all measures of success and happiness in income. They learned that participants who focused solely on money as their source of happiness were actually unhappier. 

The researchers hope that consumers understand that money is just one piece of the puzzle, and that happiness can come from just about anywhere. 

“If anything, people probably overemphasize money when they think about how well their life is going,” Killingsworth said. “Yes, this is a factor that might matter in a way that we didn’t fully realize before, but it’s just one of many that people can control and ultimately, it’s not one I’m terribly concerned people are undervaluing.”