Current Events in April 2022

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

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 81,257,934 (81,189,980)

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 993,198 (992,740)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 512,541,971 (511,905,205)

Total ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 6,232,189 (6,229,497)‌

CDC says the South had the highest COVID-19 death rate

A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that the South experienced the highest COVID-19 death rate, suffering the highest percentage of avoidable deaths.

The study shows that starting in the summer of 2020, southern states began recording deaths from the virus at a faster rate than other regions of the country. Researchers attribute the increased deaths to fewer mitigation measures in most southern states.

The study concludes that 62% of avoidable COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. during the pandemic occurred in the South.

Senator calls for research into ‘long COVID’

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), the 2016 Democratic vice presidential candidate, is calling for more research into the causes and treatment of what’s known as ‘long COVID,’ which is characterized by the persistence of some symptoms after a patient has recovered from COVID-19. Kaine is very familiar with the condition since he has suffered from it for more than a year.

"I feel like, you drop an Alka-Seltzer in the water and watch it fizz," Kaine told CBS News. "It kind of feels like that; like a fizzing or buzzing nonstop... I can feel it in the tip of my forehead right now. I can feel it in the tops of my legs."

Kaine was one of the first national leaders to be diagnosed with the virus, testing positive in the summer of 2020. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that 23 million Americans may be suffering from long COVID.

Actor Kenneth Tsang dies of COVID-19

Actor Kenneth Tsang has died while in a quarantine hotel in Hong Kong, according to Chinese media. Reports said Tsang was observing seven days of isolation in the hotel after returning from Singapore.

An action movie star, Tsang was best known for his roles in “Die Another Day” and "The Killer." In 2001, he starred in "Rush Hour 2" along with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. Tsang was 87.

Around the nation

• New Jersey: Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli defended her agency in testimony before the State Assembly Budget Committee after lawmakers took aim at the state’s COVID-19 response. The sparring took place when Persichilli appeared before the committee to discuss next year’s budget request.

• Pennsylvania: A new report suggests that the pandemic delivered a blow to education in the state. The report identified a sharp decline in Pennsylvania’s pre-kindergarten enrollment, with approximately 8,000 fewer children participating in 2020-21 compared to 2019-20 in programs for three- and four-year-olds.

• Utah: Wastewater analysis shows that COVID-19 cases are rising across the state. “They’re not super concerning yet but the overall trajectory that we seem to be on doesn’t seem to be particularly great,” said Nathan LaCross, manager of the state health department’s wastewater surveillance program.

• Vermont: Vermont is seeing a rise in new COVID-19 cases, but most are not severe. There have been four deaths so far this week, and state health officials report that most deaths lately have been among the very elderly and/or people with underlying health conditions. No one under 60 has died due to COVID-19 in Vermont in over two months. 

• Delaware: Gov. John Carney has extended Delaware’s public health emergency for another 30 days. Carney said the extended order will allow medical providers in the state to continue COVID-19 vaccination and testing programs. It also enables ongoing staffing flexibility at hospitals and long-term care facilities.

Just how serious is President Biden about student loan debt? He says he's thinking about forgiving a chunk of what borrowers have taken on to get an education, but not to the tune of $50,000 per borrower like some of his fellow Democrats have been urging him to do.

"I am considering dealing with some debt reduction," Biden said on Thursday in response to a question raised at a White House briefing. "I am not considering $50,000 debt reduction. But I'm in the process of taking a hard look at whether or not there will be additional debt forgiveness."

The president didn’t leave it at that, though. He said he would have a complete answer to that question sometime in the "next couple of weeks."

So, where did the $50,000 forgiveness figure come from? Hoping to help grease the possibilities for Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) belabored the point, asking the president to up the ante and cancel $50,000 in student loan debt.

Finding a solution that works for everyone

There’s a fine line between being proactive and being overly generous, and Biden is trying to find it with the student loan issue. During his run for the Oval Office, he vowed that he would erase $10,000 in student loan debt and challenged Congress to take action.

Once he got into the White House, advisors stepped in and cautioned that the president could face legal challenges if he spread the student debt cancellation too far. Biden asked his team to give him the best options, and the answer he promised soon should tell us where the sweet spot is in that regard. 

Biden has to be careful not to set any expectations for future student loan borrowers, suggests Michael Heberling at the American Institute for Economic Research. "Will this really be just a 'one-time' gift? Doubtful!," he said. 

"The students who follow in the years to come will borrow with the understanding that their $10,000 relief will be there as well. After all, it’s only fair. This situation highlights Planer’s Rule (Similar to Murphy’s Law): An exception granted becomes a right expected the next time it is requested."

How about another extension?

The nudge to move the student loan issue forward also came up at a closed door meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus earlier in the week. Among the concerns presented at the meeting, Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) asked the President to address student loan debt.

Cárdenas said he asked Biden to extend the moratorium past its current Aug. 31 expiration date. “Well, Tony, I’ve extended it every time,” the president responded. Pushing Biden a little harder, Cárdenas then asked the president for another favor – issue an executive order to alleviate at least $10,000 in student loan debts per person. 

Cárdenas emphasized that the situation is particularly burdensome with the Latino community. He told Biden that Latinos in the U.S. who are still trying to pay off student debt aren’t getting very far. Cárdenas said that despite their efforts, Latinos have more than 80% of their bill due after more than a dozen years.

You won't see a request for some spare change in your next Amazon order, but the company is facing a tall order to try to replace nearly $4 billion that it lost in the first quarter of 2022.

In Amazon’s first-quarter results released Thursday, it reported a net loss of $3.8 billion, a backward slide from the $8.1 billion profit it made during the same period in 2021. Analysts were caught off-guard too. The financial soothsayers that Refinitiv had surveyed predicted a $4.4 billion profit.

Where Amazon took the hit

The company attributed much of the loss to a $7.6 billion loss from its investment in electric automaker Rivian Automotive. Much of Amazon's investment in Rivian was tied to an electric delivery van that Rivian was producing for the company.

And what would a good finger-pointing be these days without mentioning COVID-19 and Ukraine? “The pandemic and subsequent war in Ukraine have brought unusual growth and challenges,” said Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. 

Despite the setback, Jassy says Amazon isn't down for the count. 

“Our Consumer business has grown 23% annually over the past two years. We know how to do this and have done it before. This may take some time, particularly as we work through ongoing inflationary and supply chain pressures, but we see encouraging progress on a number of customer experience dimensions, including delivery speed performance as we’re now approaching levels not seen since the months immediately preceding the pandemic in early 2020.”

Some good news

Jassy said despite taking it on the chin with the multi-billion loss, Amazon has reasons to celebrate. 

For one thing, it’s coming out with Buy with Prime, a new benefit for Prime members in the U.S. that's designed to extend the convenience of shopping with Prime to online stores beyond doing it online at Amazon.com. When the program hits its stride, Prime members will be able to shop directly from participating merchants’ online stores using their Prime member benefits, including fast and free delivery, a seamless checkout experience, and free returns on eligible orders.

Prime Day is officially on the company calendar and is scheduled for this coming July.

Prime Video lovers will be able to binge a bit more, as well. Amazon just closed its deal to buy MGM, which means an additional 4,000 film titles and 17,000 TV episodes available to stream – everything from Raging Bull to The Silence of the Lambs.

The company is also licking its chops over the response it’s gotten for the teaser trailer it ran for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which debuts Labor Day weekend. That teaser broke a global record for the most-watched entertainment trailer to debut during a Super Bowl telecast, with 257 million views globally in the first 24 hours of its release. 

Sports junkies will also be getting some extra fodder. Amazon is bringing over analyst Kirk Herbstreit from ESPN and pairing him up with play-by-play stalwart Al Michaels as the voices for its exclusive coverage of NFL Thursday Night Football, kicking off Thursday, September 15, 2022.

Techies aren’t being left out in the cold either. Amazon said it has launched new Alexa experiences, including one which allows customers to ask Alexa about symptoms for common health ailments and possible causes. It will also allow users to virtually connect with health care professionals through a new collaboration with Teladoc, a virtual doctor service.

Fidelity’s announcement that it will allow investment in Bitcoin in its 401(k) retirement accounts has set off alarm bells at the U.S. Labor Department. Top officials there expressed their worries within hours of Fidelity’s announcement.

“We have grave concerns with what Fidelity has done,” Ali Khawar, acting assistant secretary of the Employee Benefits Security Administration, told the Wall Street Journal.

Khawar is the government official in charge of the Labor Department group that regulates 401(k) retirement plans provided through an employer. These plans, while conservative by nature, are designed to be stable and grow steadily over the employee’s career.

He told the Journal he’s concerned about Bitcoin’s speculative nature – the value can fluctuate by tens of thousands of dollars – but also about what he calls hype and the belief among some that you “have to get in now because you will be left behind otherwise.” 

In its announcement on Thursday, Fidelity said its digital asset accounts will limit Bitcoin investments to no more than 20% of a portfolio. Some Bitcoin enthusiasts hailed the move, saying it could persuade younger workers to invest for retirement.

Henry Yoshida, CEO of Rocket Dollar, a self-directed Roth IRA / Solo 401(k) platform, told ConsumerAffairs that he believes Fidelity's move “has essentially established Bitcoin and cryptocurrency as mainstream.” He says he is interested to see how many employers adopt the plan for their employees.

Looking out for workers

But in his interview with the Wall Street Journal, Khawar said the Labor Department has a responsibility to ensure employer-sponsored retirement plans are in the long-term best interests of participants.

“For the average American, the need for retirement savings in their old age is significant,” Khawar said. “We are not talking about millionaires and billionaires that have a ton of other assets to draw down.”

Fidelity, meanwhile, is defending its new offering. In a statement, the company said its new digital asset account “represents the firm’s continued commitment to evolving and broadening its digital assets offerings amidst steadily growing demand for digital assets across investor segments, and we believe that this technology and digital assets will represent a large part of the financial industry’s future.”

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Exeter explored how loneliness may influence employment status.

Ultimately, the team identified a link between the two; those who experience loneliness may be more likely to be unemployed down the road, while those who are unemployed may be more likely to feel lonely. 

“Given the persisting and potentially scarring effects of both loneliness and unemployment on health and the economy, prevention of both experiences is key,” said researcher Nia Morrish. “Decreased loneliness could mitigate unemployment, and employment abate loneliness, which may in turn relate positively to other factors including health and quality of life. Thus, particular attention should be paid to loneliness with additional support from employers and government to improve health and well-being. 

“Our research was largely conducted pre-pandemic, however, we suspect this issue may be even more pressing, with more people working from home and potentially experiencing isolation because of anxieties around COVID.” 

The link between loneliness and unemployment

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from more than 15,000 people enrolled in the Understanding Society Household Longitudinal Study. The team looked at survey responses from 2017-2019, and 2018-2020, while also taking into account several important factors, including age, marital status, gender, education, ethnicity, and the number of children the participants had. 

The researchers learned that loneliness seemed to be directly linked with employment. Participants who reported feeling lonely at any point throughout the study were nearly 18% more likely to become unemployed down the road. The opposite was also true – participants who were unemployed at any stage of the study were more likely to report feeling lonely. 

“While previous research has shown that unemployment can cause loneliness, ours is the first study to identify that lonely people of any working age are at greater risk of becoming unemployed,” said Dr. Ruben Mujica-Mota. “Our findings show that these two issues can interact and create a self-fulfilling, negative cycle. There is a need for greater recognition of the wider societal impacts of loneliness in the working age population.” 

Moving forward, the researchers hope more work is done by employers and legislators to help employees who may be struggling with loneliness. 

“Loneliness is an incredibly important societal problem, which is often thought about in terms of the impact on mental health and well-being only,” said researcher Atonieta Medina-Lara. “Our findings indicate that there may also be wilder implications, which could have negative impacts for individuals and the economy. We need to explore this further, and it could lay foundations for employers or policymakers to tackle loneliness with a view to keeping more people in work.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center explored how climate change may be linked with the next pandemic.

The researchers explained that rising temperatures may force animals into closer proximity to humans; this is likely to increase the number of viruses spread from animals to humans, which could incite the next pandemic. 

“The closest analogy is actually the risks we see in the wildlife trade,” said researcher Colin Carlson, Ph.D. “We worry about markets because bringing unhealthy animals together in unnatural combinations creates opportunities for this stepwise process of emergency – like how SARS jumped from bats to civets, then civets to people. But markets aren’t special anymore; in a changing climate, that kind of process will be the reality in nature just about everywhere.” 

Long-term risks to human health

For the study, the researchers analyzed projected geographic range shifts for over 3,100 mammal species based on climate change predictions by the year 2070. The team was most interested in understanding how changes to the global temperature will affect where animals live and how that will affect the spread of viruses. 

The study showed that as the global temperature continues to rise, animals are going to be forced to move into areas that are heavily populated by humans. The researchers predict that Asia and Africa are likely to be the hotspots for this trend. The team also anticipates that the number of animal-borne infections is likely to increase by 4,000 times.

“At every step, our simulations have taken us by surprise,” Dr. Carlson said. “We’ve spent years double-checking those results, with different data and different assumptions, but the models always lead us to these conclusions. It’s a really stunning example of how well we can, actually, predict the future if we try.” 

The team's work found that bats may be the biggest culprits of this disease spread. Because bats can travel long distances, they are the most likely to contribute to the rapid spread of infections. 

The researchers explained that the biggest risks are to human health and environmental conservation. This is likely to increase the likelihood that viruses like Ebola and COVID-19 are more prevalent around the world. Moving forward, the team hopes to be able to conduct more research on both the impact of climate change on animal relocation and the monitoring of animal-borne infections. 

“When a Brazilian free-tailed bat makes it all the way to Appalachia, we should be invested in knowing what viruses are tagging along,” said Dr. Carlson. “Trying to spot these host jumps in real-time is the only way we’ll be able to prevent this process from leading to more spillovers and more pandemics. 

“We’re closer to predicting and preventing the next pandemic than ever. This is a big step towards prediction – now we have to start working on the harder half of the problem.”

Motorists saw very little movement in the price of gasoline early in the week, but the price of fuel has gained momentum in the last 24 hours, especially the price of diesel fuel. 

AAA’s daily survey of gas prices shows that the national average price of regular gas is $4.16 a gallon, four cents more than last Friday. It’s eight cents a gallon cheaper than a month ago.

The average price of premium gas is $4.82 a gallon, also four cents a gallon more than a week ago. But the average price of diesel fuel is now at a record-high of $5.18 a gallon, 11 cents higher than a week ago.

In fact, diesel fuel prices have remained stubbornly high, even as gas prices have moderated a bit. Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at Gasbuddy, says it puts diesel users at a big disadvantage.

“The difference between the average price of a gallon of diesel and gasoline has just hit a new record, 98.4c/gal,” DeHaan wrote on Twitter. “It will likely surpass $1/gal soon.”

Diesel fuel is at a new record high after gas prices, which topped out at a record $4.31 a gallon in March, have moderated. Even if you don’t drive a diesel vehicle, you’re paying for diesel’s rise in price because the trucks that deliver all manner of consumer goods use it as fuel. CNBC estimates that truck drivers, who were paying $10,000 a week for fuel, are now paying closer to $18,000 – contributing to inflation.

States with the most expensive gas

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

• California ($5.68)  

• Hawaii ($5.25)     

• Nevada ($5.07)   

• Alaska ($4.65)   

• Washington ($4.69)

• Oregon ($4.66)   

• Arizona ($4.54)   

• Utah($4.49)

• Idaho ($4.43)   

• Illinois ($4.39)   

States with the cheapest gas

AAA reports that these states currently have the lowest prices for regular gas:

• Georgia ($3.71) 

• Arkansas ($3.75) 

• Missouri ($3.76)   

• Kansas ($3.77)    

• Mississippi ($3.77) 

• South Carolina ($3.78) 

• Oklahoma ($3.78)  

• Texas ($3.79)     

• Kentucky ($3.80)  

• North Carolina ($3.81)  

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling 6,553 model year 2022 Tiguan and model year 2018-2021 Tiguan long wheel base (LWB) vehicles.

Due to incorrect installation instructions, the accessory rear hatch spoiler may be insufficiently attached to the vehicle.

An insufficiently attached spoiler may separate from the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Dealers will replace the spoiler free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on June 3, 2022.

Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at (800) 893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 66N5.

General Motors is recalling 89 model year 2020-2022 Chevrolet Traverse and model year 2021-2022 Buick Enclave vehicles.

The harness connector to the left or right side roof rail air bag may have incompatible electrical terminals, which could prevent the air bags from deploying in a crash.

Roof rail air bags that do not deploy as intended increase the risk of injury in a crash.

What to do

Dealers will replace the harness connector to the roof rail air bags free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on May 16, 2022.

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 N212352140.

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is recalling 15 model year 2021-2022 Maybach S580s.

Trim parts on both front seats may detach during rear airbag deployment, which can damage the airbag cushion or the air bag to deploy improperly.

Improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of an injury.

What to do

Dealers will replace the trim parts free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on May 31, 2022.

Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at (800) 367-6372.

The U.S. government’s effort to curb cigarette consumption picked up speed on Thursday when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed rules prohibiting menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.

The agency said its goals are to prevent youth initiation, significantly reduce tobacco-related disease and death, and increase the number of smokers who quit smoking altogether.

If enacted, the new standards the FDA is proposing will prohibit menthol as a “characterizing flavor” in cigarettes and prohibit all characterizing flavors (other than tobacco) in cigars. The move comes almost a year from an earlier move by the Biden administration to consider rules that would lower nicotine levels in cigarettes.

“The proposed rules would help prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers and help adult smokers quit,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Additionally, the proposed rules represent an important step to advance health equity by significantly reducing tobacco-related health disparities.” 

According to Statista, the share of cigarettes in the U.S. that include menthol has been climbing steadily for years. In 2001, menthol cigarettes accounted for 26% of cigarette sales and grew to a 37% share in 2019. The company that will likely take the biggest hit from the FDA’s move is Reynolds American, which, with Newport leading the way, counts on menthol cigarettes for nearly 50% of its sales.

Reducing smoking rates

The FDA says its studies show that there would be a 15% reduction in smoking within 40 years if menthol cigarettes were no longer available. Those studies also estimate that 324,000 to 654,000 smoking-attributable deaths overall (92,000 to 238,000 among African Americans) would be avoided over the course of 40 years. The agency paid great attention to the youth market in its research.

“Characterizing flavors in cigars, such as strawberry, grape, cocoa and fruit punch, increase appeal and make cigars easier to use, particularly among youth and young adults,” the FDA said. “More than a half million youth in the U.S. use flavored cigars, and in recent years more young people tried a cigar every day than tried a cigarette.”

The agency said its proposal does not prohibit an individual consumer from possessing or using a menthol tobacco product. However, it said its enforcement would address any company that manufactures, distributes, or sells such products within the U.S. that are not in compliance with applicable requirements. 

Beginning May 4, 2022, the American public can comment on the proposed rules that the FDA will consider for future action.

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

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 81,202,344 (81,101,687)

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 992,798 (991,959)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 512,057,112 (511,107,390)

Total ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 6,230,152 (6,225,901)‌

Fauci walks back comments on pandemic

Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s top health adviser, says comments he made Tuesday about the pandemic are being mischaracterized. Fauci told PBS on Tuesday that the U.S. is "certainly, right now, in this country, out of the pandemic phase."

On Wednesday, he told CNN that he didn’t mean to say that the pandemic is over, making a distinction between “pandemic phase” and the pandemic itself. In  his clarification, Fauci said the U.S. is in a “transition phase.”

"We're not over the pandemic,” Fauci said Wednesday. “Don't let anybody get the misinterpretation that the pandemic is over, but what we are in is a different phase of the pandemic."

Moderna seeks approval for pediatric vaccinations

Moderna has petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval of its COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of six months and five years. In its filing, the company said its vaccine was about 51% effective against the Omicron variant in children under two years old. It was less effective – 37% – in two- to five-year-olds.

Researchers say the Moderna vaccine protection is less effective now than it was when it was first released. The dominant strains now are subvariants of the Omicron variant, which more easily evades the body’s immune defense.

Dr. Paul Burton, Moderna’s chief medical officer, said children under six years old who receive two doses should have high levels of protection against severe illness.

Denmark shutters its COVID-19 vaccination program

Denmark has become the world’s first nation to suspend its vaccination program, at least for the time being. The country’s leaders cite high vaccination rates and a low number of new cases.

Denmark's chief physician, Bolette Soborg, said the shutdown is basically just for the summer months.

"We plan to reopen the vaccination program in the Autumn,” Soborg said. “This will be preceded by a thorough professional assessment of who and when to vaccinate and with which vaccines."

Around the nation

• New York: New York may be once again turning into the epicenter of COVID-19 outbreaks. The latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that only 40 of America’s more than 3,000 counties are considered high transmission areas, but 23 of those counties are in New York.

• Louisiana: Mardi Gras is over, but the first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in almost three years is coming up. Health officials say they plan to examine waste from the portable toilets to look for an early warning of a potential COVID-19 outbreak.

• Michigan: In another sign that the state thinks COVID-19 is under control, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is planning the return of facilities and sites to pre-pandemic public hours. Starting May 1, most DNR customer service centers and field office locations will be open to the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• New Hampshire: New Hampshire is a leader when it comes to bills in the state legislature aimed at COVID-19 restrictions. The Network for Public Health Law counts 16 measures aimed at limiting the authority of public health agencies. Officials say the real number is closer to 60.

• Iowa: Iowa is one of the few states where hospitalizations are rising along with a rise in new coronavirus cases caused by Omicron subvariants. There were 84 people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Wednesday, up from 63 last week and the most since mid-March.

To help shield people from having too much of their personal information online, Google is going to allow the public to request that the tech giant remove certain pieces of personal information from its search results. Now, just by making a simple request, anyone could ask that Google remove contact information like phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, and even login credentials from search queries. 

The company has offered this in the past, but it was in limited, special circumstances, such as when information fraudsters steal bank and credit card details or across-the-line situations like non-consensual intimate personal images. 

The company is taking the same precautions now that it’s broadening those requests, but it’s not doing it willy-nilly or by machine. It will still review each request to ensure that it's real, and the company said it won’t delete references that are contained in a news article or are a matter of public record, like a mayor asking to have their office telephone number at city hall removed.

“The internet is always evolving – with information popping up in unexpected places and being used in new ways — so our policies and protections need to evolve, too,” Google said in a blog post. “Open access to information is a key goal of Search, but so is empowering people with the tools they need to protect themselves and keep their sensitive, personally identifiable information private. That’s why we’re updating our policies to help people take more control of their online presence in Search.”

How to request Google remove personal information

For Google to even consider a request to remove content, it first has to pertain to the following types of information:

• Confidential government identification (ID) numbers like a U.S. Social Security number.

• Bank account numbers

• Credit card numbers

• Images of handwritten signatures

• Images of ID docs

• Highly personal, restricted, and official records, like medical records

• Personal contact information (physical addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses)

• Confidential login credentials

If someone is being “doxxed” -- the term for a type of cyber harassment in which someone is using a computer or a phone to purposely cause another person to fear for their well-being -- Google is willing to help remove any content that might lead to that.

For Google to consider the content for removal, it must meet both of these requirements:

• Your contact info is present.

• There’s the presence of explicit threats, implicit threats, or explicit or implicit calls to action for others to harm or harass.

Google reminds people that it will do its part to remove information upon request, but consumers' data may still be available in other ways online.

“It’s important to remember that removing content from Google Search won’t remove it from the internet, which is why you may wish to contact the hosting site directly, if you're comfortable doing so,” the company said.

The U.S. economy slowed in the first quarter of the year. The Commerce Department reports that Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the measure of all the goods and services in the U.S. economy, fell 1.4% between January and the end of March.

It took Wall Street by surprise since analysts expected growth of 1%. It also set off alarm bells in some quarters since the definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters in which the economy shrinks instead of grows.

So does that mean consumers should brace for a recession? Economist Joel Naroff, of Naroff Economics, doesn’t think so.

“The negative number is not greatly surprising, given growth since spring 2020,” Naroff told ConsumerAffairs. “What we had was an adjustment to the ending of stimulus and some belt-tightening due to inflation soaring.”

The trade deficit is a big factor

In fact, Naroff says the report actually underscores how well the U.S. economy is doing in comparison to the rest of the world.

“The most important fact is that the level of activity was so strong that the trade deficit soared, reducing growth by over 3 percentage points,” Naroff said. “The U.S. is doing a lot better than any other major country and that is showing in the import and export numbers.”

Naroff said the GDP might have been a positive number if the U.S. economy grew at a slower rate and the U.S. didn’t import as much. Faster growth by the rest of the world would have also made the GDP number look better.

Government spending also went down as the U.S. phased out some pandemic spending. That alone, Naroff says, reduced GDP by 0.5%. While many would say reducing government deficit spending is a good thing, it has the effect of slowing economic growth. 

However, defense spending is rising with the war in Ukraine, so government spending will likely be back up when the Commerce Department reports second-quarter GDP in July. In the meantime, Naroff says there isn’t a lot to be concerned about.

“The point is, the details don’t say the economy is in trouble,” he said. “Only that we are doing better than everywhere else, and that is not a negative.”  

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Southampton explored some of the weather-related risks associated with climate change. According to the findings, intense tropical cyclones are expected to occur twice as often by the year 2050. 

“Of particular concern is that the results of our study highlight that some regions that don’t currently experience tropical cyclones are likely to in the near future with climate change,” said researcher Dr. Ivan Haigh. “The new tropical cyclone dataset we have produced will greatly aid the mapping of changing flood risk in tropical cyclone regions.” 

Long-term weather risks

To better understand how climate change can impact long-term weather patterns, the researchers analyzed global climate models and historical data on tropical cyclones. They then used a statistical model to estimate what tropical cyclones will look like over the next few decades as climate change continues to intensify. 

Their work showed that category three tropical cyclones, which are the most intense, are likely to become twice as frequent in many parts of the world as a result of climate change. The Bay of Bengal and the Gulf of Mexico proved to be the exception to these findings; these areas aren’t expected to experience intense cyclones as frequently. 

The researchers explained that there are currently only about 100 tropical cyclones that occur each year; however, most of them never touch down on land. These findings predict that these weather events are likely to become much more serious within the next 30 years. 

The study also showed that low-income countries are likely to experience the brunt of this extreme weather in the coming decades. Those that have the highest risk include Mozambique, Cambodia, the Solomon Islands, Laos, and Tonga. Similarly, the number of consumers in Asia who will be newly exposed to these extreme weather events is likely to increase by millions. 

With these findings, the goal now is to help local areas take necessary steps to protect the land and consumers from harm in the event of intense weather patterns. 

“Our results can help identify the locations prone to the largest increase in tropical cyclone risk,” said researcher Dr. Nadia Bloemendaal. “Local governments can then take measures to reduce risk in their region, so that damage and fatalities can be reduced. With our publicly available data, we can now analyze tropical cyclone risk more accurately for every individual coastal city or region.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from St. John’s College and the University of Cambridge explored the health benefits of parents finding out the sex of their baby. 

According to the findings, knowing the sex of a baby before giving birth may reveal important health information, as carrying male babies has been linked with complications. Having a treatment plan before delivery can ensure that women are making lifestyle choices that are best suited to their health. 

“Often parents don’t want to know the baby’s sex because they want it to be a surprise,” said researcher Dr. Amanda Sferruzzi-Perri. “But actually knowing the sex would help to identify whether a pregnancy may be at greater risk of than another because we know that some conditions of pregnancy, such as pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction can be more prevalent in women that carry male babies than females.

“We don’t quite know 100 percent why that is but it might be related to the fact that male babies grow faster in the womb. So it might be that their demands for nutrients and oxygen supplied from the mother through the placenta can easily become limited, so the male baby may not be receiving all that it really wants and needs to grow to its full capacity. It may be that its resilience against stresses or poor conditions in pregnancy may be lower than say, for females, who have got less requirements.”  

How babies’ gender affects pregnancy health

The researchers conducted their study on pregnant mice to better understand how knowing the sex of infants can inform health care during pregnancy. The team was primarily focused on mitochondria, which is where the placenta gets its energy from. They looked at how changes to mitochondria affected the mice’s health during pregnancy. 

Ultimately, the researchers learned that the mice exhibited differences in their placenta function when they were carrying male babies versus female babies. The placenta had better function when the mice were carrying lighter female babies, as opposed to heavier male babies. 

“The placenta has an amazing skill in changing how it forms and how it functions,” said Dr. Sferruzzi-Perri. “This can be seen at multiple levels from the way in which the cells form in the placenta, its genes and proteins, even its mitochondria. These can all change in response to different types of cues, whether it’s in a mother that has been eating sugary, fatty diet, or in a pregnancy where there is rivalry between the siblings when there’s more than one baby, but what I think is probably the most novel aspect is that the way the placenta does adapt seems to depend on whether the baby’s female or male.” 

Staying healthy during pregnancy

Based on these findings, the researchers hope more pregnant women find out the sex of their babies before delivery in order to create treatment plans that are specifically designed for them and their health. The goal is to have more therapies in place that would directly target the placenta and improve the health of women and their babies. 

“These therapies would increase the way in which the placenta functions, how it develops, even how at the level of its mitochondria it produces energy to support fetal growth,” Dr. Sferruzzi-Perri said. “A lot of this groundwork is reinforcing to us that the placenta is fundamental for healthy pregnancy outcomes, and that fetal sex is important. But by looking at the different sorts of genes, proteins, and cellular mechanisms, we might identify targets that could be like biomarkers and specifically targeted in the placenta to improve outcomes for mothers and their babies.” 

Hyundai Motor America is recalling 6,240 model year 2021-2022 Elantras and model year 2020 Accents.

The front driver and passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment in a crash.

Exploding seat belt pretensioners can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.

What to do

Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on May 31, 2022.

Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at (855) 371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 223.

Norwex USA of Coppell, Texas, is recalling about 42,500 Norwex Ceramic Knives that were distributed in the U.S. and Canada.

The handle on the knives can break during use, posing a laceration hazard.

The firm has received 188 reports of incidents, including 158 reports of the handle breaking and 30 reports of damage to the knives during shipping. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves Norwex Ceramic Knives with a ceramic blade and bamboo handle. The knife measures about eight inches long with a four-inch blade and a four-inch handle. Norwex is printed on the handle.

The knives, manufactured in China, were distributed by Norwex USA and Norwex Canada as a promotional product from January 2022, through February 2022, for free.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled ceramic knives and contact Norwex USA for information on how to obtain a free replacement and to request a return kit that includes a pre-paid return shipping label.

Consumers may contact Norwex toll-free at (833) 882-5569 from 8 a.m. through 8 p.m. (CT) Monday through Friday and 9 a.m to 5 p.m (CT) Saturday, by email at USNorwexservice@Norwex.com, or online.