Current Events in January 2025

Noticing fewer health alerts from government agencies lately? That may be because of a government-issued pause in official health alerts.

The Trump Administration issued the pause on a variety of health communications going out from some of the nation’s top health and science agencies, according to reporting from The Washington Post.

The pause may in part be driven by the process of installing new appointees for senior management positions at departments such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 

“HHS has issued a pause on mass communications and public appearances that are not directly related to emergencies or critical to preserving health,” a spokesperson from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed in an email to ConsumerAffairs. “This is a short pause to allow the new team to set up a process for review and prioritization. There are exceptions for announcements that the HHS divisions believe are mission critical, but they will be made on a case-by-case basis.” 

"A dark harbinger"

The Center For Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) said the pause "will stifle the speech of government science and scientists, and is very likely a dark harbinger of what’s to come from this administration."

Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, also expressed its concerns about the pause.

“There is zero reason for standard public health communications that people rely on to stay safe to be paused, and for scientific meetings to be postponed or cancelled,” according to a statement released by Public Citizen on January 23. “The public needs and should expect a seamless transition between administrations for the timely communication of all essential public health information. A pause in these vital communications should never have happened and must fully end by February 1.”

In a memo the AP obtained, Dorothy Fink, acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) discussed with her staff leaders an “immediate pause” that the Trump administration had enacted on guidance, regulations, press releases, announcements, and social media posts — in addition to other communications — until they could be approved by a political appointee. The pause would be in effect until the end of the month, according to the memo, the AP reported.

HHS oversees the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the CDC and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and presumably communications from all those agencies are impacted by the pause. 

Which publications are affected?

A CDC spokesperson who responded to ConsumerAffairs initially did not respond to a follow-up question about which CDC publications are impacted by the pause. 

However, according to reporting from The Washington Post, the public messaging interruption also applies to the scientific publication of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) — as well as what is published in the Federal Register, the official daily publication for notices, rules and proposed rules of federal agencies as well as presidential documents such as executive orders.

This pause may be an opportunity for a strategic look at federal agency messaging to better engage people and protect health for everyone in our communities,” Dr. Ali Khan, former CDC outbreak investigator who currently works as dean of the University of Nebraska’s public health college, said in an email.

Khan added that the Trump administration is “very adept” at communicating with the American public and one of the criticisms of the COVID response was the “mismatch” between CDC and FDA messages to the public “and how those messages were delivered and interpreted.”

“The only concern would be if this was a prelude to a repeat of another major reason for the failed COVID response — disinformation,” he said.

Khan said that he was concerned about “manipulation of scientific communiques for partisan purposes.”

The Washington Post was the first to report the pause. A reporter from the publication spoke with close to 12 current and former officials and others familiar with the matter, at least some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity.

ConsumerAffairs contacted a spokesperson for the FDA who directed us to contact HHS, however HHS did not respond to a request for comment and neither did NIH.

ConsumerAffairs was unable to contact the Office of Public & Media Affairs at The White House because the website is not currently operational (“Page not found”). 

Homeowners seeking to rebuild their homes after a devastating disaster may be surprised to find themselves in another conundrum – their home insurance doesn’t cover enough to help them move on with their lives and rebuild their devastated house.

They are underinsured.

Researchers who looked into the underinsurance phenomenon found that most homeowners lack enough coverage to rebuild their house after a total loss. By exploring the plight of 4,859 policyholders from 24 insurers in Colorado, where the December 2021 Marshall Fire took down more than 1,000 homes and 30 commercial buildings, researchers found that underinsured homeowners were more likely to sell off their home than rebuild it.

Wildfires in Southern California have already claimed close to 16,000 structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, affecting people across various income streams and backgrounds. And with construction costs creeping up, it is unclear what rebuilding will look like for residents.

“Most people don’t have the money in the bank to rebuild a house,” said Mark Friedlander, corporate communications director for the Insurance Information Institute. “It makes a tragedy even worse.”

Friedlander reminds that most mortgage companies require homeowners to carry adequate insurance, and consumers can’t intentionally buy less required coverage. But most homeowners Triple-I surveyed in 2023 also didn’t anticipate having to experience a severe weather event.

According to the survey, 25% of homeowners didn’t believe their residence would be impacted by climate risk, and 42 percent said they didn’t believe they’d be impacted within the next five years. And only four in ten homeowners stated they completed some preventative measures on their homes, which could help mitigate damage and reduce cost.

Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog, said the wildfire’s impact in Los Angeles will be “massive,” and while underinsurance is always a problem, she suspects it will only worsen in California.

“The whole point of insurance is to make our communities whole in times of crisis. If the policies aren’t doing that and we’re still paying through the nose for them, then what are we paying for?” she said. “It will be really important for regulators and potentially lawmakers to step in and make insurance companies meet their obligations.”

Making sure you’re not underinsured

Sharon Cornelissen, housing director at Consumer Federation of America, said it’s getting more difficult to get insured and shop around for affordable insurance options in disaster prone areas as insurers pull out. And insurance prices can vary year by year.

“It’s good for everyone to reexamine their coverage every now and then, to ensure they’re still fully insured for both the replacement value of their home and their property within that, their possessions within the home,” Cornelissen said. “Both should be covered by their policies.”

Cornelissen provided important tips for consumers who need to recheck or shop around for insurance policies:

• Ask what the policy excludes – Some policies do not cover flooding, wind events, or fires, and consumers may need to look at supplementary policies to help fill the gap

• Understand the high deductibles – While a higher deductible can mean a lower monthly payment, it has to fit the consumer’s budget and comfort so that it doesn’t become a problem once an event occurs. Cornelissen also reminds that the value of the home is not linked to property value, but to replacement value which is how much it would cost to rebuild the house in the case of total destruction. She advises that consumers check if they are covered for the full replacement value of the house.

• Shop around for the insurance – Even if a broker offers the best price on insurance, there may still be limitations. Compare prices and see if it is a good value for the protection you need.

For homeowners recovering from a disaster, Cornelissen also advises they take advantage of help from The Federal Emergency Management Agency, as they may qualify for additional help when they discover they are underinsured.

Federal safety regulators are stepping up their investigation of Ford's BlueCruise hands-free technology following two fatal crashes involving all-electric Mustang Mach-E models.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it is moving the status of the probe to "engineering analysis," a step needed before it could order a recall. The analysis will cover 2021-24 model years, which is about 129,222 cars, according to NHTSA.

In its analysis, NHTSA will investigate Ford's system limitations and "evaluate drivers’ ability to respond to scenarios that exceed system limitations," NHTSA said in documents. 

In total, 32 crashes and 2,004 non-crash reports on Ford vehicles were identified across manufacturer and ODI data sources, NHTSA said. 

More than 70 mph

In both fatal collisions, the Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicle was traveling over 70 miles per hour on a controlled-access highway during nighttime lighting conditions with hands-free BlueCruise engaged when it collided with a stationary vehicle.

Analysis of data imaged from the vehicles’ event data recorders demonstrates that in each incident, the driver did not apply the brakes or take evasive steering action, and no deceleration was initiated prior to impact.

Through the agency’s crash analysis, four additional frontal collisions were identified where a Ford equipped with BlueCruise impacted a stopped or slow-moving lead vehicle or another stationary object located in the travel lane.

Two of these four incidents involved BlueCruise-equipped Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles while the other two involved other Ford models.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can lead to a heart attack or stroke. A study conducted by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine has identified another risk - cognitive impairment.

However, their study has revealed that intensive blood pressure management can significantly reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment or dementia in adults with hypertension and high cardiovascular risk, with benefits persisting long after the treatment has ended. The findings, published in Neurology, underscore the long-term cognitive benefits of aggressive blood pressure control.

The study, part of the National Institutes of Health-supported Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) Memory and Cognition in Decreased Hypertension (SPRINT MIND), involved 9,361 participants aged 50 and older across more than 100 clinic sites in the United States and Puerto Rico. 

Participants were randomly assigned to either an intensive treatment group with a systolic blood pressure goal of less than 120 mm Hg or a standard treatment group with a goal of less than 140 mm Hg.

Over a median follow-up period of seven years, cognitive assessments were conducted both in-person and via telephone, classifying participants into categories of no cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment, or probable dementia. The results showed that those in the intensive treatment group had a sustained lower incidence of cognitive impairment compared to the standard treatment group.

Bolstered by previous research

The study builds on previous findings from the landmark SPRINT trial, which in 2015 demonstrated that intensive blood pressure management reduced cardiovascular disease and lowered the risk of death by 30-40% in individuals with hypertension. 

The trial was stopped early due to its success, leaving questions about the long-term effects on dementia. However, initial results from SPRINT MIND in 2019 indicated a significantly reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment for up to five years following the initial 3.3 years of intensive treatment.

Researchers say the latest findings extend these benefits over a longer period, showing a continued reduction in cognitive impairment rates for at least seven years. 

The December Consumer Price Index showed the cost of new and used vehicles has fallen over the last 12 months, but the cost of insuring cars and trucks continues to rise. However, insurance rates are higher on some vehicles than on others.

The Tesla Cybertruck not only carries a high price tag, but according to insurance comparison site Insurify it’s very costly to insure. The average annual full coverage premium on the Cybertruck is $3,392 per year — 45% more than the national average of $2,336, according to Insurify data.

There are two factors that influence the Cybertruck’s insurance premiums. The first is that it’s an electric vehicle. EVs typically cost more to insure.

The second is the price tag. Insurance rates are higher for very expensive vehicles because repair and replacement costs are so high.

Cheapest to insure

On the other end of the scale, the cheapest vehicles to insure are typically small SUVs or trucks. Car and Driver ranks them like this:

• Subaru Outback

• Honda CR-V

• Honda Pilot

• Ford Escape

• Honda Odyssey

• Ford F-150

• Jeep Wrangler

• GMC Sierra 1500

• Toyota RAV4

• Nissan Rogue

Location, location, location

Another factor influencing insurance rates is where you live. A recent ConsumerAffairs study identified these states as the most expensive for auto insurance:

But the study also found that age and gender are the biggest factors that influence car insurance rates. Eighteen-year-old men pay the most, but 35-year-old women actually pay up to 21% more than men of the same age with identical driving profiles.

Millions of Americans started 2025 with rising credit card debt, living paycheck-to-paycheck and falling further behind their financial goals.

Charlotte, N.C., financial advisor Marcus Sturdivant Sr., says the start of a new year is a good time to improve your financial literacy, suggesting that improved money skills affect not just your bank account but your entire life.

“I’m a financial advisor by trade so I’ve seen the results in other people’s lives,” Sturdivant told ConsumerAffairs. “When we sit down and have a conversation we see that many people don’t understand the value of owning a home, of credit, and how to use credit and debt.”

So what does he mean? Sturdivant says much of the stress in family life is caused by the lack of proper money management and is one of the biggest causes of divorce.

“People can be married 20 or 30 years and not really understand each other’s views of money, or where they want to get to by retirement,” he said. 

For young people, having a good financial literacy education is important when dating. For example, if you have a good credit score you probably want to avoid getting involved with someone who has a poor score.

Happier, more stable life

Sturdivant says someone with a strong financial literacy grasp will likely have a happier, more stable life. They will have fewer worries about debt because they will pay their credit card balance in full each month. Someone without this knowledge may be quickly burdened with unsustainable debt.

“Einstein stated that compounding interest is the strongest force in nature,” Sturdivant said. “That blade cuts both ways, if people are saving and compounding those gains, it is beautiful. On the flip side, paying minimum balances or not paying at all will have detrimental consequences on the growing balance.”

Sturdivant has worked with a Charlotte-area non-profit, offering a free financial literacy course to help people get a grasp of their finances, sometimes turning their lives around. He says it just takes that initial step.

“People fear what they do not understand and finances can seem daunting and only for the affluent,” he said. “The first step in mindset is realizing everyone can grow in their financial literacy and start to grow their returns.”

Consumers will have a new way to pay for their upcoming JetBlue flights: Venmo. 

The airline announced that customers will now be able to book their airline tickets using the popular banking app. 

“We’re continually looking for ways to make it easier to book a JetBlue flight on our website and mobile app,” said Carol Clements, chief digital and technology officer, JetBlue. “Adding Venmo offers a seamless payment option for customers who enjoy the ease and convenience of the Venmo platform.”

“Travel is not just about the destination, but the people you go with and how you share the experience,” said John Anderson, senior vice president and general manager of consumer, PayPal. “The added ability to pay with Venmo for flights on JetBlue and manage travel costs during the trip through Groups helps solve the pain points of shared expenses from the time of booking to returning home.”

How it works

JetBlue is the first airline to offer Venmo as a payment option to its customers. 

The new payment feature is currently available for those booking through the JetBlue website, and the airline says that customers using the JetBlue mobile app will see the Venmo option in the coming months. 

To pay for your next flight using Venmo, you’ll be prompted to log into your Venmo account once at checkout on JetBlue’s website. From there, you’ll have the option to pay using your Venmo balance, or any of the connected credit or debit cards or bank accounts linked to your Venmo account. 

The airline has also said that Venmo payments on its website are secure, meaning consumers should feel confident their data is safe and secure on the platform.   

Winning over consumers

The news of the new payment option may serve as an opportunity for JetBlue to work on winning over consumers. 

Most recently, the airline was fined $2 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation for “chronic flight delays,” with half of that money going to JetBlue travelers. On top of that, the airline decided to cut a number of its flight routes in the new year in an effort to increase profitability. 

On the heels of that news, the airline has now made an announcement that it’s hoping will make the checkout portion of traveling easier and more convenient. 

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed a lawsuit against High Light Vapes, a Los Angeles-based e-cigarette manufacturer, charging it with marketing to minors. The lawsuit alleges violations of state laws prohibiting the marketing of tobacco products to children and consumer fraud. 

Ellison has also launched an investigation into Loon, a Minnesota-based e-cigarette manufacturer, to determine potential violations of similar laws.

High Light Vapes is accused of designing and promoting its products to appeal to school-age children by mimicking highlighters. The complaint alleges the company marketed these e-cigarettes as a "stealthy" way to vape, highlighting their resemblance to actual highlighters. 

The products come in various flavors such as strawberry cheesecake and sour apple, which are particularly attractive to young consumers. Ellison demonstrated the similarity between these vapes and real highlighters at a press conference, emphasizing the deceptive nature of their marketing strategy.

"My job as attorney general is to protect Minnesotans — especially our children — when corporations try to harm us to make a profit," Ellison stated. "I will not allow any corporation to illegally manufacture, market, and sell dangerous and addictive e-cigarette products to Minnesota youth."

Other states are taking similar actions

The legal actions are part of a broader effort by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general across the United States to combat the proliferation of flavored disposable e-cigarettes, which are often illegally imported from China. These products have seen a 1,500% increase in the U.S. market since 2020, despite federal regulations requiring FDA approval for new e-cigarettes. 

The coalition of state leaders aims to hold companies accountable for unlawfully manufacturing, distributing, and marketing these products to young people.

Ellison's office has also served a civil investigative demand on Loon, requiring the company to provide documents and answer questions under oath. This investigation seeks to uncover any potential violations of Minnesota's consumer protection and deceptive vaping laws by Loon.

This lawsuit follows Minnesota's landmark settlement with Juul and Altria in 2023, where the companies agreed to pay $60.5 million over eight years for their role in marketing e-cigarettes to youth. The settlement funds are dedicated to preventing youth smoking and e-cigarette use, marking a significant public health achievement in the state's ongoing battle against tobacco use among minors.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is sending over $5 million in refunds to people who were affected by a deceptive credit card debt relief scam run by ACRO Services.

The company, which also used names like American Consumer Rights Organization and Tri Star Consumer Group, falsely promised to reduce or eliminate consumers' credit card debt in 12 to 18 months. They charged illegal upfront fees and monthly fees for services like credit monitoring.

The company and its owners have agreed to stop working in debt relief and telemarketing, and they gave up assets to help pay back affected consumers. A total of 7,687 people are receiving checks. These checks should be cashed within 90 days.

Consumers who have questions about their payment should contact the refund administrator, JND Legal Administration, at 877-753-2846, or visit the FTC website to view frequently asked questions about the refund process. The Commission never requires people to pay money or provide account information to get a refund.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is expanding its investigation into about 295,000 Honda vehicles due to reports of automatic emergency braking systems activating unexpectedly, leading to crashes and injuries.

Key Details:

• Affected Models: 2019-2023 Honda Insight and Honda Passport vehicles.
• Issue: The automatic emergency braking system may trigger inadvertently, causing sudden deceleration and increasing the risk of collisions.
• Complaints: The NHTSA received 106 complaints, including three crashes and two injuries.

The investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis, a step required before the agency can mandate a recall. Honda has provided its analysis of the issue, suggesting some customers may not fully understand the system’s limitations. The company has not yet commented further.

Johnson & Johnson has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Spravato (esketamine) CIII nasal spray as the first and only monotherapy for adults with major depressive disorder who have not responded adequately to at least two oral antidepressants. 

The company hailed the approval as “a significant advancement in the treatment of MDD,” a condition affecting approximately 21 million adults in the United States.

Major depressive disorder is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders, and about one-third of patients do not respond to traditional oral antidepressants, severely impacting the quality of life and contributing to the high economic burden associated with treatment-resistant depression.

Image below via Johnson & Johnson

Complicated treatment

"Treatment-resistant depression can be very complicated, especially for patients who do not respond to oral antidepressants or cannot tolerate them,” said Bill Martin, head of Neuroscience at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine.  

“Spravato is now available as a standalone treatment, meaning patients may experience improvements in depressive symptoms as early as 24 hours and at 28 days – without the need for daily oral antidepressants."

The FDA's decision followed a priority review and was based on positive outcomes from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Johnson & Johnson said the study demonstrated that Spravato significantly improved depressive symptoms compared to placebo, with 22.5% of patients achieving remission at week four, compared to 7.6% in the placebo group. The safety profile of SPRAVATO® was consistent with previous data, with no new safety concerns identified.

The new drug is available only through a restricted program known as the Spravato Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy Program. 

There is no shortage of schemes that scammers use to target their victims, and the rapid development of artificial intelligence has only increased these threats. But what threat should consumers take most seriously?

A survey conducted by Omdia,  a technology research and advisory group, found that phishing scams remain the most significant security threat for smartphone users, with 24% of respondents reporting that they have fallen victim to these attacks. Phishing, which involves fraudulent texts, emails, or calls designed to deceive individuals into divulging sensitive personal information, continues to be a major concern as cybercriminals seek easy ways to steal from consumers.

The survey, part of Omdia's fourth annual Mobile Device Security Scorecard, was conducted in October 2024 and included 1,572 consumers across the Americas, Asia & Oceania, and Europe. It identified malware and viruses as the second most common security issue, followed by physical theft incidents like pickpocketing and mugging.

In an evaluation of leading premium smartphones, the survey found that Google's Pixel 9 Pro and Samsung's Galaxy S24 outperformed Apple's iPhone 16 Pro and other Android-based devices such as the OnePlus 12, Xiaomi 14, and Honor Magic 6 Pro. Despite their strengths, anti-phishing protection was a weak point across all devices, with none successfully intercepting all phishing texts, calls, and emails.

Android outperformed

The survey determined that all Android devices from Google, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Honor, and Samsung successfully flagged suspected spam calls before users answered, but the iPhone 16 Pro lacked similar voice call protection. Additionally, none of the tested devices fully flagged simulated phishing emails from Gmail as phishing, only marking them as spam when sent from Google's SMTP.

Devices equipped with Google Safe Browsing protections managed to block phishing links from opening, displaying a warning screen and requiring user confirmation to proceed. However, browser performance varied significantly, the survey found.

For example, Samsung Internet effectively blocked most links, including advanced custom URLs, while Xiaomi Mii and OnePlus Internet browsers failed to warn users about known malicious links, highlighting inconsistencies in Android device security.

"The lack of security protection, particularly against the growing threat of phishing attacks, is eroding consumer trust," said Aaron West, senior analyst at Omdia. “A significant 73% of consumers reported reduced trust in their smartphone brand and operating system developer following a security issue.”

If you go to your doctor complaining of “burnout” at work, your physician might reply, “Join the club.” According to medical authorities, doctors are increasingly stressed out on the job.

The American Medical Association estimates nearly 63% of physicians experience symptoms of burnout at least once a week. It’s not just the patient load, which is increasing, but also the paperwork. Some physicians report spending three hours at home each evening filling out forms.

A study by the National Institutes of Health recently determined that nearly one in three physicians is experiencing burnout at any given time. The authors warned that this may not only interfere with their own well-being but also with the quality of delivered care.

“Healthcare workers, and especially perioperative clinicians seem to be at particular risk for burnout,” the authors wrote. 

“This may have significant negative personal (substance abuse, broken relationships and even suicide), but also important professional consequences such as lower patient satisfaction, impaired quality of care, even up to medical errors, potentially ending up in malpractice suits with substantial costs for caregivers and hospitals.”

Symptoms of burnout range from exhaustion and sleep problems to depression and physical pain. Depression may often stem from family stresses, such as disappointment over missing important family events.

Digital mindfulness

Burnout can occur in just about any profession or occupation that makes heavy demands, includes long hours and is filled with stress. Some clinicians believe mindfulness meditation may reduce work-related stress, as it seeks to encourage awareness of the present moment and promote self-regulation.

Researchers from the University of California San Francisco Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences recently launched a large mindfulness trial for over 1,400 UCSF employees. 

They found that those who received digital mindfulness meditation felt greater satisfaction and engagement with their jobs months later. They also felt happier, less anxious and more mindful of their daily life.

“Our team found significant, sustained improvements in well-being, job enjoyment and mindfulness, particularly for those who meditated more,” said study first author Rachel Radin, PhD, a psychologist and UCSF assistant professor of psychiatry. “This study confirms prior findings indicating psychological benefits of mindfulness practice for employees and extends them to a digital platform.” 

What is it?

What exactly is digital mindfulness? It’s often defined as being aware of how digital devices and technology add stress to life that can lead to burnout.

Digital mindfulness actions include:

• Monitoring screen time

• Turning off unnecessary notifications

• Carefully choosing what digital content you consume

• Taking breaks from technology to promote relaxation