Always check the ingredients label of processed food for synthetic dyes and for high levels of added sugar. If a product contains either, you are better off not buying it, especially for your kids. About 19 percent of packaged foods and beverages contain synthetic food dyes, according to research evaluating... Read more →

I’m feeling stressed. How about you? Everyone has some type and level of stress, but the past few years have increased Americans’ stress levels with record-high inflation and economic uncertainty. About 77 percent of Americans feel stressed about the future of the nation these days, and 73 percent feel stressed... Read more →

In a move that contradicts campaign pledges to crack down on toxic pesticides, President Donald Trump has appointed longtime agriculture lobbyist Kyle Kunkler to serve as the nation’s top pesticide regulator at the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA. Kunkler is a former lobbyist for the American Soybean Association and the... Read more →

Summer is in full swing now with many areas of the country sweltering and some suffering in torrential rain and flooding. Here in the Pacific Northwest, June was mostly coolish with some nice days and a hot one or two now and then. Our annual July Fourth party was great,... Read more →

As he had wanted, President Donald Trump signed his budget bill on July Fourth that will give tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy while slashing Medicaid and food-assistance benefits for millions of Americans. The budget measure puts the country on a perilous fiscal path by increasing the federal deficit through huge... Read more →

Usually, I enjoy celebrating July Fourth, the anniversary of what I used to call our great nation. As a supporter of government after membership in the League of Women Voter for decades and being a candidate for public office and an employee of state government, I’ve urged people on our... Read more →

July 4, 2025, marks the 249th birthday of the United States of America. Millions of people celebrate the day with barbecues, parades, and fireworks. And also travel, with more than 72 million Americans planning to travel 50-plus miles from home this year. About 61 percent of Americans will attend a... Read more →

On Monday, four federal agencies revoked longstanding regulations to carry out the National Environmental Policy Act or NEPA. In some cases, new regulations were proposed to replace them; in others, the regulations are replaced by nonbinding guidance. In all cases, the regulations significantly weaken the implementation of the statute by... Read more →

Auto sales, consumer credit issues, and scams and frauds remain some of the most pressing problems Americans face, according to the Consumer Federation of America, or CFA, in its annual “Consumer Complaint Survey Report 2024.” These findings come as the Trump administration pursues a historic rollback of the Consumer Financial... Read more →

It’s happening all over the world. Birthrates are declining and almost all leaders are lamenting the fact. The argument is that with declining birthrates there won’t be enough tax money from fewer younger people to pay for the care of older people. Also, in the United States, consumers spending money... Read more →