A new report from the U.S. surgeon general finds there are gaps in smoking rates on racial, ethnic, gender and class lines. Cigarette smoking rates have been trending downward in recent years but the report found racial and ethnic communities, members of the LGBTQ+ community and lower-income people smoke at higher rates. The report found…

Not everyone’s brain seems to age the same way. Some elderly people you meet may still be as sharp as ever, while others couldn’t tell you what they had for breakfast. Now, new research is giving us a deeper understanding of why that may be. A recent paper published Thursday, Nov. 7, in the journal…

In a presidential campaign cycle filled with tax cut proposals, one is loftier than all the rest. Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of getting rid of individual income tax and replacing it with revenue from tariffs. Individual income tax currently provides 49% of the federal government’s annual revenue. “Were you serious…

Gambling has long been regarded as addictive – with warnings on scratch-offs and lottery tickets, and support groups for those struggling to stop. And since technology entered the race, it’s only gotten worse. Now, an international group of health experts is calling for gambling to be treated in the same ways as alcohol and tobacco.…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released new numbers on teen smoking. It seems that progress is being made toward less young smokers, with the lowest numbers for this age group in 25 years reported.  Researchers looked at data between 2023-2024 and found that middle and high school students who used any kind…

We’re getting our most in-depth look so far at Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election. And there’s new skin in the game in the battle over who actually caught Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Oct. 3,…

The state of Arkansas is suing YouTube, alleging that the video-sharing platform contributes to a youth mental health crisis. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed a consumer protection lawsuit in state court against Google, YouTube and their parent company, Alphabet. The lawsuit accuses the tech giants of deliberately targeting children with addictive content. The lawsuit…

Federal inspectors found more than two dozen safety hazards at immigrant sweatshops in New York City. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration discovered fire, electrical, respiratory and sanitary hazards at HotHead Grabba locations in Brooklyn and Queens.  The company packages tubes of loose ground tobacco leaves sold at smoke shops and bodegas.  Ten of…

Conservative talker Tucker Carlson launched a nicotine pouch that he hopes will compete with the massive popularity of Zyn. Carlson’s foray into the business started with an appearance on comedian Theo Von’s podcast last year where he was actually talking about his love for Zyn.  “The truth is, Zyn is a powerful work enhancer, and also…

Sports betting exploded into an $11 billion a year industry since the Supreme Court effectively legalized it in 2018. Two lawmakers on Capitol Hill say sports betting has gone too far without proper safeguards, and they want to treat it like an addictive product that is no different from alcohol or tobacco.  Rep. Paul Tonko,…