Jim Hood is a grizzled veteran of the news business. After 14 years at the Associated Press, he founded Zapnews and ConsumerAffairs.com. In his dotage he runs The Outraged Consumer on Substack and ConsumerNews.ai.
Consumer Protection
Consumers could soon find it much easier to cancel unwanted subscriptions, while hidden mandatory fees may also come under new scrutiny.
Insurance
Healthier clients dropping Obamacare, leading to more rate hikes as remaining clients are sicker.
Money
Being just a few days later on a credit card payment can wreck your credit rating and cause your interest rate to shoot up
Money
For consumers, the stakes are familiar: banks say late fees deter missed payments and keep costs down for on-time payers; consumer advocates say the fees have become a major profit center.
AI/Privacy
The August trial is part of a broader wave of social media litigation that could reshape how platforms are designed for children and teens
Money
Consumers braced for continued inflation, Fed warns.
Consumer Protection
Consumer advocates warn the bill could weaken state protections and let costly wage-advance products avoid lending laws
Health
Attorneys on both sides of MDL 3094 and MDL 3163 are maneuvering and jockeying for position as multi-district litigation against the makers of GLP-1 drugs including Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Trulicity and Mounjaro edges closer to actual testimony. The cases break down into two categories: those claiming gastrointestinal injury
AI/Privacy
The 250th anniversary hoopla celebrated freedom of the press, among other things, but a bedrock of journalism is on the watch list.
AI/Privacy
Meta is putting monthly usage limits on Conversation Focus, a smart-glasses feature that helps users hear nearby speech more clearly in noisy places
AI/Privacy
Meta wants smart-glasses buyers to pay monthly for a feature their glasses already runMeta is putting monthly usage limits on Conversation Focus, a smart-glasses feature that helps users hear nearby speech more clearly in noisy placesConsumerNews.aiJames R. HoodMeta quietly removes facial recognition code after backlash over smart
Money
The $1,000 is intended as a starter account. It could become substantial if parents make consistent annual contributions.