Lexi Brock Popular documentaries, like “Not So Pretty,” have recently drawn attention to several issues in the cosmetics industry, like asbestos-contaminated products and toxic ingredient lists, that have otherwise gone largely unnoticed and unregulated.[1] The cosmetic industry was able to avoid “strict” regulatory oversight for nearly a century.[2] However, that did not stop Americans from […]
By Kristen Tieman On Saturday, January 28, 2023, a two-hundred-foot-tall balloon[1] covertly entered US airspace over Alaska.[2] Five days later, on February 2, news of the balloon made national headlines as it was spotted over the continental United States.[3] Immediately, questions began to arise: What were China’s intentions with the balloon? Why would China use […]
Hannah Shirar California’s Proposition 65, commonly known as “Prop 65,” may be unrecognizable by name by U.S. consumers, but it nonetheless pervades U.S. markets and overall society. Prop 65 is the source of those pesky, off-putting warnings that state that the product you just purchased may expose you to “chemicals known to the State of […]
By Jenna White As we all know, online advertising is almost impossible to escape. In fact, the average consumer in the United States sees about five thousand advertisements each day.[1] Even more frustrating to consumers is website publishers’ ever-increasing use of paywalls and subscriptions.[2] But publishers are not to blame. Google is. By monopolizing the […]
Grace Genereaux Whether you are watching television, scrolling on TikTok, or browsing the internet, you are likely to see one particular type of advertisement: prescription drugs. Only the United States and New Zealand allow for drug companies to directly advertise prescription drugs to consumers.[1] Other countries have banned the advertising of prescription drugs over a […]
By Sam Kiehl Anytime you are stuck in a relationship that you want out of, it’s tough. But that’s especially so when you’re only five hundred twenty-six days into a nineteen-year contract with an embattled cryptocurrency exchange that allegedly used customer funds to make risky trades and reportedly owes creditors more than $3 billion.[1] Fortunately […]
Mollie Pinion It is indisputable that “[a]ccess to clean, poison-free water is a fundamental human right.”[1] Nevertheless, the water infrastructure in Jackson, Mississippi has been plagued for decades by underinvestment, “neglect, mismanagement, and maintenance failures.”[2] Even though Jackson is the state’s capital and largest city, its residents are all too familiar with the daily struggles […]
By Ivey Fidelibus A few times within each generation, an invention is so novel and powerful that it changes not only a certain profession or specific task, but society itself.[1] For example, consider the debut of Facebook in 2004 and the ensuing rise of social media[2] or Apple’s launch of the first iPhone in 2007.[3] […]
Amanda Hull The federal omnibus spending bill passed by Congress and signed by President Biden in late December 2022 included breastfeeding protections for working parents.[1] These protections were initially introduced as the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers (“PUMP”) Act in 2021.[2] The PUMP Act expands existing hourly employee protections to salaried employees, requiring […]
By Gabby Korb President Biden signed Executive Order 14006 banning the renewal of private prison contracts, stating that “[t]his is the first step to stop corporations from profiting off of the incarcerated—incarceration that is less humane and less safe, as the studies show.”[1] Although this can be seen as a positive step in the fight […]
By Caroline Willcox The cost of housing has risen to such an extent in the past few years that, for some, it has become prohibitive to home ownership or housing generally.[1] This problem is especially prevalent in Idaho, where houses in Boise are almost 70 percent overvalued.[2] A woman in Idaho, Chasidy Decker, found a […]
Julia Guarneri In 2018, Alyssa Rodriguez was brought to Rikers Island (“Rikers”), New York City’s main jail complex, to be “held for pretrial detention”.[1] Although a transgender woman, she was placed in the all-male Anna M. Kross Center and housed in an open sleeping area with male detainees.[2] Corrections employees expressed confusion as to why […]