After a second death from measles in Texas, health officials everywhere are urging parents to be vigilant for symptoms and to make sure their children are vaccinated against the childhood disease.
Measles is not a benign infection, like a common cold, Dr. Michael Smit, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, said in a press release. It carries the risk of severe complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis, and in rare cases, death.
Nationwide, measles cases have begun to rise. These cases form part of a growing national trend, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting over 480 measles cases across 20 states. Texas is currently experiencing the most significant outbreak.
Measles, one of the worlds most contagious diseases, is caused by an airborne virus that spreads rapidly through coughing and sneezing. Symptoms typically begin with fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, followed by a distinctive rash three to four days later.
Children under the age of 19 account for more than 75% of reported cases in the U.S. so far this year, underscoring the viruss disproportionate impact on younger populations.
Vaccination is the most effective defense
Health experts continue to urge vaccination as the most powerful tool in combating measles outbreaks. The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine provides 97% protection after two doses, according to the CDC.
Vaccinating your child is the best way to prevent measles and protect your community, said Smit. If your goal is to avoid catching measles and spreading it to others the vaccine is your best bet.
The first dose of the MMR vaccine is typically administered at 12 to 15 months of age, with a second dose recommended between ages four and six. While full protection is usually achieved about a month after the second dose, receiving the vaccine shortly after exposure can still reduce the severity of illness.
There is ongoing potential for worsening widespread outbreaks if contagious individuals with measles enter communities with low vaccination rates, said Smit.
Protecting vulnerable children
Children who are too young to be vaccinated or who are immunocompromised face higher risks of serious illness. Parents of these children should consult their healthcare providers immediately if exposure is suspected. In some cases, a dose of antibodies administered soon after exposure can help prevent the infection from developing.
Doctors also advise that everyone in close contact with vulnerable children be fully vaccinated to create a protective cocoon of immunity.
While some parents consider alternatives like vitamin A supplements, experts clarify that such treatments are not effective in preventing measles.
Vaccination is covered by most insurance plans and is available through programs like Vaccines for Children. Families are encouraged to contact their healthcare providers to ensure immunizations are up to date, especially before travel to areas experiencing outbreaks.
For parents planning international travel with infants younger than 12 months, an early dose of the measles vaccine may be recommended. However, this early dose does not replace the two standard childhood immunizations.
Public health officials continue to emphasize vigilance and immunization as the most reliable strategies to protect against measles and its complications.
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The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has confirmed that the multistate outbreak of Listeriosis linked to refrigerated and frozen ready-to-eat pasta meals has grown: at least six deaths and 27 illnesses have been reported across 18 states.
Investigators have traced the outbreak to a pre-cooked pasta ingredient supplied by Nates Fine Foods, Inc. in California, which tested positive for the same strain of Listeria monocytogenes found in consumers.
A wide range of productsincluding pasta salads, alfredo meals, and frozen trays sold by major grocersare now subject to recall or voluntary withdrawal; consumers are being urged to discard or return affected items.
In a troubling update, the FDA reports that a listeria outbreak first flagged in mid-2025 has now escalated significantly. Federal agencies, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state partners, say that as of the latest investigation, 27 people across 18 states have been confirmed ill. At least six people have died, and one case involving a pregnant person resulted in a fetal loss.
The origin of the outbreak has been traced back to pre-cooked pasta produced by Nates Fine Foods of Roseville, California. A sample of linguine from that supplier tested positive for the same listeria strain found in ready-to-eat meals made by another company.
That suppliers pasta was used by several processors making deli-type pasta salads and frozen meals.
Following this discovery, multiple recalls have been announced. These include, but are not limited to:
Pasta salads sold in the deli sections of national grocers such as Kroger and Albertsons.
Frozen ready-to-eat meals like shrimp scampi linguini and blackened chicken alfredo trays.
A recall by Trader Joes of Cajun-style blackened chicken breast fettuccine alfredo trays with best if used by dates from late September to early October.
While none of the tainted products are still being sold, the FDA is concerned that they could still be in consumers freezers. Health officials urge consumers to inspect any frozen pasta products they possess to make sure they havent been recalled.
Why this outbreak is especially concerning
What sets this outbreak apart is how it highlights the risk in ready-to-eat meals that combine cooked pasta with sauces or deli components and are stored chilled or frozen. Listeria monocytogenes can survive and multiply at temperatures where many consumer foods are kept.
Also, the hospitalization rate is very high: of the 20 people with information available in September, 19 were hospitalized. The severity of outcomes including deaths and fetal loss underscores how dangerous the pathogen is for vulnerable groups (pregnant women, older adults, immunocompromised individuals).
The FDA, along with USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the CDC, is actively tracing the supply chain, inspecting facilities, and monitoring whether additional products may be contaminated. The investigation is still ongoing.
Nearly 3 in 10 Land Rover Discovery Sports are resold within their first yearmore than any other new car.
All of the top 10 most-resold cars are luxury brands, according to iSeeCars latest national analysis.
Experts say dissatisfaction, dealer tactics, or financial strain may explain why so many luxury cars quickly return to the market.
Have you ever purchased a new car and within weeks, realize the purchase was a mistake? It may not be a common experience but it does happen, a data show one category of vehicles is involved more than all others.
A new iSeeCars study reveals that luxury vehicles are far more likely to be resold within a year of purchase compared to the industry average. While only 3.6% of new cars are typically resold within 12 months, some luxury models change hands at rates four to eight times higher.
Topping the list is the Land Rover Discovery Sport, with 28.3% of new buyers re-selling their vehicle within the first year. Close behind are the Porsche Macan at 22.2% and the Mercedes-Benz GLB at 21.2%. Three other Mercedes models the CLA, GLA, and C-Class also appear in the top 10, alongside multiple Land Rover models, the BMW 5 Series, and Jaguar F-PACE.
Owner dissatisfaction is the most obvious cause, said iSeeCars executive analyst Karl Brauer. But financial hardship and even creative dealer accounting can also drive this number up, with some retailers registering demonstration vehicles as sold to boost sales figures.
The study analyzed over 18.5 million new car sales from 2023 to 2024, tracking which models were listed for resale within the first year. Across all 10 top-ranked models, resale averages were dramatically higher than normal, underscoring the volatility in the luxury segment.
Luxury brands lead early resale rankings
The report also ranked brands by overall resale rates. Porsche leads with 16% of its cars returning to market within a year, followed by Jaguar (10.7%), Mercedes-Benz (9.1%), and Land Rover (8.9%. INFINITI, BMW, Genesis, Audi, MINI, and Maserati complete the top 10again, all premium nameplates.
Luxury buyers may not be doing enough research before buying, or they simply tire of their purchase quickly, Brauer added. In some cases, dealers may also resell vehicles that were briefly used as demos or loaners.
For everyday car shoppers, the findings highlight a silver lining: many of these lightly used luxury cars reenter the market with low mileage and nearly full warranties, selling for significantly less than their original price tags.
Buyers seeking top-tier features without the new-car premium may find compelling deals among these fast-turnover models.
However, consumers should still check warranty details carefully and understand why a particular model may have been quickly resold. A little research can turn someone elses regret into another drivers opportunity.
Roughly 53,000 home-purchase deals fell through nationwide in September 15% of homes that went under contract that month.
Florida and Texas metros led the nation in canceled deals, with Tampa topping the list at 20.1%.
Experts cite high prices, inspection issues, and rising climate and insurance costs for the growing trend of homebuyers ghosting sellers.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent believes the U.S. housing market could be in a recession, but he is assigning blame to the Federal Reserves interest rate policy.
I think that we are in good shape, but I think that there are sectors of the economy that are in recession, Bessent said on CNNs State of the Union program. And the Fed has caused a lot of distributional problems with their policies.
Whether its interest rates, high prices or other economic factors, the data show that a growing number of Americans are backing out of home-purchase agreements, signaling deepening tension between buyers and sellers in todays high-cost housing market.
According to a new report from Redfin, about 53,000 home-purchase contracts were canceled in September, accounting for 15% of all homes that went under contract, up from 13.6% a year earlier.
The data show that in many markets, particularly in Florida and Texas, buyers are ghosting sellers at unprecedented rates as affordability, inspection concerns, and climate risks weigh on decision-making.
Florida and Texas had the most canceled contracts
In Tampa, 20.1% of pending home sales were canceled in September, the highest share in the nation and up from 17.7% last year. San Antonio followed at 19%, alongside Atlanta, Orlando, Fort Worth, Dallas, and Fort Lauderdale, where nearly one in five deals also fell through.
Buyers are ghosting sellers at a fairly high rate nationwide, Redfin reported, noting that both sides are often unwilling to compromise on repairs, pricing, or concessions. With mortgage rates near multi-decade highs and competition cooling, buyers expect perfection while sellers, many of whom bought during the pandemic, are reluctant to lower their prices.
Sun Belt fatigue
Im seeing a lot of buyers remorse, said Jo Chavez, a Redfin Premier agent in Kansas City. Buyers make an offer, then they start worrying they could have found a better deal or a better home because there are more home sellers than buyers in the market.
That hesitancy is especially pronounced in the Sun Belt, where prices surged during the pandemic boom. Cities like Tampa, Las Vegas, and Jacksonville saw massive in-migration in 2021 and 2022, but the combination of rising insurance premiums, HOA fees, and climate risks has cooled enthusiasm. Builders in these states are also adding supply faster than anywhere else, giving buyers confidence they can wait for a better fit.
Inspections reveal problems
Redfin found that over 70% of failed deals fall apart during the inspection phase when buyers push for repairs or price cuts and sellers push back. In this buyer-tilted market, even small inspection issues can send buyers running. Many are also targeting lower-priced homes, which are more likely to have inspection problems in the first place.
The growing rate of cancellations is also discouraging some sellers from listing their homes. Those unwilling to meet market expectations or make repairs are instead choosing to wait, adding to the slow pace of sales.
New safety system focuses on detecting distress, self-harm, and emotional dependence in conversations
CEO Sam Altman says alerting authorities may be reasonable when minors express suicidal intent
California moves to require AI chatbots to flag and redirect suicidal users to emergency help
OpenAI has announced a broad upgrade to ChatGPTs safety tools, saying it worked with more than 170 mental-health experts to better detect signs of distress, self-harm, and emotional reliance on AI.
In a blog post last week titled Strengthening ChatGPTs responses in sensitive conversations, the company said the update includes routing sensitive chats to safer model versions, adding gentle take-a-break reminders during long sessions, and more rigorous testing for how its systems handle self-harm and emotional crises.
The company also revealed that about 0.15 percent of its weekly active usershundreds of thousands worldwideengage in chats showing signs of suicidal planning or intent, a figure that underscores the scale of the issue.
If you need help ...
U.S.: Call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at988lifeline.org
UK & Ireland: Samaritans, 116 123 (freephone), jo@samaritans.org / jo@samaritans.ie
Altman signals possible alerts to authorities for minors
Chief executive Sam Altman said OpenAI is considering a policy that would allow the company to contact authorities when a young person is seriously discussing suicide and parents cannot be reached.
It may be very reasonable for us to call authorities, Altman told The Guardian. No final decision or written policy has been released, and questions remain over which authorities might be contacted, what threshold would trigger intervention, and how privacy would be protected, Altman said.
New parental controls aim to protect teen users
Alongside the policy debate, OpenAI has introduced new teen-specific features for ChatGPT. Parents can now link accounts with their teenagers, set quiet hours, disable voice and image tools, and choose whether chat history is used for training.
For flagged high-risk chats, parents may receive alerts, although they do not gain full access to transcripts for privacy reasons. The controls are being rolled out gradually across the platform.
Legal and regulatory pressure intensifies
OpenAIs announcement comes amid mounting scrutiny over how AI systems respond to vulnerable users. The family of a 16-year-old who died by suicide has sued the company in Raine v. OpenAI, claiming ChatGPT encouraged the act and that OpenAI intentionally weakened its self-harm safeguards before the death.
At the same time, California lawmakers have passed one of the first state laws requiring AI chatbots that interact with minors to remind users theyre not human, flag and redirect suicidal ideation to emergency services, and notify parents or authorities in some cases.
Whats next
OpenAIs latest steps mark a shift from simply referring users to crisis hotlines toward potential real-world intervention, at least for minors. But the details of any authority-notification plan remain unclearand will likely determine whether the company can balance user privacy with public safety.
Just because Halloween is over doesn't mean it's safe to let your guard down. After all, zombies exist all year, not just on Oct. 31. OK, maybe there aren't real human-style zombies but there are plenty of zombie companies out there. We at ConsumerAffairs know, because we run into them all the time and it's only due diligence that lets us weed them out so we can, in turn, keep you from encountering them on our site.
Not familiar with the term due diligence? It's something big corporations and seasoned investors use every time they're considering gobbling up a competitor,investing in a new company or hiring someone to manage their finances.
Very simply, due diligence means being as careful as you can be without cowering in a corner. For a more formal definition, we turned to ChatGPT, which replied:
Due diligence
Definition: A systematic process of gathering, verifying, and evaluating information before making a decision or taking action especially in contexts involving risk, investment, or public accountability.
In practice:
For businesses, it means investigating a potential partner, acquisition, or contract to confirm facts and assess risks.
For journalists, it means confirming claims through credible sources, verifying documents, and seeking comment from all relevant parties.
For consumers, its the careful review of a product, service, or company before purchase or commitment.
Key idea:Due diligence is about acting responsibly by checking the facts before you commit.
While practicing due diligencesounds pretty simple and hard to argue with, it's unfortunately true that many, if not most, consumers too often fail to do even the simplestdue diligence. We end up buying a home warranty from a company that disappears overnight, ordering a product that's recommended by a popular social media influencer who is in it strictly for the moneyor stocking up on vitamins and supplements recommended by an out-of-work actor in a white coat.
It's human nature to be trusting and eager to believe the best of other people, but it's not a good way to make the most of your money or, for that matter, to safeguard your life and health. So let's take a look at the essentials of performing due diligence. We're grateful for the assistance of Chang Paik, a Harvard MBA who just happens to be ConsumerAffairs' Chief Financial Officer.
As CFO, Chang's responsibilities include keeping ConsumerAffairs out of trouble when it buys or leases equipment, services and property andjust as importantlywhen it considers potential partners for its consumer reviews, buyer's guides and other editorial content.
For starters, when he's considering a prospective client or partner, Chang looks at:
Years in business. How long has the company been around?
The management team. Are they qualified, experienced, reputable?
Ownership. Who owns the company? Is it a major corporation, a mom-and-pop, a start-up or a subsidiary of another firm?
Revenue. Does the company have substantial revenue enough to ensure that it can produce its products, pay claims and generally carry out its responsibilities?
How many employees? Some companies have hundreds or thousands of employees. A surprising number have just a handful or even just one person.
Are there independent reviews of the company's performance on reputable review sites like ConsumerAffairs, the Better Business Bureau, Consumer Reports, etc.?
Regulatory licenses. Is the company licensed in the cities where it operates, is its corporate charter up to date, does it have the specialized permits required for its line of work (drugs, aircraft, etc.)?
Things aren't always what they seem
All these little items seem pretty obvious, you might say. True but, as we all know, people aren't always truthful in their claims. Here are a few examples Chang cited of companies that turned out not to stand up to scrutiny:
The supposed CEO of one company, upon a investigation, turns out to bea 78-year-old flight attendant who lives a few doors down from the company's registered address in Brooklyn.
The company's website doesn't work. It contains a few links that don't go anywhere.
The homepage is flagged by Google as Not Secure.
If you click on Get a Free Quote, it just takes you to the home page.
The links to X, Facebook, Instagram, etc., are all blocked.
The company's phone number previously belonged to a surgeon in Tijuana.
These are all true and are also very typical of zombie companiesthey're like something that at first glance looks to be alive but really isn't. So here are some tips to help you steer clear of zombies.
Start simply with Google
The good thing about doing due diligence systematically is that you frequently find what you need to know very quickly. For example, let's say you're considering an extended warranty for your car. Google the name of the company and if you find this ...
That pretty much ends the due diligence right there. But if nothing too horrendous turns up in your Google search, it's time to move on and check out the company's business address. Let's say you're still looking for an extended warranty company, so you put in the Brooklyn street address and get this:
Now, you might want to rent an apartment from this outfit but it's probably not the prominent and well-established warranty firm that will be there when your car needs work.
So how about this one? This looks pretty respectable, doesn't it?
No, it doesn't. If the AAAAble Extended Warranty Co. is so big and solid, why isn't its name on the building? Large office buildings like this one typically have a large suite, or even a whole floor, that they rent out as time-share offices to people who need a desk and a reception area once in a while. They are basically mail-drops. Anyone who doesn't have a 24/365 office lease probably isn't a titan of the business world.
Check registrations
If you've gotten this far with no red flags, it's time to check some official records. Let's say AAAAble claims to be registered in Delaware. A quick visit to the Delaware Division of Corporationswill tell you whether the company is indeed incorporated in Delaware. You can also find the address of the company's Registered Agentusually an attorney who is the official who accepts legal notices and other correspondence. You probably won't find much more, since officers, stockholders, etc., are not usually public record but you will be able to confirm that company exists ... on paper, anyway.
It's decision-time
There's a lot more you can do but if you make it this far and the company seems to be what it says it is, it's time to compare it to other companies offering similar services or products. This is where size is an advantage. A big, established company will have more reviews, more staff, more resources and basically more of everything that it needs to find and retain customers.
Review sites that verify the identity of the reviewers, as ConsumerAffairs does, are the most reliable way of finding out how well a company performs its functions, short of interviewing hundreds of its customers. Keep in mind that anyone can have a bad experience with even the most reliable and trustworthy company. Mistakes happen, so you're not looking for perfection, just for a solid record of satisfied clients.
Remember too that even the best products and services may not be right for you. An extended auto warranty is good for someone who doesn't want to worry about taking care of their carand doesn't want any financial surprises. But someone who is an expert mechanic and is married to an accountant who watches every penny probably can maintain his car himself and have enough savings to cover unexpected issues.
Due diligence is a simple phrase and, as we've seen, is something you can do at home in your spare time, just like the stuff advertised on TV and the web. And, no, you don't have to be a professional to do it.
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