Consumers who have been supporting local stations may lose programming

As expected, Congress has clawed back funding for public broadcasting in the U.S., culminating an effort that started during the Nixon Administration, led by conservatives who objected to what they say is a liberal taint in the system's programs.

Despite extensive coverage, there has been little attention paid to the consumers who are a major source of funding for public programmingeven though they contribute the largest share, approximately 30%, most of it coming from occasional fund-raising drives and monthly contributions.

Other major sources include foundation grants at 25% and corporate underwriting, about 15% to 20%. Federal funding amounts to 10% to 15%, depending on the station, with states, cities and other sources making up the rest.

Listening to National Public Radio newscasts this morning, there were frequent mentions of impending doom, ignoring the old journalistic principle that one should downplay one's own involvement in a story. There was next to no mention of the $8 billion clawback of foreign aid, which dwarfs the $1.1 billion snatched back from public broadcasting.

One Washington, D.C., station sent out urgent emails Thursday afternoon, hours before the House voted to go along with the Senate to cut public broadcasting's funding.

"Im writing today as someone who shares your belief that trusted journalism is essential for our community and for our democracy.Federal funding for public media has been eliminated."

The email went on to say the loss would amount to "$1.5 million each year about 4-5% of our budget." Given the prominence awarded the story, one might have expected that figure to be higher.

Did it outgrow its roots?

What has come to be known as "public" broadcastingwas originally described as educational broadcasting when it was launched during the Johnson Administration.

There had been educational stations long before 1967, when the Public Broadcasting Act was signed. They were licensed mostly to universities or public school systems and broadcast programming that was intended primarily for use in schools, targeting rural school systems and those in impoverished areas.

Educational radio stations often broadcast mostly classical music and some carried lectures and other instructional programming. Stations licensed to universities trained students who were seeking careers in broadcasting.

Initially, the stations were prohibited from carrying advertising and were warmly supported by commercial broadcasters, who were relieved at not having to produce low-profit educational programming themselves.

Eventually, both the radio and TV stations formed networks to share programming and soon NPR and PBS were producing live news broadcasts, syndicating supposedly high-brow entertainment programming and seeking corporate and foundation underwriting which in many cases grew to closely resemble advertising.

Opinions aside ...

Leaving aside the question of political bias, critics contended that much of what public broadcasting does today needlessly duplicates the content to be found on the internet and on the hundreds of cable and streaming channels now available nearly everywhere.

Stations are now expected to urgently increase their campaigns for funds from viewers and listeners while also stepping up appeals to foundations and corporate underwriters.

They may also have to take a page from the commercial broadcasters and publishers who deal daily with declining audience share, risingcosts and changing audience tastes.

Consumers who for years have invested funds in their local stations may want to make their feelings known and encourage their stations to work harder to stretch every dollar, or to willingly increase their donations if they find public broadcasts to be worthy of increased support.

The agency lifts a ban it put in place, then suspended in 2022

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• FDA authorizes Juuls tobacco- and menthol-flavored e-cigarettes to stay on U.S. shelves, reversing a previous ban due to new data supporting adult smoking cessation benefits.

• Juuls recovery marks a rebound from near-bankruptcy and substantial legal settlements, as it regains a path to investment and potential expansion.

• Public health groups express concern, warning the decision may risk reversing gains in youth vaping reduction.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Juul Labs permission to continue marketing its flagship e-cigarette device, along with tobacco and menthol flavored pods. The action lifts a 2022 ban over concerns about youth vaping.

In June 2022, the FDA issued a marketing denial, citing inadequate toxicology data and concerns about widespread use by teens. A court later paused the ban to permit further review. Juul faced financial collapse, laying off staff and enduring hundreds of millions in legal settlements related to youth-targeted marketing.

The FDA began its investigation of Juul in 2018, demanding it turn over marketing and research materials among numerous other internal company documents. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, at the time FDAs commissioner, said the agency was scrambling to learn why the Juul device was so popular with underage users.

This weeks decision comes after Juul submitted extensive new dataincluding a two-year longitudinal study showing smokers successfully switching completely to Juuland persuaded the FDA that adult smoking-cessation benefits outweigh public health concerns.

Balancing gains and risks

In granting authorization, the FDA emphasized that evidence shows Juuls products can be less harmful than traditional cigarettes when used by adults who quit smoking. However, regulators stressed that the approval does not equate to a declaration of safety, and strongly cautioned that people who do not smoke should not use e-cigarettes.

A spokeswoman noted the agency will continue monitoring compliance, especially in efforts to prevent youth access and usage.

Public health advocates are not happy

The move triggered strong pushback from anti-tobacco advocates. Yolonda Richardson of Campaign for TobaccoFree Kids criticized the decision, calling it a big step in the wrong direction and pointing to Juuls prior contribution to youth vaping.

Public health groups argue that despite falling teen vaping rates owing in part to crackdowns on flavored disposables from unauthorized brands Juul retains enough remaining appeal to minors to pose a renewed threat.

Higher rates and rising home prices have eroded home affordability

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• 30-year fixed mortgage averaged 6.75%, up slightly from 6.72% last week.

• 15-year fixed mortgage rose to 5.92%, up from 5.86%.

• Despite the uptick, rate stability and growing inventory could encourage hesitant homebuyers.

Freddie Mac has released its latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, showing that average mortgage rates inched higher this week. The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) now stands at 6.75%, marking a modest increase from 6.72% last week. Meanwhile, the 15-year FRM rose to 5.92%, up from 5.86%.

Compared to a year ago, mortgage rates have remained relatively stable. In July 2024, the 30-year FRM was at 6.77%, and the 15-year FRM at 6.05%just slightly above today's levels. This narrow range under the 7% mark has become the norm in 2025, offering some degree of predictability for both buyers and lenders.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage inched up this week and continues to stay within a narrow range under 7%. While overall affordability headwinds persist, rate stability coupled with moderately rising inventory may sway prospective buyers to act, said Sam Khater, chief economist at Freddie Mac.

What it means for home affordability

Although rates remain elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels, their consistency has helped reduce uncertainty for buyers navigating todays housing market. The real constraint continues to be affordability, especially in metropolitan areas where home prices remain high and inventory hasnt yet fully rebounded.

However, some industry analysts say the recent trend of moderately increasing housing supply may gradually ease price pressure. As more listings enter the market and sellers adjust expectations, buyers, especially first-timers, may find more opportunities, even in a high-rate environment.

Buyers: act or wait?

For prospective homebuyers, this week's report sends a mixed signal:

• Positive: Rates remain stable and predictable, allowing better financial planning.

• Negative: Affordability challenges linger, especially with ongoing inflation and tight credit conditions.

Still, if inventory continues to build through the summer, it could shift the advantage slightly back toward buyers, particularly if wages and employment stay strong.

New research finds even short-term sleep loss may interfere with the bodys ability to fight infection

• Researchers from the University of Washington and the Allen Institute found that missing a single night of sleep can quickly affect key parts of the immune system.

• The study found important immune cells became overactive after sleep loss.

• Researchers say even occasional sleep disruption may have bigger health impacts than we think.
  

Weve all had those nights staying up too late to meet a deadline or tossing and turning until morning. But a new study from researchers at the University of Washington and the Allen Institute reveals that even one night of sleep deprivation may be enough to disrupt how your immune system works.

According to the study, a single 24-hour period without sleep altered the behavior of several types of immune cells in healthy young adults. The findings suggest that short-term sleep loss could make the body more vulnerable to illness even if you're generally healthy and well-rested otherwise.

Our findings underscore a growing public health challenge, researcher Dr. Fatema Al-Rashed said in a news release.

Advancements in technology, prolonged screen time, and shifting societal norms are increasingly disruptive to regular sleeping hours. This disruption in sleep has profound implications for immune health and overall well-being.

The study

To find out how sleep affects the immune system, researchers recruited 11 healthy adults between the ages of 20 and 23. Each participant went through two sessions: one where they slept normally and another where they stayed awake for a full 24 hours.

At both sessions, blood samples were taken in the morning to analyze immune activity. The researchers used a detailed genetic analysis technique called single-cell RNA sequencing to study how individual immune cells were behaving after the night of sleep deprivation compared to a normal nights sleep.

The goal was to track whether missing sleep would alter the activity of immune cells especially those responsible for inflammation and responding to infections.

The results

The results were clear: after just one night without sleep, participants showed big changes in their immune cell activity.

Researchers observed that two types of immune cells monocytes and T cells became more active. These cells play key roles in detecting and responding to infections. But in this case, the immune response looked revved up, even without any actual illness present.

The researchers explained that the immune system reacted to sleep loss like it was under threat, even though there was no infection. This kind of overactivation can be a problem over time. If immune cells are constantly in a heightened state, it may lead to chronic inflammation or make it harder for the body to respond appropriately to real threats.

The researchers noted that while more studies are needed to understand long-term effects, this experiment shows how sensitive the immune system is to sleep changes even after just one sleepless night.

In the long term, we aim for this research to drive policies and strategies that recognize the critical role of sleep in public health, Dr. Al-Rashed said.

We envision workplace reforms and educational campaigns promoting better sleep practices, particularly for populations at risk of sleep disruption due to technological and occupational demands. Ultimately, this could help mitigate the burden of inflammatory diseases like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.