FDA

New research shows that forcing smokers to look at scary warning labels doesn't make them less likely to buy cigarettes. In fact, it may make them more likely to. Are anti-tobacco advocates wasting their money and effort on a pointless campaign?

With all the talk about taxes and whether we should lower them, you'd think that the citizens and corporations of the United States face steep tax rates. You'd be wrong, though. When it comes to taxes, things are not as they appear.

Coca-Cola has never shied away from trying new variations of its classic beverage. The company also is known for adding flavorful twists like lime and lemon to its drinks. But last week, both Coke and archrival Pepsi revealed that a more disturbing addition had made its way into their drinks: fungicide.

Birth control drugs that were heavily promoted as having fewer side effects are now under scrutiny from the FDA in the wake of new research suggesting that they are more likely to cause blood clots than older drugs.

It's no secret that many middle-class families are in a financial bind, caught between rising costs and falling incomes. But according to recent government reports, the middle-class squeeze is not a recent development, and isn't likely to disappear anytime soon.

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday outlined a chain of causes for the cantaloupe-generated listeria outbreak, saying that traces of the bacteria in the growing fields probably spread by truck to an unsanitary packing plant.

This week's recalls include more possibly listeria-tainted cantaloupe, VW cars with leaky engines, IKEA children's tents that could break and injure their young occupants, and drop-side cribs from J.C. Penney whose drop-side rails can detach suddenly. Here's the rundown:

Federal health officials said Wednesday more illnesses and possibly more deaths may be linked to an outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe in coming weeks.

Last week, TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz took on apple juice, declaring that the classic drink may be slowly poisoning America's children with arsenic. But the FDA and the juice companies have credibly refuted his claims. So was Dr. Oz's announcement meant to be a legitimate health warning, or just a cynical attempt to boost ratings?

When you need to give yourself a whole new image, there's nothing like changing your name. Which may be why high fructose corn syrup, the scourge of dieticians and dieters everywhere, wants to rebrand itself "corn sugar." But there's one big obstacle: the sugar industry, which is going to court to protect its good name.