GOOD DAY FOR: Living for the moment, as more and more U.S. consumers are thawing their spending freeze amid signs that the economy is stabilizing—and to celebrate such things as surviving a round of layoffs. April saw the largest jump in consumer confidence in two years, and many economists see personal consumption starting to rise in July. (Bloomberg) Not yet, though. The Commerce Department reported that retail sales fell for a second straight month in April. (Reuters)
BAD DAY FOR: Cheerios, after the Food and Drug Administration ordered General Mills to stop claiming that the breakfast cereal can reduce cholesterol levels by 4 percent in six weeks. The FDA didn’t dispute the claim, but said that only drugs can list specific, measurable health benefits. If Cheerios wants to market itself as a cholesterol aid, it can submit its research to the FDA for rigorous scientific scrutiny. (The Washington Post)
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Today's political cartoons - April 17, 2024Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - political anxiety, jury sorting hat, and more
-
Arid Gulf states hit with year's worth of rainSpeed Read The historic flooding in Dubai is tied to climate change
