News Above the Noise—Week of September 17, 2023
1. Thousands of Autoworkers Walk Off Job in Industry-Wide Strike
The United Auto Workers (UAW), the automotive industry's major union movement, called a historic strike late Thursday night, resulting in 13,000 members walking off the job at assembly plants in Ohio, Michigan, and Missouri. The strike targeting Detroit’s Big Three—the largest car manufacturers in the nation—ignited after contract negotiations failed. Read more about UAW and the magnitude of this halt in USA Today.
2. Survivors of Libya’s Deadly Floods Beg the World to Help
Early Monday morning, dams across Eastern Libya failed, sending raging floods through the mountains and into the city of Derna. Friday morning, Taha Muftah, a photojournalist living on the west side of Derna, took stock of the devastation. He told NPR, "The damage is huge, unfathomable. We are begging with the world to send help, to listen to our plea." To learn more about how you can help, click here.
3. The Medicines We’ve Been Taking Aren't Working
Phenylephrine, a key ingredient in many over-the-counter allergy and cold medications, does not aid in ridding nasal congestion, ruled an advisory panel with the FDA. This ruling will likely disrupt the consumer market for remedies that contain Phenylephrine, which include popular medicines, including some made by Vicks, Benadryl, and Sudafed. But the larger question is: How did these ineffective-yet-popular medications stay on the market for so long? Read The Atlantic's piece to learn more.
4. The Adderall Shortage Worsens
There has been a nationwide shortage of ADHD medications for nearly a year, causing drugmakers and federal agencies to blame one another for the lack of supply. It's a heated argument that currently impacts many students starting the school year without their needed medications. Read this Bloomberg piece that breaks down this lasting issue and the forces behind it.
5. Loneliness Is a Public Health Crisis—but There Are Solutions
Loneliness and isolation are touching a harrowing amount of lives, as Maria discussed with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy earlier this year. The health impacts are grave. But columnist Nicholas Kristof points out in a recent essay that there are solutions. He says one of the first places to start mending people's isolated hearts is to look to other countries doing just that.
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