Μάρ 2 τις 6:41 μ.μ.

His heart was in America
“Billy Graham carried his message around the world, but his heart, as [his son] Franklin will tell you, was always in America,” President Donald J. Trump said Wednesday as he stood near the casket of the Reverend Billy Graham, who lay in honor earlier this week at the United States Capitol.

Today, Rev. Graham’s funeral will be held at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina. On Wednesday, American leaders had an opportunity to pay tribute to the man who inspired millions the world over with his faith.

“He took his message to the poorest places, to the downtrodden and to the brokenhearted, to inmates in prison, and to the overlooked and the neglected,” President Trump told those gathered in the Capitol Rotunda. “He felt a great passion for those that were neglected.”

Rev. Graham is only the fourth private citizen to lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

Watch the powerful video of Wednesday’s ceremony honoring Rev. Graham.

The pain beneath the headlines
First Lady Melania Trump opened a White House summit on opioids yesterday by putting the Administration’s extensive work to combat the crisis into context.

“Our unified goal is that of helping all who have been affected by drug addiction,” the First Lady said. She then shared a letter from Betty Henderson, a mother who lost her son to drugs. Ms. Henderson joined the First Lady at the front of the room.

“The day after my son’s death, I had to go to the medical examiner’s office to claim his body,” Ms. Henderson wrote. “No mother should ever have to claim their child’s body.”

Yesterday’s summit brought together leaders from across the Administration and experts from throughout the country to discuss education and prevention, treatment and recovery, and law enforcement and interdiction relating to opioids. President Trump spoke with families at the event, and numerous Cabinet officials joined to share policy solutions and ideas from their teams.

Watch Eric Bolling share the story of his son who died from an accidental overdose.

Learn more: How President Trump’s Administration is taking on the opioid crisis

Homeland Security turns 15
“I was there on Capitol Hill on 9/11. I watched the Congress come together, setting politics completely aside to forge this Department,” Vice President Mike Pence said yesterday at a ceremony to honor the 15th anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Here are just a few of the ways DHS serves the American people:

Enforcing our Nation’s immigration laws, securing its borders, and preventing terrorists, drug dealers, and violent criminals from entering our country
Performing countless search-and-rescue missions across America in the midst of hurricanes, storms, floods, fires, and mudslides
Protecting the First and Second Family and safeguarding others who serve our Nation through the Secret Service

“This Department was forged in the crucible of crisis. But over the past 15 years it has distinguished itself as a cornerstone of America’s national security and law enforcement enterprise,” the Vice President said.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

First Lady Melania Trump and Betty Henderson at the White House’s Opioids Summit | March 1, 2018 (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)

POTUS TODAY

Today, President Trump, the First Lady, Vice President and Second Lady will attend the funeral of the Reverend Billy Graham.

This afternoon, the Vice President will deliver remarks at the America First Policies “Tax Cuts to Put America First” event.

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The Double Cola Company Recalls Select Cases of Its Cherry Ski Product

The Double Cola Company is recalling approximately 200 cases of its Cherry SKI product because they are incorrectly labeled. Only the Cherry SKI products with the new design are being recalled, which were delivered to the southern Illinois, Evansville, IN and Winchester, OH markets. No other products of the Double Cola Company are being recalled.

The newly designed cans of Cherry SKI are being recalled because the nutrition facts are incorrect. The cans show "Red #4" under ingredients, which is incorrect. The ingredients should include "Red #40" and "Yellow #5." These dyes may cause a reaction to anyone allergic. The Double Cola Company has reported that no medical illnesses or harmful effects have resulted from this product thus far. Products affected are coded A8023EV10:25 through A8023EV11:40.

Μάρ 1 τις 9:37 μ.μ.

FTC Celebrates 20th Anniversary of National Consumer Protection Week

Agency, partners to share free resources for consumers and host social media events March 4-10

The Federal Trade Commission and its partners across the country will participate in the 20th anniversary of National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), held March 4-10, 2018. NCPW is a nationally coordinated campaign to help consumers understand their consumer rights and make well-informed decisions about money and learn how to spot scams.

"We’re excited to kick off the 20th anniversary of National Consumer Protection Week,” Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen said. "The NCPW.gov website is a fantastic resource to help consumers understand their rights, spot and avoid scams, and to find materials for their families and their community at no cost."

Since its creation, the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection has focused agency resources and national experts on safeguarding Americans from identity theft, protecting their financial records, and addressing other key consumer protection issues. In addition, FTC’s Bureau of Competition supports consumers by promoting competition in the marketplace, which can deliver lower prices, enhance innovation, and increase quality and choice for consumers.

This year, the FTC will continue the campaign with a series of Facebook Live events with its NCPW partners throughout the week. Topics of discussion include identity theft, imposter scams, the Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book and how to avoid fraud.

FACEBOOK LIVE EVENTS:

Tuesday, March 6th @ 7pm EST: FTC staff will join USA.gov for a Facebook Live chat on the top frauds and scams, and ways to avoid them. To participate, follow FTC and USA.gov on Facebook.
Wednesday, March 7th @ 2pm EST: FTC staff and the National Credit Union Administration will talk about identity theft, data breaches, and protecting yourself – and your money – with some consumer protection basics. To participate, follow FTC and NCUA.gov on Facebook.
Wednesday, March 7th @ 7pm EST: Spanish-speaking FTC staff will co-host a chat with GobiernoUSA.gov in Spanish. Staff will talk about the top scams, ways to avoid them, and the FTC’s fotonovela campaign to help Spanish speakers understand their consumer rights. To participate in Spanish, follow GobiernoUSA.gov on Facebook.
Thursday, March 8th @ 2pm EST: FTC staff will join the Social Security Administration to talk about identity theft, scams that target older adults, and the FTC’s Pass It On campaign to help older adults talk about scams. To participate, follow FTC and SSA on Facebook.

During NCPW, partners and hundreds of community groups across the country host events to promote general consumer education or highlight a specific issue.

To order free materials for upcoming consumer education events, visit bulkorder.ftc.gov. For more information on National Consumer Protection Week, visit NCPW.gov and subscribe to the blog.

Μάρ 2 τις 12:41 π.μ.

FTC recaps consumer complaint data for 2017: Who’s on the list?

By Lesley Fair

Once bitten, twice shy. That fundamental principle of human behavior is why reputable businesses that work hard to earn consumers’ confidence should support the FTC’s ongoing efforts to fight fraud. According to the FTC’s 2017 Consumer Sentinel Data Book, consumers reported losing a total of $905 million to fraud last year. That’s close to a billion bucks people won’t be able to spend on legitimate products and services from credible companies.