Today’s Big Story

Puff, Puff, Pollution

Inhalers produce as much carbon emissions as over 500,000 cars each year, study finds

This is interesting … The people who are most vulnerable to the hard-to-breathe air that comes with climate change may inadvertently be adding to the problem, new research finds. Those small, boot-shaped inhalers that provide fast-acting treatment for people with certain respiratory conditions have been found to contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

In the study, published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found inhalers generated an estimated 24.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in the United States from 2014 to 2024. This is equivalent to the emissions of about 530,000 gas-powered cars each year.

The problem is that those devices spray set doses of medication into the lungs in a quick burst using propellants called hydrofluoroalkanes, or HFAs. When released into the air, HFAs trap heat in the atmosphere and have a global warming potential thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide, meaning even a small amount of HFA can cause problems, studies show.

Currently, about 34 million Americans have a chronic lung disease, including 28 million who have asthma, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. And the number is expected to grow as higher temperatures bring more weather phenomena that trigger breathing issues like droughts, floods and wildfires.

Lead author of the study and pulmonologist Dr. William Feldman told the Agence France-Presse that only a fraction of patients truly need metered devices. He said the “vast majority of people could use dry powder or soft mist inhalers,” but insurance is less likely to cover them, making them more expensive. The UCLA Health team is calling for a shift to more environmentally-friendly inhalers that use dry powder and soft mist while a low-emission, propellant-based inhaler is created.

Government Shutdown Impasse Continues

And Trump says that many federal employees may not get back pay when the government reopens

Democrats and Republicans appear locked in their positions as the government shutdown crosses the one-week mark without a clear resolution in sight. The Senate will hold its next votes Wednesday on dueling measures to fund the government and end a shutdown, after the bills fell short Monday of the 60 votes needed for a fifth time. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the chamber will keep voting on the same competing bills over and over. Sounds messy, right?

Across the country, flight delays and cancellations are starting to climb as sick calls involving air traffic controllers leave a number of airport towers and control facilities without enough staff to properly handle all flights. According to CNN, like Transportation Security Administration officers, air traffic controllers are considered essential employees and must work despite the government’s lapse in funding.

What’s worse, a memo from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget suggests the 750,000 furloughed workers are not guaranteed back pay, an administration official confirmed. House and Senate leaders on Tuesday pushed back against the reports, saying it was their understanding the law is clear that furloughed workers would get back pay. When asked about furloughed workers getting back pay, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that “I would say it depends on who we’re talking about.” However, union leaders and Democratic lawmakers say the move would run afoul of a law adopted under President Trump’s first term.

Costco Now Selling Weight-Loss Drugs

Members will pay $499 a month out of pocket for Ozempic and Wegovy

Costco … the go-to spot for cheap pizza, rotisserie chickens and Ozempic? The popular weight-loss drugs are coming to the discount warehouse club near you. The retailer—with more than 800 locations—is now selling Ozempic and Wegovy in its pharmacies at a fraction of the market price and without requiring insurance coverage.

The drugs typically retail for around $1,300 for Ozempic and $1,600 for Wegovy, according to GoodRx, which compares drug prices from different pharmacies. But at Costco, a four-week supply of the weight loss drug will cost $499 out of pocket. According to CBS News, Novo Nordisk already sells the monthly supply for $499 at its direct-to-consumer website, and it offers the same discount through CVS and Walmart.

The news comes as the Danish pharmaceutical giant seeks to head off competition from rival manufacturers, after sales of copycat drugs from compound pharmacies soared amid national shortages. Lauded as a breakthrough in obesity and diabetes treatment, the drugs have faced scrutiny for their steep out-of-pocket costs. Americans spent an estimated $71.7 billion on GLP-1 weight loss drugs in 2023, a 500% increase compared to five years earlier.

Want to Own a Bob Ross Painting?

The happy paintings will be auctioned to raise money for the recently defunded public stations

Bob Ross painted approximately 30,000 paintings in his time. Many of which were painted on camera in a single 30-minute broadcast on his beloved PBS series, The Joy Of Painting (which lives on in perpetuity, thanks to YouTube). And if you’ve ever considered owning one, now’s your chance.

Over two dozen original Ross paintings will be auctioned off to help support public television stations after the White House cut funding. As you might recall, over the summer, at the behest of President Donald Trump, Congress eliminated $1.1 billion in previously allocated funds for public broadcasting. Shortly after, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps fund PBS, NPR and approximately 1,500 local radio and television stations, announced it was closing, thus leaving the burden of financing the stations squarely on viewers like you.

The paintings will be auctioned off online and in numerous cities around the world, including Boston, London, Los Angeles and New York. The first set will be presented on Nov. 11 as part of the California and Western Art sale. Three of Ross' pieces will be included: "Cliffside," painted in 1990; "Winter’s Peace," painted in 1993; and "Home in the Valley," painted in 1993. Ross’ happy signature is on the lower left side of all three paintings.

The Long Read

What’s up with candy right now?

Spreading happiness never decreases our own.