The Annals of Internal Medicine published a report contradicting decades of growing consensus about the health risks of red meat. Editor’s Note Jan. 7, 2020: In January, the Annals of Internal Medicine corrected the Oct. 2019 study on red meat referenced in this story to explain that the study’s lead author had received funding for separate research from AgriLife Research, an agency within Texas A&M University that is funded in part by the beef industry, the Washington Post reported. Put down the T-bone and slowly back away from that side order of ribs. Nutritionists across the...…The Annals of Internal Medicine published a report contradicting decades of growing consensus about the health risks of red meat. Editor’s Note Jan. 7, 2020: In January, the Annals of Internal Medicine corrected the Oct. 2019 study on red meat referenced in this story to explain that the study’s lead author had received funding for separate research from AgriLife Research, an agency within Texas A&M University that is funded in part by the beef industry, the Washington Post reported. Put down the T-bone and slowly back away from that side order of ribs. Nutritionists across the...WW…

Nobody’s noticed, but there may be a glimmer of hope for Social Security in the gigantic “rescue” package currently going through Congress. Lawmakers have moved to include in the bill an unrelated for bankrupt union pension plans.And once they’ve done that, it’s going to be even harder for them to argue that they shouldn’t bail out the stricken Social Security trust fund that is actually their responsibility. Social Security’s deficit: , or about $50,000 for every person in America. On the other hand, if Congress tries to weasel out of fully funding Social Security in a few years’...…Nobody’s noticed, but there may be a glimmer of hope for Social Security in the gigantic “rescue” package currently going through Congress. Lawmakers have moved to include in the bill an unrelated for bankrupt union pension plans.And once they’ve done that, it’s going to be even harder for them to argue that they shouldn’t bail out the stricken Social Security trust fund that is actually their responsibility. Social Security’s deficit: , or about $50,000 for every person in America. On the other hand, if Congress tries to weasel out of fully funding Social Security in a few years’...WW…

I’ve been fostering a puppy during the lockdown, and he’s quite a character. He has boundless energy and is forever exploring the apartment — over and over again. He barks at things randomly, like the Merriam-Webster Dictionary on the bookshelf. And the kitchen sink. He loves being petted. Sit him on your lap and stroke his back, and his eyes will shut in bliss, he’ll wag his tail and wave his paws in the air and jiggle his head. He’s an attention hog, too. Watch TV, and he starts marching around the room barking, and occasionally singing.But Pandemic Pup is different from all the golden...…I’ve been fostering a puppy during the lockdown, and he’s quite a character. He has boundless energy and is forever exploring the apartment — over and over again. He barks at things randomly, like the Merriam-Webster Dictionary on the bookshelf. And the kitchen sink. He loves being petted. Sit him on your lap and stroke his back, and his eyes will shut in bliss, he’ll wag his tail and wave his paws in the air and jiggle his head. He’s an attention hog, too. Watch TV, and he starts marching around the room barking, and occasionally singing.But Pandemic Pup is different from all the golden...WW…

Why do they keep doing it? Why do pension fund trustees keep doing this, and falling for one of the oldest games in the business? The $4.8 billion pension fund of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority just became the latest to sue a hedge-fund manager after losing hundreds of millions of dollars in complicated financial vehicles that maybe nobody could understand.The MTA joins a list of woebegone pensions suing German financial giant Allianz over its “Structured Alpha” funds, which collapsed in the market turmoil earlier this year wiping out 97%—yes, really—of investors’ capital....…Why do they keep doing it? Why do pension fund trustees keep doing this, and falling for one of the oldest games in the business? The $4.8 billion pension fund of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority just became the latest to sue a hedge-fund manager after losing hundreds of millions of dollars in complicated financial vehicles that maybe nobody could understand.The MTA joins a list of woebegone pensions suing German financial giant Allianz over its “Structured Alpha” funds, which collapsed in the market turmoil earlier this year wiping out 97%—yes, really—of investors’ capital....WW…

Uh-oh. Those of us who remember when ’80s music was new had better start bracing ourselves for those big-box-store greeter jobs earlier than we expected. It doesn’t take a genius to see that the jobs market is probably heading for a massive, rolling shakeout. And that means plenty of employers may be using the cover of COVID-19 to get rid of lots of expensive older workers.Age discrimination in the jobs market, which is supposedly illegal, goes up in recessions. Some employers take the opportunity to ax experienced workers who are paid a reasonable wage, and replace them with cheap,...…Uh-oh. Those of us who remember when ’80s music was new had better start bracing ourselves for those big-box-store greeter jobs earlier than we expected. It doesn’t take a genius to see that the jobs market is probably heading for a massive, rolling shakeout. And that means plenty of employers may be using the cover of COVID-19 to get rid of lots of expensive older workers.Age discrimination in the jobs market, which is supposedly illegal, goes up in recessions. Some employers take the opportunity to ax experienced workers who are paid a reasonable wage, and replace them with cheap,...WW…

From the Department of Dangerous Ideas comes the news that your employer may soon offer you the “opportunity” to invest some of your hard-earned money in private equity as well as in the public stock and bond markets. Opportunity? Er … indeed. More on that in a moment. But the current administration’s Labor Department recently opened the door to including private-equity funds in 401(k) plans as part of diversified funds, such as all-in-one “target date” mutual funds.The excitement is palpable … at least among people in the private-equity business. “We believe private equity has an important...…From the Department of Dangerous Ideas comes the news that your employer may soon offer you the “opportunity” to invest some of your hard-earned money in private equity as well as in the public stock and bond markets. Opportunity? Er … indeed. More on that in a moment. But the current administration’s Labor Department recently opened the door to including private-equity funds in 401(k) plans as part of diversified funds, such as all-in-one “target date” mutual funds.The excitement is palpable … at least among people in the private-equity business. “We believe private equity has an important...WW…

National newsCan we please stop pretending that the Second Amendment contains an unfettered right for everyone to buy a gun? It doesn’t, and it never has. The claims made by the small number of extremists, before and after the , are based on a deliberate lie. The doesn’t just say Congress shall not infringe the right to “keep and bear arms.” It specifically says that right exists in order to maintain “a well-regulated militia.” Even the late conservative Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia admitted those words weren’t in there by accident. Oh, and the Constitution doesn’t just...…National newsCan we please stop pretending that the Second Amendment contains an unfettered right for everyone to buy a gun? It doesn’t, and it never has. The claims made by the small number of extremists, before and after the , are based on a deliberate lie. The doesn’t just say Congress shall not infringe the right to “keep and bear arms.” It specifically says that right exists in order to maintain “a well-regulated militia.” Even the late conservative Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia admitted those words weren’t in there by accident. Oh, and the Constitution doesn’t just...WW…

The U.S. Justice Department is prosecuting fewer white-collar criminals now than at any time since records back more than 30 years ago, a new says. Federal prosecutions of white-collar criminals plunged in January to the lowest level on record, falling 25% from the levels reached just five years ago, says a study from Syracuse University. The 5,702 white-collar prosecutions recorded last year are expected to fall to 5,175 this year, if current levels of prosecutions persist, the study added. Records go back to 1986 during the Reagan administration when there were 7,843 white-collar...…The U.S. Justice Department is prosecuting fewer white-collar criminals now than at any time since records back more than 30 years ago, a new says. Federal prosecutions of white-collar criminals plunged in January to the lowest level on record, falling 25% from the levels reached just five years ago, says a study from Syracuse University. The 5,702 white-collar prosecutions recorded last year are expected to fall to 5,175 this year, if current levels of prosecutions persist, the study added. Records go back to 1986 during the Reagan administration when there were 7,843 white-collar...WW…

One of the worst performing pension funds in the world last year was yours. And you probably didn’t even know it. All that money you’ve poured into the Social Security trust fund over the years earned less than 1% during 2020, the .The S&P 500 index ? Try 18%. Even a simple balanced fund of U.S. stocks and bonds, such as the Vanguard Balanced Index Fund earned 16%. And the giant pension and investment fund run by the government of Norway earned 10.9%. The returns earned by Social Security is the scandal that keeps on taking. The previous year, the Norwegian pension fund gained...…One of the worst performing pension funds in the world last year was yours. And you probably didn’t even know it. All that money you’ve poured into the Social Security trust fund over the years earned less than 1% during 2020, the .The S&P 500 index ? Try 18%. Even a simple balanced fund of U.S. stocks and bonds, such as the Vanguard Balanced Index Fund earned 16%. And the giant pension and investment fund run by the government of Norway earned 10.9%. The returns earned by Social Security is the scandal that keeps on taking. The previous year, the Norwegian pension fund gained...WW…

David Eager laughed. The executive director of the Kentucky state retirement plans says he tries not to get involved in politics ­— which is just as well, given his job. But when I asked him if his state’s senior senator, Mitch McConnell, was throwing stones in glass houses with his attacks on “blue-state bailouts” — well, that’s when Eager suddenly seemed to find things pretty funny.Two weeks ago Mitch McConnell, the senate majority leader and the most powerful Republican on Capitol Hill, sparked a furor when he said he opposed further federal aid to the states during the coronavirus...…David Eager laughed. The executive director of the Kentucky state retirement plans says he tries not to get involved in politics ­— which is just as well, given his job. But when I asked him if his state’s senior senator, Mitch McConnell, was throwing stones in glass houses with his attacks on “blue-state bailouts” — well, that’s when Eager suddenly seemed to find things pretty funny.Two weeks ago Mitch McConnell, the senate majority leader and the most powerful Republican on Capitol Hill, sparked a furor when he said he opposed further federal aid to the states during the coronavirus...WW…