"Earlier this week, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the state of Ohio's ban  on labels that identify milk as rBST- or rBGH-free, meaning produced without the use of artificial bovine growth hormone. Consumer and organic food groups were jubilant at the Ohio news, which may have far-reaching repercussions not only for all milk, but for genetically engineered foods."

"Pregnant women who eat canned vegetables daily have elevated levels of bisphenol A, an estrogenic chemical found in food containers and other consumer products, according to new research published today. More than 90 percent of pregnant women had detectable levels of BPA, and a variety of sources of the chemical were identified in the study. Pregnant women who were exposed to tobacco smoke or worked as cashiers also had above-average concentrations."

"The emergency plans for companies operating natural gas pipelines like the one that exploded in San Bruno, Calif., killing eight people and destroying a neighborhood, are effectively off-limits to the public and industry watchdogs because the federal pipeline safety agency doesn't keep copies in its offices."

"The White House blocked efforts by federal scientists to tell the public just how bad the Gulf oil spill could have been, according to a panel appointed by President Barack Obama to investigate the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history."

"Manufacturers of products that claim to be environmentally friendly will face tighter rules on how they are advertised to consumers under changes proposed Wednesday by the Federal Trade Commission."

"U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Cape Wind President Jim Gordon signed the first lease for an offshore wind farm in the federal waters of the United States this morning at the American Wind Energy Association's Offshore Wind Conference in Atlantic City."

"Federal regulators leaned on McDonald's to quickly recall 12 million 'Shrek'-themed drinking glasses this spring because they concluded that a typical 6-year-old could be exposed to hazardous levels of the metal cadmium by touching one of the glasses just eight times in a day, according to documents obtained under the federal Freedom of Information Act."

A second report from the Oil Spill Commission, "entitled 'Decision-Making in the Unified Command,' portrays the cleanup effort as confused, wasteful and often ineffective, and offers thinly veiled criticism of some of the key figures in the effort, including Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

"President Barack Obama issued an executive order today establishing the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, aimed at coordinating planning and information exchange between the federal government and coastal interests as restoration efforts following the oil spill begin."

Sam Zell's takeover of the Tribune Company was built on the debt that drove it to bankruptcy. The monetization of one of the great American media companies also turned a temple of journalism into a frat house.