Consumer Product Safety Commission

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    Judge Reinstates Product Safety Regulators Fired by Trump

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    It’s the latest setback for President Trump in his effort to purge perceived political opponents from independent agencies.A federal judge in Maryland reversed President Trump’s firings of the three Democratic members of the five-member Consumer Product Safety Commission, which monitors the safety of products like toys, cribs and electronics.In the ruling, Judge Matthew J. Maddox of the Federal District Court in Maryland said that the law only allowed Mr. Trump to fire the officials for “neglect of duty or malfeasance,” while Mr. Trump had purported to fire them without cause.“Plaintiffs have performed ably in their roles,” Judge Maddox wrote, “and have never been accused of neglect of duty or malfeasance in office by either President Trump or President Biden.”It is the latest setback for Mr. Trump in his effort to purge perceived political opponents from independent agencies in the government, part of an assault on counterweights to his authority. Another federal judge ruled last month that Mr. Trump broke the law when he fired Democratic members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, an independent civil liberties watchdog.The three Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Mary T. Boyle, Richard L. Trumka Jr. and Alexander Hoehn-Saric, said in separate statements after Mr. Trump moved to fire them that they had been targeted for votes they cast to stop the importing of poorly made lithium-ion batteries and objecting to staffing cuts.Ms. Boyle’s term as a commissioner ends in October, and Mr. Trump will be able to pick her replacement, granting him a Republican-controlled majority on the commission. More

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      130,000 Igloo Coolers Recalled After Fingertip Amputations From Handle

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      The warning expands a recall of more than one million Igloo coolers in February, which was prompted by reports of fingertip injuries from the tow handle.About 130,000 Igloo coolers were recalled on Thursday after consumers reported 78 fingertip injuries from the cooler’s tow handle, 26 of which led to fingertip amputations, bone fractures or cuts, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.This warning expands an initial recall issued in February of more than one million 90-quart Igloo Flip & Tow Rolling Coolers because the tow handle was crushing and seriously injuring people’s fingertips.“The tow handle can pinch consumers’ fingertips against the cooler, posing fingertip amputation and crushing hazard,” the recall said.In the February recall, the safety commission said that Igloo had received 12 reports of fingertip injuries from the coolers. Since then there have been an additional 78 reports, according to the commission.The recalled coolers, all of which have the word “IGLOO” on the side of them, were manufactured before January 2024 and come in different colors. The manufacture date can be found on the bottom of the cooler.The commission said the latest recall also affected about 20,000 coolers in Canada and 5,900 in Mexico, which is in addition to the tens of thousands recalled from each country in February.Igloo said that owners who bought the coolers between January 2019 and January 2025 should stop using them and contact the company for a free replacement handle.The company said in a statement that it stood behind the quality of its products and that consumer “safety and satisfaction” were its top priorities.The coolers were sold at Academy, Costco, Dick’s, Target and other retailers and online stores and were usually priced between $80 and $140. More

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      More Than 400,000 Wireless Phone Chargers Are Recalled Over Fire Hazard

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      Casely, a company in Brooklyn, received 51 reports of lithium-ion batteries overheating, expanding or catching fire, resulting in six minor burn injuries.More than 400,000 Casely wireless phone chargers were recalled on Thursday over concerns that they could pose a fire hazard, officials said.Casely, a company based in Brooklyn, received 51 reports of lithium-ion batteries inside the power banks overheating, expanding or catching fire while consumers were charging their phones, causing at least six minor burn injuries, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a notice.Consumers who purchased Casely Power Pods 5000mAh portable MagSafe wireless phone chargers with model number E33A are urged to stop using them immediately and contact the company for a free replacement.The roughly 429,200 affected phone chargers have “Casely” engraved on the front and the model number on the back.The pocket-size power banks were sold at getcasely.com, Amazon and other e-commerce websites from March 2022 to September 2024, the commission said.The phone chargers should not be thrown in the trash or recycled in either the general recycling stream or the used-battery boxes commonly found at retail and home improvement stores, the commission said.That’s because the recalled lithium-ion batteries, which pose a greater fire risk than other batteries, must be discarded differently.Consumers can contact their local household hazardous waste collection center to see if it accepts recalled lithium-ion batteries. If it does not, the commission recommends contacting local municipal officials for more guidance.Lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable, last a long time and store a lot of energy in a small space. These features have made them a staple in common devices, including phones, laptops, toothbrushes, power tools and electric vehicles. However, the batteries require safe handling because of their potential to start fires.The U.S. Fire Administration advises consumers to stop using lithium-ion batteries if they emit an odor, put off too much heat, leak, make odd noises or if there is a change in color or shape.Before purchasing products, consumers should look for a “Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory” stamp, according to the administration. More

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      Samsung Recalls 1 Million Stoves That Started 250 Fires and Killed Pets

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      Thirty models of Samsung stoves were part of the recall over fires started by accidental contact.A recall has been issued for more than one million Samsung stoves after hundreds of reports of them being turned on accidentally, leading to fires that injured dozens and killed at least seven pets, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement on Thursday.Customers who own one of the 30 recalled models of Samsung electric ranges that the company has been selling since 2013 will be able to get a free set of knob locks or covers to minimize the risk of ignition by accidental contact with humans or pets, the company said in a statement announcing its voluntary recall on Thursday.More than 1.1 million electric ranges were included in the recall. The ranges were involved in about 250 fires, which led to about 40 injuries. Eight of the injuries needed medical attention, and there were 18 instances of “extensive property damage,” the commission’s statement said.When asked exactly how many pets died, and why it took 11 years since the company started selling the flawed ranges before the recall was issued, a spokeswoman for the commission declined to comment, referring to Samsung and the commission’s website for questions.Christopher Langlois, a spokesman for Samsung, said consumers should be mindful of the risks of accidental contact with range knobs for any stove. They should keep their stove tops clean and clear, keep children and pets away, and make sure that stoves are turned off after cooking, the company said in a statement.Samsung is asking people who have aone of its ranges to contact the company to see if they are eligible for the free, self-install knob locks or covers that reduce the possibility of accidental ignition.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More