On Location: SmartHER in the Nation’s Capital

We took SmartHER News on the road to Washington D.C. for a timely – and very special – interview with new FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary.

From this week’s headline grabbing announcement on autism to many other topics important to American families (including a STORY TO WATCH on hormone therapy for women), we covered a lot of ground in a conversation that contains many surprises! I am looking forward to sharing it with you!

This question was inspired by the reaction I saw this week to new questions raised by the FDA about Tylenol and an association with autism - some embraced these questions while others wholeheartedly rejected them. But this larger question can apply to so many topics today …

Do YOU think science is ever “settled”?

“Fat bears are successful bears.” 

That's the motto of Fat Bear Week, which kicked off this past Tuesday and runs until next Tuesday, September 30. The program put together by the National Park Service (specifically Katmai National Park) highlights the lives of some "celebrity" brown bears who have packed on their pounds before the winter hibernation. 

In case you're wondering what it takes to become a "fat bear" ... some bears can eat 40+ salmon in ONE DAY. That's over 100,000 calories!

Fans can vote once a day for their favorite bear on this website. We'll see if Grazer can make it a three-peat; she won in 2023 and 2024 and was the first mother bear to ever win the competition.

🗣️ Your Conversation Starters:

📰 A News Anchor With An Autism Diagnosis? As we learn of a potential new treatment for autism (and a new warning about the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy), an evening news anchor shares his own autism diagnosis. I worked with Leland Vittert for many years at Fox News and have cheered on his evolution from foreign correspondent to now hosting his own primetime show on News Nation. Still, this personal story remained private from many until recently: "How My Dad Helped Me Master My Autism."

🛩️ Drone Disruption: As drones closed down airports in two European countries, this article looks at the challenges Europe faces in responding to drones. 

🦧 “Scrumping Apes”: New research shows chimpanzees drink up to a lager of alcohol a day by consuming ripe fruit, though it’s not enough to get sloshed. 

💸 “Hamburger Helper Economy”: Sales of Hamburger Helper have spiked over the past year, reaching levels last seen during the 2008 recession and the COVID pandemic. Why? “Consumers are looking for foods that fill them up for the least amount of money.”  

💰 $150 Million: Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Elizabeth Lederer is expected to fetch this price at auction on November 18. In real life, 'Lederer avoided deportation to Nazi concentration camps by claiming Klimt was her father.'.  

🌕 Fly Me to the Moon: NASA’s Artemis 2 mission, set to fly astronauts around the moon, could launch between February and April 2026, offering what NASA calls “a front-row seat to history.” P.S. This week NASA announced its astronaut candidate class of 2025 and for the first time ... the girls outnumbered the guys.

🪦 Death of a Semicolon: According to one company, “use of semicolons has dropped by 51% since the early 2000s.” But can you use a semicolon correctly? Take the quiz to find out! 

📚 22 Years: That’s how long it’s been since Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary last got an update. The new edition comes out November 18 and will include words like “rizz” and “doomscroll.”

🎙️ This Week From Jenna:

🎙️ SCOOP (approx. 55 minutes) SCOOP: 3 Major Updates On Our Top Stories. Listen. (SCOOP Insiders can attend this live broadcast once a week and get their news questions answered; they also receive the special video report EXCLUSIVELY delivered to their inbox along with a "cheat sheet" for the week ahead — learn more HERE). 

🙌🏽 What We Found SmartHER This Week:

Did you know? Airplane cabins often hover (no pun intended 😉) between 10% - 20% humidity – much lower than your own home and even drier than many deserts. No wonder our skin can feel so parched after a flight!

And that's exactly why this Fre Skincare duo proved itself as the real MVP of our D.C. trip 👇🏽

The Fre Moisturize Me Ultra-Rich Repair Cream

The Fre Hydrate Me+ Peptide Night Mask

“This boxcar is more than just a historic railroad artifact. It’s a symbol of international friendship, gratitude and the enduring connections forged through hardship.” 

The executive director at United Railroad Historical Society of NJ, Kevin Phalon, concerning New Jersey’s Merci Train boxcar.  

The boxcar was one of 49 filled with gifts and presented to the U.S. from France in 1949, after Americans sent more than 700 boxcars of goods to aid Europe’s post-WWII recovery. By 1958, the boxcar had disappeared, with no records tracing its movements. In 1993, officials at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, discovered an abandoned boxcar in Tennessee. Last year, upon reexamining its origins, museum officials realized it was New Jersey’s missing boxcar. Now, it will officially return to New Jersey for restoration and display as a mobile museum. Concerning its future, Phalon said, “Its restoration and preservation will help ensure that the history of our country’s role as a military and economic leader, protector of Europe and savior of democracy in the tumultuous World War II era will never be lost or forgotten.” 

And that's The Weekend Digest!

❤️,  
Jenna and the SHN Team

Daily news, interviews, our latest podcasts and more at www.SmartHERNews.com.