Retail Security & Theft: A woman was arrested after a Southern California beauty supply theft spree totaling about $15,000, hitting multiple stores before being taken into custody. Religious Policy & Medical Products: Jehovah’s Witnesses eased their ban to allow use of blood-derived medical products, while still prohibiting whole-blood transfusions. Auto Lending Relief: New Hampshire consumers are set to receive more than $786,000 from a $694M multistate settlement over Credit Acceptance Corporation loans allegedly made to borrowers who couldn’t afford them. Power & Household Costs: A heat-related outage left about 1,500 utility members without power in Cross Plains, while Duke Energy asked Carolinas customers to cut electricity use during a peak-demand window. Retail Media Tech: Quad/Graphics is expanding its in-store digital screen network to 25 Smart & Final stores, giving brands new retail media reach. Consumer Data & Privacy: Reports continue to swirl around smart TV spying claims, with one owner removing a TV’s mic and wireless gear. Shopping Payments & AI: Mastercard is pushing AI-agent shopping with virtual cards, but many consumers still don’t want bots to buy without approval. Regulated Products Crackdown: Tennessee authorities warned stores to remove kratom products or face felony charges, citing illegal kratom-derived compounds. Consumer Tech Launches: Apple iPhone 18 Pro sales drew long lines at stores worldwide, including Dubai. Settlement Refunds: Amazon Prime customers may receive up to $200 more automatically under an expanded FTC-ordered settlement.