The proposal had been years in the making, in an effort to curb death rates of Black smokers targeted by Big Tobacco. In an election year, the president’s worries about support among Black voters may have influenced the postponement.
Public health groups supporting the ban of menthol cigarettes cited years of data suggesting that the cigarettes, long marketed to African American smokers, make it more palatable to start smoking and more difficult to stop.
The National Highway Safety Administration also released an analysis of crashes involving the system that showed at least 29 fatal accidents over five and a half years.
A federal auto safety agency said the accelerator pedal on the pickup truck, sales of which began in late 2023, could become stuck, increasing the risk of accidents.
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