12 Nov 2025

Yes, you do need to clean your water bottle. Here’s why and how

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By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — You keep your trusty reusable bottle filled with only clear, delicious water. Do you still need to wash it?

Experts say reusable bottles get grubby no matter what liquid they’re filled with, and it’s important to clean them regularly.

Water bottles pick up germs from our mouths when we take a sip, and from our hands when we touch the straw or lid. They’re covered in tiny, tough-to-reach nooks and crannies which can become breeding grounds for mold, bacteria and other microbes if left un-scrubbed.

“It seems like something mundane, but it is extremely important,” said nurse practitioner Michele Knepper, who works at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Unclean water bottles can cause stomach aches and itchy throats and even exacerbate allergies and asthma.

Experts disagree on when and how you should wash them, but they’re all in agreement on one thing: Give your water bottle a tender loving clean, because something is better than nothing at all.

“Is it that big of a deal? No. But it’s also not difficult to just wash your water bottle,” said Dr. Mike Ren, a family medicine physician at Baylor College of Medicine.

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Some tips for a squeaky clean water bottle

Experts say the gunk doesn’t care what your water bottle is made of. Reusable metal, plastic and glass bottles all grow germy, but plastic bottles are more likely to get scratches or dings on the inside where microbial life can cozy up.

The best cleaning routine is a simple one: Use a sponge or bottle brush to scrub inside and out with warm, soapy water, rinse it out and let it dry so it’s ready for the next refill. A narrow or pipe cleaner-shaped tool can be useful to get into straws and tight crevices.

For a deeper wash, scientists recommend popping the bottle in the dishwasher if it’s safe to do so, or dissolving a denture or retainer-cleaning tablet in the bottle overnight. Scrubbing with a warm water solution of vinegar or baking soda works too.

Many experts recommend doing a simple, soapy water clean every day and a deeper clean once a week. If daily cleaning feels a little extra, Ren said to try to get to it at least every other week or so while maintaining other good habits like rinsing the mouthpiece over the sink during each refill.

But if you fill your reusable bottle with other beverages like protein shakes or exercise drinks, it really is important to clean every day. Sugary drinks leave a residue that bacteria love to snack on.

Do you need to dump the water in your bottle every day?

Is it okay to leave water in a reusable bottle overnight? Experts disagree.

Some say to dump the dregs out every refill, while others recommend emptying every few hours. Ren says it’s likely okay to leave some inside overnight, but to empty old water at least every few days.

“Guidelines are guidelines,” Ren said. “Everyone’s going to do it a little bit differently.”

If there’s visible mold on the bottle or the liquid inside has a weird smell, don’t drink it. Avoid refilling disposable plastic water bottles since chemicals can leach into the water, and they’re even more full of cracks and crevices that can harbor germs.

Water bottle cleaning routines may not all look the same — but it’s important to keep up the habit, said Ivy Sun, a hospitality expert at Georgia Southern University who has studied water bottle contamination. She washes her and her kids’ bottles with soapy water every day.

“This is just a very small step that we do, but it can largely help with our health,” Sun said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

12 Nov 2025

Recipes: Cranberries are much more than a Thanksgiving side dish

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Decades ago cranberries used to be boring: Just a ho-hum side dish that made holiday appearances and disappeared into culinary obscurity the rest of the year. Often, cranberries were simply dumped from a can, either jellied or sauced. When jellied, they conformed to the shape of the can; cut, the jiggly slices toppled like cascading dominos.

Seems like mundane treatments for a berry so revered by Native Americans long before the arrival of the first Europeans. These tangy berries deserve more respect. Over the last couple of decades or so, they’ve gotten it. Now culinary movers and shakers place fresh cranberries in more prominent roles.

Tantalizing salsas, chutneys and sauces appear more frequently on menus and in cookbooks. Glamorous cranberry desserts show off on dessert carts and bakery shelves. And many supermarkets offer bags of flash-frozen cranberries year-round.

They are a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, and Manganese. They are also a good source of Vitamin E and Vitamin K. Enjoy.

Apple Cranberry Pie features a layer of jam-like cranberry mixture spread on the dough topped with apple slices. (Photo by Cathy Thomas)

Apple Cranberry Pie

The combination of flavors in this pie is blissful, the sweetness of the apples merrily dancing with the tart edge of the cranberries. The two are added in layers; first the jam-like cranberry mixture is spread on the raw dough, then the apples are placed on top before the top crust is added. The pie fillings require cooking and cooling before the pie is assembled, so the prep takes some time. If you like you can use prepared refrigerated pie dough, but homemade pie dough can be made a day in advance and refrigerated sealed in plastic wrap. I like to serve this pie with either sweetened whipped cream or ice cream.

Yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

1/4 cup orange juice

1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon for top of pie, divided use

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided use

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided use

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3 1/2 pounds sweet apples (6 to 7 medium), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices such as Gala, Fuji, Golden Delicious, or Jonagold

Pie Dough for double crust, recipe follows

1 egg white, beaten lightly

For serving: sweetened whipped cream or ice cream

Cook’s notes: After microwaving the sliced apples in step 2, I sometimes have a large amount of juice that isn’t the least bit thick. I pour off the juice into a small saucepan, boil it to reduce it by half and then return it to the apples to cool. To prevent the fluted rim of pie from over-browning, I place a pie shield on the rim after the first 25 minutes in the oven in step 6. A pie shield is a ring made of metal or silicone. If you don’t have one, you can use strips of aluminum foil to shield the rim.

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring cranberries, juice, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally and pressing berries against side of pot, until berries have completely broken down and juices have thickened to jamlike consistency (wooden spoon scraped across bottom should leave clear trail that doesn’t fill in), 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in water, and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, mix 1/2 cup sugar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cornstarch in large microwave-safe bowl; add apples and toss to combine. Microwave on high power, stirring with rubber spatula every 3 minutes, until apples are just starting to turn translucent around edges and liquid is thick and glossy, 10 to 14 minutes (see cook’s notes). Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Take disks of dough out of the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 25 to 30 minutes.

3. While fillings cool, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees.

4. Roll out one disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/8-inch thickness. Place in pie pan, leaving at least 1-inch overhang. Transfer cooled cranberry mixture to dough-lined pie pan and spread into even layer. Place apple mixture on top of cranberries, mounding slightly in center; push down any sharp apple edges.

5. Roll second disk of dough until it is 1/8-inch thick on lightly floured surface. Place dough on top of filling. Trim overhang to 1/2-inch. Fold dough under itself so that edge of fold is flush with outer rim of pie pan. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with tines of fork to seal. Brush top and edges of pie with egg white and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Using sharp paring knife, cut four 1 1/2-inch long slits in top of dough (think of a clock for slit placement at 12,3,6,9 positions).

6. Place pie on preheated rimmed baking sheet and bake until top is light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. (See cook’s notes.) Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees, rotate baking sheet, and continue to bake until crust is deep golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack to cool at least 2 1/2 hours. Cut into wedges and serve with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.

Source: Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

Homemade pie dough for an Apple Cranberry Pie can be made a day in advance and refrigerated in plastic wrap. (Photo by Cathy Thomas)

Double Crust Pie Dough

Yield: Double pie crust for 9-inch pie

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon table salt

2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

7 to 8 tablespoons ice water (drain off ice just before use, measure without ice)

DIRECTIONS

1. Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined, for about 20 seconds. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size pieces remaining.

2. Drizzle 5 tablespoons ice water over the mixture; pulse several times to combine. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the mixture holds together when pinched.

3. For a 9-inch pie, shape dough into 2 disks and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day before using. The dough rolls out easier when it is out of the refrigerator for 25 to 30 minutes.

Source: Adapted from “Martha: The Cookbook: 100 Favorite Recipes, with Lessons and Stories from My Kitchen”

Cranberry Spice Cake is spiked with two cups of chopped fresh cranberries to give it an inviting sweet-tart perkiness. (Photo by Nick Koon, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Cranberry Spice Cake

The tartness of fresh cranberries pairs well with sweet, buttery baked goods. This sweet-tart cake is delicious for breakfast or served as a holiday dessert accompanied with sweetened whipped cream or crème fraiche sweetened with powdered sugar to taste and a smidgen of vanilla extract.

Cake can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

Cake:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups (8 ounces) fresh (or frozen, thawed) cranberries

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest

2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup apple cider or apple juice

Lemon glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

3 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For serving: sweetened whipped cream or crème fraiche

DIRECTIONS

1. For cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom with parchment paper; coat paper with spray. Whisk flour and next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. Pulse cranberries in a food processor until finely chopped but not puréed; set aside.

2. Stir sugar, brown sugar, and oil in another medium bowl to blend. Add eggs one at a time, stirring to blend between additions. Whisk in sour cream, orange zest, lemon zest, and vanilla.

3. Whisk in dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with apple cider (or juice) in 2 additions and whisking to blend. Fold in chopped cranberries. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top.

4. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a tester inserted into center of cake comes out almost clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around inside of pan to release cake; turn the cake onto rack. Peel off parchment paper, then flip cake and let cool for 20 minutes.

5. For lemon glaze: Whisk powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl. Spread glaze over warm cake, allowing it to drip down sides. Let stand until glaze becomes crackly, about 1 hour. Serve at room temperature.

Source: Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine

Quesadillas featuring leftover turkey are served with Cranberry Salsa. (Photo by Nick Koon, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Cranberry Salsa

Cranberry Salsa is a blend of sweet, spicy and tart flavors. It goes splendidly with Mexican food made with leftover turkey or chicken; enchiladas, tacos or simple quesadillas taste glorious with a spoonful of Cranberry Salsa on top. It’s also scrumptious spooned over Brie or goat cheese. Preparation is easy; all the ingredients are placed in a food processor and pulse-chopped together.

It can be refrigerated for up to one week, but it is best to leave out the cilantro if it is refrigerated for more than two days. In that case add the cilantro before serving.

Yield: 3 cups

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded, coarsely chopped

1 fresh jalapeno chili, seeds and veins removed, minced, see cook’s notes

1/2 medium red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon cumin seed

1/2 cup washed and drained cilantro, coarsely chopped, see cook’s notes

Cook’s notes: Use caution when working with fresh chilies. Wash work surface and hands thoroughly upon completion; do NOT touch your eyes.

For turkey quesadillas, work in batches. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet on medium; place 1 flour tortilla in the skillet. Top with 1 teaspoon finely diced red onion, 1 to 2 tablespoons shredded cheese (such as the packaged 4-cheese Mexican shredded cheeses) and shredded cooked turkey. Top with more cheese and second tortilla. Cook for 2 minutes, until golden, then flip over and cook a further 1 to 2 minutes until the other side is golden and the cheese has melted. Transfer to cutting board and cut into 6 wedges.

DIRECTIONS

1. Place all salsa ingredients in a food processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse until ingredients are coarsely chopped.

2. Serve and enjoy.

12 Nov 2025

Pro-Life, Anti-Death Penalty

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National support for the death penalty is at an all-time low, with younger adults from both major political parties spurning capital punishment. But in Texas’ execution chamber, the pace of lethal injections has not let up, even as some condemned Texans—including Melissa Lucio and Robert Roberson—have had their high-profile executions halted with only days or hours to spare.

Recent outcry against the state’s death penalty has come from both sides of the aisle. On the day of Roberson’s scheduled execution last year, a bipartisan group of legislators made the unprecedented move to subpoena him for a public hearing—scheduled after he was supposed to die—in a successful effort to forestall the killing so the courts could consider his innocence. (On October 9 this year, Roberson’s execution was stayed by the state’s top criminal court a week before he would have died.)

Nan Tolson, who previously worked as chief spokesperson for Governor Greg Abbott, leads the Texas chapter of the national network Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty. She sees the punishment as rife with problems: from a political angle or a faith perspective, and as a public safety tool. Since founding the Lone Star State’s affiliate in 2023 as part of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, she said the organization has engaged with thousands of Republicans across the state—creating what she calls a “safe space for conservatives to talk to like-minded people about the death penalty”—bringing hundreds into the fight against capital punishment. Tolson, 30, was selected for a “40 Under 40” fellowship in 2024 by the Texas Federation of Republican Women for her activism.

The Texas Observer spoke with her in mid-September about the conservative argument against the death penalty, how Texas’ top Republicans think, and the idea of redemption. 

TO: You’re a notable young voice in Texas conservatism. Have you gotten pushback from other Republicans for your views on the death penalty? 

I would say so. There’s pushback on all sides when it comes to the death penalty, which is something I was prepared for. It’s a controversial and emotional topic. But I’ve received more positive reception and curiosity from Republicans than pushback. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the number of people who are genuinely interested in what we’re doing and want to learn more, even if they may not agree.

The death penalty is an issue a lot of people from all political parties are on the fence about. What made you realize you were firmly against it?

When I was a freshman at Baylor, we had a guest speaker named Shane Claiborne who came to chapel one morning, and he essentially laid out an elevator pitch on why Christians should oppose the death penalty. I had never heard that argument. It totally changed my mind in that moment. 

Have you noticed any change when high-profile cases like Melissa Lucio’s and Robert Roberson’s are in the news? 

Definitely. We have certainly seen a vast number of Republicans supporting Robert. We had the Texas Young Republicans Federation sign onto a letter asking for a new trial; there are very prominent Republicans in the Legislature who are supporting him; and when we have spoken to different conservative groups across Texas, oftentimes, before we even bring up his case, we have people in the audience asking us, “What’s the status with Robert Roberson’s case? I can’t believe this is happening. This has made me question the death penalty.” 

Would you say the execution of innocent people is a significant problem in Texas?

Absolutely. When we’ve talked to conservatives who are against the death penalty or questioning it, the most common thing we’ll hear about is the risk of wrongful execution. The data backs it up. There is strong evidence that Texas has executed at least seven innocent people. As conservatives, we know that the government is not going to get it right every single time.

Why is opposition to the death penalty something you think can be bipartisan, given the big political divides on many criminal justice issues?

The death penalty is extremely fiscally irresponsible. It costs more to sentence someone to death and execute them than to sentence them to life in prison without parole. It’s also an ineffective deterrent to violent crime. The evidence is inconclusive at best as to whether or not it keeps people from committing homicide. 

There’s also a very strong pro-life argument. As a society, we are capable of keeping people safe, and we can do that while honoring that every life has inherent dignity and worth, and that includes people on death row who have committed unspeakable acts.

Are there any cases of Texans who have been executed or exonerated, or who are still on death row, that you think more people should know about? 

Two come to mind that I have worked on over the past couple of years. One is Ramiro Gonzales. He was 100 percent guilty of the crime that he committed when he was essentially a teenager. He ended up on death row for several years. He was finally executed last year, and the person that the State of Texas executed was not the person who committed the crime [because Gonzales had changed]. 

This is something we’ve seen with many people who are executed in Texas. They commit murder at a very young age. They come into prison a very messed-up person, and then they’re given structure, tools, resources, and they’re able to come to a place where they express remorse for their crimes. They apologize to the victims’ families. Many of them even become Christian, or they’re exposed to another form of faith, and they’re completely transformed. It’s hard when the State of Texas gives people like Gonzales the resources to do that, but then we essentially say, “Well, it doesn’t really matter. Your life is still expendable, and we’re going to execute you anyway.” 

There was another gentleman who was executed last year named Ivan Cantu, out of the Dallas area. And he is one of those that we believe might have been wrongfully executed. 

You spent time working at the Capitol with the state’s highest-level Republicans. What did you learn about how the Republican Party thinks about things? 

Republicans and conservatives, especially in Texas, we pride ourselves on being tough on crime. But we need to be willing to think outside the box and recognize what’s working and what’s not. 

Another thing that stuck out to me is that there’s a lot of nuance. There’s not really one way to be a Republican or one way to be a Democrat or a conservative. And I think that’s a positive and something that should be encouraged. Half of what we do is show conservatives that it’s OK to be opposed to the death penalty. It doesn’t mean that you’re not a Republican, that you are not a conservative, that you’re a traitor to your values or your party or your community. It means that you were willing to think critically about a really important issue and recognize that it’s actually not aligned with your values. 

The majority of Republicans nationwide favor the death penalty for murder cases, and Donald Trump has been publicly pushing prosecutors to seek the death penalty. Do you ever feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle? 

I do think it’s an uphill battle, but it’s not an impossible battle. We are not going to end the death penalty overnight. That has never been the goal, and that wouldn’t be realistic. But I do think what is realistic is educating conservatives about the death penalty and giving them space to question it. We certainly don’t want to come out of the gate saying, “You’re wrong about the death penalty and we need to end it tomorrow.” If we approach it strategically, we are going to be able to make progress. 

We also approach everything with a lot of empathy and understanding. There are people who are victims of horrible, unspeakable crimes. It’s normal for us to want justice, or even revenge. It’s important for us to embrace that but also recognize that even if we have this emotional drive to seek revenge and right that wrong, it doesn’t mean that, in a practical sense or in reality, the death penalty is the right way to do it.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The post Pro-Life, Anti-Death Penalty appeared first on The Texas Observer.

12 Nov 2025

US stocks are drifting around their records as AMD rallies

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By STAN CHOE, Associated Press Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting in mixed trading on Wednesday.

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The S&P 500 added 0.1% and remains near the edge of its all-time high set a couple weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 416 points, or 0.9%, after setting its own record the day before, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.3% lower, as of 9:50 a.m. Eastern time.

Advanced Micro Devices was one of the strongest forces lifting the market, and it rallied 5.9% after CEO Lisa Su said the chip company is expecting better than 35% of annual compounded growth in revenue over the next three to five years. She credited “accelerating AI momentum.”

Superstar stocks benefiting from the artificial-intelligence frenzy have been shaky recently, as investors question whether they can add much more to their already spectacular gains. Nvidia, for example, came into the day with a 4.6% drop for the month so far after it more than doubled in four of the last five years.

Their sensational growth has been one of the top reasons the U.S. market has hit records despite a slowing job market and high inflation. But their prices have shot so high that critics say they’re reminiscent of the 2000 dot-com bubble, which ultimately burst and dragged the S&P 500 down by nearly half.

Similar questions are also dogging the broad U.S. stock market, though other stocks don’t look as expensive as Big Tech and AI superstars.

One way for stock prices to look less expensive is for companies to deliver big growth in profits.

IBM rose 3.2% and was one of the biggest reasons for the Dow’s strong performance after announcing progress in “bringing truly useful quantum computing to the world,” according to Jay Gambetta, director of IBM Research. Companies across the industry are racing to develop quantum computing in order to solve complex problems beyond the reach of classical computers.

On Holdings jumped 25% after the shoe and apparel company reported a much bigger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

But even beating expectations may not be enough for some stocks. Circle Internet Group fell 6.6% even though its profit for the latest quarter trounced analysts’ estimates.

The stock price of the U.S.-based issuer of one of the most popular cryptocurrencies has been generally falling since it got near $300 in June, just a few weeks after its initial price offering of $31.

Another way for stock prices to look less expensive is if interest rates fall because bonds paying lower yields usually encourage investors to pay higher prices for other investments.

In the U.S. bond market, where trading resumed following Tuesday’s Veterans Day holiday, the yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.07% from 4.13% late Monday.

Traders still see a roughly two-in-three chance that the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate at its next meeting in December, according to data from CME Group. That’s despite Fed Chair Jerome Powell saying a third cut for the year to shore up the slowing job market is far from a sure thing. Fed officials are worried about the potential of giving still-high inflation more fuel.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across much of Europe and Asia.

France’s CAC 40 jumped 1.2%, and South Korea’s Kospi gained 1.1% for two of the world’s bigger gains.

AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.