Robert F. Kennedy has called for an end to the public health practice of putting fluoride in water. Portland, the largest city in the country without fluoridated water, made that decision decades ago.

Why it matters: If Kennedy's nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services is confirmed, he will bring an anti-fluoride stance to the highest levels of government, but voters in Portland first rejected fluoridation in 1956, and most recently, in 2013.

• Statewide, just 26% of Oregon residents have access to water with added fluoride, ranking 49th among U.S. states, per the Centers for Disease Control.

State of play: Water fluoridation in the U.S. started in 1945 and 72% of the U.S. population served by community water systems receives fluoridated drinking water.

• The American Dental Association supports the practice, saying that research and studies show that "water fluoridation is effective in preventing cavities and is safe for children and adults."
• Fluoride proponents have argued that failing to add fluoride is costly and neglects marginalized populations who may not have easy access to dental health care.

The other side: But concerns over water fluoridation have included fluorosis, when growing teeth are exposed to too much fluoride and develop white flecks or spots, and reduced IQ in children.

• Though there is some evidence of lower IQ in children exposed to high levels of fluoride, those levels exceed what is recommended by health experts for drinking water.

The latest: Hillsboro — a suburb on the western edge of the metro area — rejected a measure to add fluoride to its water supply this month.

What they're saying: "I think the results say that the people of Hillsboro do prefer having choice on whether they ingest fluoride or not," Matthew Sztelle, director of anti-fluoridation political action committee Clean Water Hillsboro, told The Oregonian.

• But the advocacy group Healthy Teeth Hillsboro said in a social media post the outcome was due to "misinformation and scare tactics."

What we're watching: If Kennedy is confirmed and changes federal guidance on fluoride, decisions about adding it to water will still be up to local municipalities.

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🛒 Workers at 11 Portland-area New Seasons stores will hold a one-day strike on Wednesday — one of the busiest grocery shopping days of the year — as union members work to agree on a contract with the upscale chain. (KGW)

🏘️ Oregon's first "state of the state's housing" report shows surging rent and housing prices, rising eviction rates and the highest rate of families with children living unsheltered. (OPB)

💻 Intel could lose up to $500 million of its $8.5 billion CHIPS Act grant after the Oregon-based company delayed investments in new facilities and posted its biggest quarterly loss in history. (New York Times)

✈️ Passenger traffic at PDX is approaching pre-pandemic levels as travel ramps up for the Thanksgiving holiday. (The Oregonian)

💪 Outgoing Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, President-elect Trump's pick for Labor Secretary, has some business groups and conservatives concerned about her previous support of pro-union bills. (Axios)

A typical Thanksgiving dinner for 10 will cost about $58 this year, a new report finds — down around 5% from last year but up nearly 20% in unadjusted dollars from 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why it matters: Grocery prices are a key way Americans experience inflation, and Thanksgiving puts food costs front and center.

Driving the news: Those figures come from the American Farm Bureau Federation's annual survey, released last Wednesday and based on observed nationwide prices for a hypothetical basket of Thanksgiving staples.

• That includes turkey — obviously! — plus cranberries, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie mix, and more.
• ☝️ Axios created an expanded menu, which includes two other Thanksgiving favorites: ham and potatoes.

Between the lines: Adjusting for inflation back to 1982, as the group always does, this year's Farm Bureau basket is one of the cheapest in decades.

Yes, but: That's not how everyday people think about prices, and grocery costs have been a major worry for many since the pandemic and through the recent election.

• Indeed, 44% of Thanksgiving hosts surveyed are concerned about the cost of having folks over for dinner this year, per a separate Deloitte report
• 3 in 10 hosts surveyed are inviting fewer people, Deloitte found, while some are also expecting guests to bring dishes to reduce costs.

The bottom line: Thanksgiving may be yet another example of how economists and everyday people think about prices and inflation in very different ways.