Current Events in June 2018

Sales of existing homes fell again in May, dropping 0.4 percent from April, which was lower than March's sales.

Existing home sales are now down 3.0 percent from May 2017 and have fallen year-over-year for three straight months, according to the latest data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

NAR's chief economist, Lawrence Yun, says a strong economy and low unemployment rate should translate into robust home sales. Home sales are down, he says, for a number of reasons.

"Incredibly low supply continues to be the primary impediment to more sales, but there's no question the combination of higher prices and mortgage rates are pinching the budgets of prospective buyers, and ultimately keeping some from reaching the market," Yun said.

Yun says housing inventory increased slightly in May, but not enough to prevent the median home price from rising 4.9 percent, hitting an all-time high of $264,800.

Affordability on the decline

ATTOM Data Solutions, which tracks real estate prices, reports that home prices in the first quarter of 2018 were the least affordable since the third quarter of 2008, just before the market crashed.

“Slowing home price appreciation in the second quarter was not enough to counteract an 11 percent increase in mortgage rates compared to a year ago, resulting in the worst home affordability we’ve seen in nearly 10 years,” said Daren Blomquist, senior vice president at ATTOM Data Solutions.

Meanwhile, Blomquist says home price appreciation continued to outpace wage growth, speeding up the affordability treadmill for prospective homebuyers even without the rise in mortgage rates.

When the company looked at home prices and wages, it found the median home was unaffordable for average consumers in 75 percent of the measured markets. The least affordable markets in the first quarter were Flint, Mich.; Denver, Santa Fe, and Nashville.

Another housing crisis?

Slowing sales and rising prices have prompted some to predict another housing crash, like the one that occurred during the financial crisis. However, economists point out key differences between then and now.

In the early 2000s, prices were driven higher by easy credit, allowing millions of people who really couldn't afford a home to buy one. Builders stayed busy adding to the inventory.

When millions of these homeowners defaulted on their loans, it created a wave of foreclosures, resulting in a glut of available homes, causing values to plunge. Economists say that's unlikely to happen now.

Today, prices are rising because there are not enough homes for everyone who can qualify to buy one, leading to bidding wars in many markets. Inventories of available homes have shrunk because homebuilding is occurring at about half the rate it did before the 2008 housing crash.

General Motors is recalling 489 model year 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1s.

Hard braking or acceleration may cause the sensing diagnostic module (SDM) to enter a fault state.

As a result, the SDM will not provide crash sensing or deploy the necessary air bags in the event of a crash.

If the air bags do not deploy as designed, the occupants have an increased risk of injury.

What to do

GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the SDM with updated software, free of charge.

The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18195.

On the heels of an investigation by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) that uncovered a security leak exposing the location of cell phone users, Verizon and AT&T have pledged to stop selling their mobile customers’ location details to third-party data brokers -- or, as Wyden called them, "shady middlemen."

Both mobile phone companies made their pro-consumer protection move swiftly upon news that prison phone company Securus gave law enforcement agencies the all-clear to track phone calls.

Securus was buying its geolocation data from data aggregator LocationSmart, which turned out to be the source of the data leak.

It was computer security watcher Brian Krebs (KrebsOnSecurity) who reported that a "buggy component" on LocationSmart’s site allowed anyone to access the location of any AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon phone without requiring a password or any other authentication. After Krebs alerted LocationSmart about the vulnerability, the company shut down the service.

What about Sprint and T-Mobile

Wyden praised Verizon and AT&T’s move, saying the companies did the "responsible" thing and "deserve credit for taking quick action to protect its customers’ privacy and security." However, the senator called out Sprint and T-Mobile for seeming "content to keep selling customers’ private information, American’s privacy be damned."

In responding to Wyden’s inquiry regarding data collection, both Sprint and T-Mobile went to great lengths to defend their position on purchasing location data, asserting they were doing everything necessary to protect the users’ data from being exploited.

Sprint reasoned that geolocation data could help everything from child safety to roadside assistance and workforce applications that allowed employees to check in and check out at job sites.

T-Mobile affirmed that its contracts with data brokers "have important provisions that serve to protect our customers’ information, including requiring service providers, via a location aggregator, to seek approval from T-Mobile for each data use, and requiring customer consent before location data is shared."

What can you do to protect your geolocation data?

A 2017 study by TheConversation illuminated the codependency mobile carriers and apps have on a user’s geolocation data, estimating that 70 percent of apps share a user’s data with a third-party source. While location is an important function of a maps app, most location-based data is designed to leverage sales and marketing opportunities.

With consumers increasingly using their mobile devices for all electronic transactions, including banking, there is growing concern about the security of mobile devices. Nonetheless, the most direct method to protect your location data from being shared across the internet is to simply block it.

To disable location reporting on an Android device, the steps are:

1. Open the App Drawer and go to Settings.

2. Scroll down and tap Location.

3. Scroll down and tap Google Location Settings.

4. Tap Location Reporting and Location History, and switch the slider to off for each one.

To disable location services on an Apple device, do the following:

1. Open the Settings App.

2. Scroll down to Privacy, and select Location Services.

3. Disable all Location Services by swiping the slider at the top, or scroll down to disable location services for specific apps, including Google and Google Maps.

4. Select System Services to deny location data from specific features, like location-based advertisements, turn off Frequent Locations, or disable the "Popular Near Me" feature.

Chinese companies have been funneling increasing amounts of money into the United States for years, creating deep ties between the countries.

However, in the first five months of 2018, Chinese investment totaled just $1.8 billion -- down 92 percent from the same period in 2017. And, according to a report by Rhodium Group -- a research firm that tracks foreign investment -- this is the lowest level of Chinese investment in seven years.

The dramatic drop in investment comes as the trade wars intensify between Beijing and the Washington, and U.S. regulators increase their scrutiny of Chinese acquisitions.

“The more confrontational approach of the Trump administration toward economic relations with China has cast some doubt in these companies’ minds about their position here,” said Thilo Hanemann, a director at Rhodium Group and one of the report’s authors.

The regulatory climate

Because of recent tensions between the U.S. and China, regulations for Chinese investments in the United States have become much stricter.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is an inter-agency panel chaired by the Treasury Department that vets deals that could give a foreign investor control of a U.S. business for national security risks. Under the Trump administration, the panel has become more aggressive, heavily scrutinizing deals that could give foreign access to technologies or personal data.

Based on the Rhodium Group report, the CFIUS is believed to have stopped deals worth more than $2 billion since the start of 2018.

“Not only have Chinese companies invested less, they have also divested assets at an unprecedented pace so far in 2018,” the report stated.

CFIUS is on pace to get stricter over the course of the year, making it difficult for Chinese investments to rebound in the coming months.

Recent tensions between the U.S. and China

One of President Trump’s main priorities so far this year has been cracking down on what he deems China’s “unfair” trade practices.

He recently imposed a 25 percent tariff on billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods, and indicated that could rise to upwards of $200 billion if China doesn’t comply with U.S. demands.

“In light of China’s theft of intellectual property and technology and its other unfair trade practices, the United States will implement a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion of goods from China that contain industrially significant technologies,” Trump said in a statement. “This includes goods related to China’s Made in China 2025 strategic plan to dominate the emerging high-technology industries that will drive future economic growth for China, but hurt economic growth for the United States and many other countries.”  

However, China plans to fight back.

The country recently made good on its threats to impose tariffs on United States imports. Starting in July, the Chinese government will impose $3 million in tariffs on 128 products ranging from pork, meat, and fruit to steel pipes.

“If the United States takes unilateral, protectionist measures, harming China’s interests, we will quickly react and take necessary steps to resolutely protect our fair, legitimate rights,” said Geng Shuang, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has ordered an equipment manufacturer to stop selling a device for Tesla cars that the agency describes as dangerous.

NHTSA this week issued a cease and desist order to Dolder, Falco and Reese Partners, telling them to stop selling a device called Autopilot Buddy.

Manufacturers routinely install safety features on all kinds of products to protect users, but some consumers have sought ways to neutralize those safeguards. According to NHTSA, Autopilot Buddy is a tool designed for Tesla owners to do just that.

Getting around the warning

Tesla has repeatedly warned drivers that its Autopilot function is only a driver assist tool and not an autonomous driving feature. When the Tesla's system detects that the driver's hands are not on the steering wheel, the system flashes a warning.

Drivers who insist on letting Autopilot steer the car find these repeated warnings to be a nuisance, so many have purchased an Autopilot Buddy to disable the warning system, the safety agency says.

In at least two fatal Tesla crashes NHTSA investigated, the agency determined that the car's Autopilot was engaged and the drivers' hands were not on the wheel.

According to NHTSA deputy administrator Heidi King, a commercial product sold with the intent to circumvent motor vehicle safety and driver attentiveness is unacceptable.

“By preventing the safety system from warning the driver to return hands to the wheel, this product disables an important safeguard, and could put customers and other road users at risk,” King said in a statement.

Ordered to stop sales

Tesla issued a statement, saying it agrees with NHTSA's action. In a letter to the marketers of the device, NHTSA has ordered the company to respond by June 29, 2018. The letter further orders the company to certify to NHTSA that all U.S. marketing, sales, and distribution of the Autopilot Buddy has ended.

As of today, the company's website still showed promotional material for Autopilot Buddy, which sells for $199.

The website says the two-piece device restores the use of “Autosteer” on Tesla to an earlier version of the system software. The company also says the device is not intended to allow drivers to take their hands off the wheel.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Yahoo Messenger would be shutting down after 20 years in operation. Now, Oath -- a Verizon subsidiary that owns both Yahoo and AOL -- has unveiled two new versions of Yahoo Mail.

A revamped mobile web version of Yahoo Mail will include the addition of several new features, while a new app targeting Android Go smartphones will be smaller and more lightweight than the standard app.

Yahoo’s new mobile web service is geared toward users who don’t want to download an app that takes up more storage on their device, according to senior director of product management for Yahoo Mail, Joshua Jacobson.

“We’ve heard loud and clear from users that they’re not always ready to make the big leap to downloading an app that takes up any storage space on their phone,” Jacobson said in a statement.

“People with high-capacity phones may want to save that space for photos or videos, while others with entry-level smartphones may just have limited space from the get-go. Further, some folks share devices or borrow a family member’s to access their email. This is all especially true in developing markets.”

New mobile web features

The new mobile site update adds a feature that lets consumers “swipe” through their inbox to delete or mark an email as read. It also adds a pop-out sidebar for folders, as well as a new option to customize your inbox with color themes.

The redesign also adds email address suggestions, infinite scroll on the inbox, and support for Android’s ability to add browser shortcuts to the home screen.

Meanwhile, the Yahoo Mail Go app is optimized for Android Go devices, which have 1GB of RAM or less and are typically sold in markets where people need inexpensive phones that can operate on low bandwidth. It has the same features as the current Android app but keeps the RAM usage below 50 MB and the installation size below 10 MB.

In creating the new versions of Yahoo Mail, the company hopes to get consumers using Yahoo Mail more regularly and boost stagnated user growth. The company currently has 227.8 million active users per month, which is an increase of about two million from one year ago. However Yahoo’s user base is far smaller than Google's user base. In April, Google’s Gmail client had 1.4 billion users.

The Walt Disney Company has raised its bid for 21st Century Fox's movie and television assets to $71.3 billion, the two companies announced on Wednesday.

The new deal increases the value of Disney’s original December 2017 offer from $28 a share at $52.4 billion to $38 a share at $71.3 billion, with a new cash component.

A representative for Fox said this agreement "is superior to the proposal" from Comcast made earlier this month. The new Fox-Disney deal would let Fox shareholders receive their consideration "in the form of cash or stock,” subject to 50/50 proration.

Bidding war has begun

Last week, Comcast put in a competing offer to buy the assets at $35 per share for a total of $65 billion in cash. The offer followed the U.S. Justice Department’s approval of AT&T’s merger with Time Warner.

Disney has now topped Comcast’s offer.

In a statement on Wednesday, Fox's Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch said a Fox-Disney combination "will create one of the greatest, most innovative companies in the world."

"We are extremely proud of the businesses we have built at 21st Century Fox, and firmly believe that this combination with Disney will unlock even more value for shareholders as the new Disney continues to set the pace at a dynamic time for our industry."

"We remain convinced that the combination of [Fox's] iconic assets, brands and franchises with Disney's will create one of the greatest, most innovative companies in the world,” Murdoch added.

Whichever company ends up winning the bidding war for 21st Century Fox will gain control of Twentieth Century Fox Television and Twentieth Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox 2000 film production studios, and Fox’s 30 percent stake in Hulu.

Disney CEO Robert Iger Murdoch said in a statement Wednesday that the Fox-Disney combination would allow Disney to create more appealing content, expand its direct-to-consumer offerings, grow its international presence, and "deliver more personalized and compelling entertainment experiences to meet growing consumer demand around the world."

Starbucks says it is closing 150 underperforming stores in densely populated urban areas, while focusing its growth efforts in the south, where there are fewer Starbucks locations. It also plans to open more stores in China.

In a release, the company describes the move as “optimizing its U.S. store portfolio at a more rapid pace in FY19, including shifting new company-operated store growth to underpenetrated markets.”

The company stresses that it nearly always closes underperforming stores each year, but it concedes that there are more stores in that category this year, up from an average of 50 per year.

The company has faced headwinds in recent months. It apologized after a Philadelphia store manager called the police, who arrested two African American men who said they were waiting in the store to meet a business associate.

Wall Street investors have soured on the company after its growth slowed and longtime CEO Howard Schultz announced his retirement. Schultz's retirement became official this week, as he was replaced as CEO by Kevin Johnson.

“While certain demand headwinds are transitory, and some of our cost increases are appropriate investments for the future, our recent performance does not reflect the potential of our exceptional brand and is not acceptable,” Johnson, said. “We must move faster to address the more rapidly changing preferences and needs of our customers.”

Increasing competition

It's not that consumers are drinking less coffee, they just have an increasing number of places to get it. McDonald's rebranding of the McCafe has given the chain a strong emphasis on coffee, and its redesigned stores more closely resemble a coffee shop than a fast food restaurant.

Even convenience store chains have improved the quality of their coffee and offer more choices, usually at a price lower than Starbucks.

In addition to expanding into areas where there are fewer coffee shops, Johnson said Starbucks will offer new beverage products, including tea, that target consumers' growing preference for healthy food and beverage choices.

It also plans to expand its digital relationship with new and current customers, saying it added 5 million new digitally registered customers since April and 2 million active Starbucks Rewards members in the last 12 months, growing at a rate of 13 percent.

Consumers still aren't doing a very good job of saving money, but they aren't all that worried about it. That's the conclusion of Bankrate.com's annual report on Americans' financial stability.

According to the report, only 29 percent of consumers have enough money in savings to cover at least six months of expenses – the amount recommended by financial planners.

That data is in line with a recent report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that found the savings rate in April dropped to 2.8 percent, the lowest since December, when consumers were spending heavily for the holidays.

But consumers are remarkably unconcerned about their lack of cash reserves. The report shows 62 percent of respondents described themselves as either “very” or “somewhat” comfortable with their level of emergency savings.

“The goal should be to have enough emergency savings to cover six months’ expenses – and anything less than that should cause discomfort,” said Greg McBride, Bankrate's chief financial analyst.

Why worry?

One reason for the complacency could be the strength of the economy. When times are good, people tend to be more confident that they'll continue to earn more money and stay employed. When the economy sours, consumers tend to be more careful with their spending and save more.

The authors of the Bankrate report hold out another possibility – that many consumers don't realize how much money they would need should disaster strike. If you haven't done a budget, you might even be unaware of how much money you spend each month.

In a separate survey, consumers were asked to say how they would pay for an unexpected expense of $1,000. When confronted with that specific problem, only 39 percent believed they could pay it out of savings.

Going into debt

The result, presumably, would be needing seek other options, such as putting the expense on a credit card or borrowing from a family member. People who lack either of those options often turn to a payday lender, where it is easy to get caught in a cycle of debt.

That's why consumer advocates, as well as financial planners, stress the need for savings. America Saves, a partnership between the Consumer Federation of America and American Savings Education Council, offers advice and resources for helping to build savings and reduce debt.

It says consumers should take the first step by creating a budget, so they know how much money is coming in each month and where it is being spent. By creating a budget line for savings – even a small amount – will guarantee that money is put away each month.

On Tuesday, Amazon announced that more apartment dwellers are getting access to its delivery lockers for apartment complexes, called the Hub.

The Hub is similar to the online retailer’s existing Lockers, which launched in 2011 as an alternative to receiving packages from Amazon at home or work.

With the Hub, Amazon places a large metal locker in a common area of an apartment complex. When a resident’s order arrives, couriers deliver the package to the on-site Hub where it can be picked up by the resident using an access code.

Unlike the company’s existing Lockers, residents can have deliveries from any sender sent to the Hub -- orders don’t have to be from Amazon. Residents can pick up their packages 24 hours a day.

Expanding access

The e-commerce giant, which quietly launched its Hub program last summer, has announced that the program is now available to over 500,000 residents across the country with “thousands more” gaining access each month.

The program, “addresses frustrations from property owners, carriers and residents concerning package delivery,” said Patrick Supanc, director, Amazon Worldwide Lockers and Pickup, in a statement.

The program is intended to eliminate the need for apartment residents to wait for a delivery from building staff or structure their day so that they can be home to receive a package delivery.

“The Hub simplifies delivery for residents, offering quick and secure access to packages, day or night. For delivery providers, it offers a single, convenient location for package drop-off and gives property managers time and resources back to focus on other priorities,” Supanc said.

The Hub program is Amazon’s latest effort to combat package theft. Last fall, the company launched Amazon Key, a service that gives delivery personnel access to a consumer’s home. Earlier this year, Amazon expanded its Key service to include in-car deliveries, turning a person’s car into a delivery locker of sorts.

Nissan North America is recalling six model year 2018 Infiniti QX30s.

The bolt securing the right-hand side lower seat belt anchorage may have been incorrectly installed during production. This can result in the lower seat belt anchorage detaching in a crash.

If the lower seat belt anchorage detaches in a crash, the risk of injury can increase.

What to do

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will weld in a new retaining plate and secure the seat belt anchorage with a new anchor bolt, free of charge.

The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.

General Motors is recalling 848 model year 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, Malibu & Colorado, and GMC Terrain, Acadia & Canyon vehicles.

The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line, and increasing the risk of a fire.

What to do

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge.

The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.

CVS Pharmacy announced on Tuesday that next-day prescription delivery is now available from all of its U.S. locations.

Anticipating a move by Amazon into the pharmacy arena, the chain is taking a cue from its original name of “Consumer Value Store” by staking its claim as the first national retailer to offer pharmacy and front store delivery chain-wide.

The drugstore giant’s endgame is the hope that patients are willing to wait for their prescriptions in exchange for the benefit of delivery.

"The national launch of our prescription delivery service, including the expansion of same-day delivery in five new markets, is delivering on our promise to make staying healthy simpler for every patient, regardless of where they live," said Kevin Hourican, President, CVS Pharmacy.

"Through a fully customized digital experience, shoppers are now able to enjoy the convenience of CVS Pharmacy right at their doorstep. The rollout of delivery from nearly all of our 9,800 retail pharmacy locations nationwide represents another step forward for us in delivering innovative omnichannel solutions that help people on their path to better health."

How CVS’ delivery will work

CVS customers can choose the mailbox delivery option via the CVS phone app or by calling their local CVS location. The delivery schedule works like this:

For a $4.99 delivery fee, orders placed:

• By 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday will be delivered in 1–2 days.

• By 4 p.m. on Friday will be delivered by Monday

• By 3 p.m. on Saturday will be delivered by Tuesday

• After 3 p.m. on Saturday and all-day Sunday will be delivered by Wednesday

Orders can be tracked online or via the CVS app. As with many special offers, there’s also some caveats:

• No deliveries on Sunday or USPS holidays.

• Delivery orders are charged at online prices, which may vary from store prices.

• Coupons, ExtraBucks Rewards, and certain in-store and online promotions are not applicable.

• Customers must have a credit/debit card on file and may include Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA) cards. FSA/HSA cards may not be used for delivery fees.

• Couriers will deliver a package to customers’ mailbox, doorstep, or other safe place. If none is available, the package will be held at the local post office for up to 15 days.

• Delivery of non-prescription items is not available from CVS Pharmacy in Target stores.

• In remote areas, deliveries may arrive as late as 7:30 p.m.

• Orders that need to be refrigerated arrive Tuesday through Friday.

The company is also offering same-day prescription delivery in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Miami, and San Francisco for $8.99.

Over and above prescriptions, CVS is also offering popular health and household items typically found at its retail stores such as flu and cold medications, pain relief, and baby items. Available products can also be delivered to residences.

The summer travel season often means jammed airport terminals and oversold flights. When that happens, you might be asked to give up your seat and take a later flight.

Should you, and how much compensation from the airline should you expect?

Last year, United Airlines was the unwelcome focus of attention after a passenger, Dr. David Dao, was dragged off a flight after declining to give up his seat so that an airline employee could take his place.

United, along with other airlines, immediately implemented changes in how they handle overbooked situations, in some cases increasing the incentives for booked passengers to voluntarily take a later flight.

The GO Group surveyed a representative sample of air travelers to learn what consumers think they should get for accepting a bump. The opinions are widely divergent.

Willingness to take the money

"Perhaps the most surprising result of the survey was that only 22.6 percent of business travelers and 15.5 percent of leisure travelers were unwilling to give up their seats no matter how substantial the compensation,” said John McCarthy, president of The GO Group. “Given the complications of air travel today, we really expected more people to say 'thanks, but no thanks' if asked to give up their seats."

Missing a scheduled flight could mean that the traveler has to scramble to rearrange connecting flights. On the other hand, airlines may be willing to pay travelers more for their trouble.

In terms of compensation, 42.5 percent of leisure travelers would settle for $750 to give up their seat. However, only 27 percent of business travelers thought that amount was adequate.

Business travelers generally said they would hold out for more, with nearly 15 percent saying $2,000 would be fair compensation. Only 7 percent of leisure travelers said they would ask for that much.

All consumers generally agreed that the level of compensation should be based on the inconvenience caused by taking another flight.

Passengers’ rights

Since the chances are increasing that you'll be asked to surrender your seat on a flight, it pays to know what the airline can legally do, and your rights as a passenger.

For example, airlines are required to seek volunteers who are willing to be bumped before involuntarily bumping someone from a flight. Involuntarily-bumped passengers must also receive written notice of their rights.

In 2017, the Department of Transportation fined Frontier Airlines for violating both of those rules.

Airlines generally look for volunteers to give up oversold seats before they board the aircraft. The Department of Transportation suggests asking a couple of questions before deciding whether to accept the airline's offer.

• When is the next flight on which the airline can confirm your seat? The alternate flight may be just as acceptable to you. On the other hand, if the airline offers to put you on standby on another flight that's full, you could be stranded.

• Will the airline provide other amenities such as free meals, a hotel room, transfers between the hotel and the airport, and a phone card? If not, you might have to spend the money it offers you on food or lodging while you wait for the next flight.

Remember that the government has not mandated the form or amount of compensation that airlines offer to volunteers, so it is up to passengers to try to negotiate the best deal possible with the airline.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is trying to convince federal regulators to block a controversial proposed merger between Sinclair Broadcasting Group and Tribune Media company, the group said on Tuesday.

The influential organization could add some muscle to consumer advocates’ otherwise uphill battle in convincing a big business-friendly FCC to block the merger.

The ACLU and others say that the merger, if allowed to go through, would give one corporation an unprecedented amount of control over local media.

In a comment it submitted to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday, the ACLU argued that neither Sinclair or the Tribune have proven that joining forces would serve the public interest.

“This proposed merger, which would create the largest television broadcasting company in history, is anticompetitive to its core, in direct contradiction of the Commission's public interest requirement,” the ACLU’s public comment says.

“Our opposition to the Sinclair merger has nothing to do with where Sinclair sits on the ideological spectrum,” the ACLU adds in a press release. “The problem is that Sinclair’s attempt to acquire Tribune Media would give it control over some 200 TV stations, virtually guaranteeing less viewpoint diversity in local news.”

Monopolizing local news

The Sinclair Broadcasting Group is already enormously powerful, owning an estimated 200 local news channels in 100 markets, or a reach that expands into nearly 40 percent of American households. This control was made abundantly clear to viewers in March, when local anchors across the company were required to film a commercial and read the same script warning viewers about “one-sided, irresponsible news sources plaguing our country.”

If it merges with Tribune Media, Sinclair would reach an estimated 72 percent of American households. Some analysts predict that the $6 billion deal would allow the company to build a conservative network to rival Fox News.

The FCC under Trump seems poised to allow the merger to happen. Though federal law says that a single broadcasting corporation cannot control more than 39 percent of the marketplace, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is planning a vote in July to lift that cap, Bloomberg News reported last week.

“This unprecedented concentration of control, which contradicts the FCC’s own policies about how wide a broadcasting company’s reach can be, would stifle the diversity of views in the press that’s essential for a healthy democracy,” the ACLU said.

While Americans watch less TV news than they used to, those who do tend to prefer local news, according to the Pew Research Center.

For the third consecutive year, Wegmans is America’s favorite grocery store.

That’s according to a new study conducted by consumer experience management company Market Force, which polled nearly 13,000 shoppers on their favorite (and least favorite) grocery stores.

Grocery retailers were ranked using a Composite Loyalty Index, which assigned scores based on how customers rated their satisfaction with their most recent grocery shopping experience, as well as the likelihood that they would recommend that chain to others.

Although the top three chains had close scores, Wegmans took the top spot with an index score of 77 percent. Publix, a chain that managed to tie with Wegmans last year, had a score of 76 percent in this year’s study.

Trader Joe’s rounded out the top three with a score of 75 percent, and Aldi and H-E-B took fourth and fifth places, respectively.

Aldi ascended one spot this year to come in fourth with a score of 70 percent. Meanwhile, Walmart finds itself in last place on the ranking of America’s 22 favorite grocery stores, earning a score of just 34 percent.

Factors that are important to consumers

Trader Joe’s earned high marks among consumers for fast checkout and courteous cashiers, according to the survey. Wegmans and Publix both scored well in the areas of cleanliness and availability of items.

Wegmans ranked number one for its specialty department service, while Publix earned consumers’ praise for ease in finding items.

Wegmans, which operates 96 locations across the Mid-Atlantic, strives to give customers a pleasant shopping experience by investing in employee training and offering a vast selection of reasonably-priced items at its stores.

“Wegmans, founded in 1916, is known for its fresh produce, reasonable prices and massive stores,” Market Force said in a statement. “The New York-based chain is expanding steadily and, with a focus on employee training to ensure a great customer experience, it’s created a legion of super-fans eager for a new location to open near their home.”

The chain originally took the top spot away from Trader Joe’s in 2016 and has ranked number one on the survey for the past three years.

In the coming weeks, Google plans to fix a bug in two of its most popular devices -- the Google Home and Chromecast. New research found that websites can run a simple script in the background of the devices that collects precise data location when installed on a user’s private network.

The Google Home serves as both a smart speaker and a home assistant, while the Chromecast is a small electronic device that streams TV shows, movies, and games to a television or monitor.

According to Tripwire’s Chris Young, there is an authentication weakness that leaks users’ location information that he found to be incredibly accurate. Young says the attacker will ask Google for a list of nearby wireless networks and then send that list to Google’s geolocation lookup services.

“An attacker can be completely remote as long as they can get the victim to open a link while connected to the same Wifi or wired network as a Google Chromecast or Home device,” Young said. “The only real limitation is that the link needs to remain open for about a minute before the attacker has the location. The attack content could be contained within malicious advertisements or even a tweet.”

How an attacker can get your location

Security reporter Brian Krebs explained how Google’s geolocation services can enable an attacker to seize a user’s location.

“It is common for websites to keep a record of the numeric Internet Protocol (IP) address of all visitors, and those addresses can be used in combination with online geolocation tools to glean information about each visitor’s hometown or region,” Krebs said.

Krebs noted this kind of data typically doesn’t produce the most precise results; however, that isn’t the case with Google’s geolocation data, which includes sophisticated maps of wireless networks globally that associates Wifi networks with physical locations.

“Armed with this data, Google can very often determine a user’s location to within a few feet (particularly in densely populated areas), by triangulating the user between several nearby mapped Wifi access points.”

When the bug will be fixed

A developer closed the bug issue shortly after Young found it in May, with it being marked as an “intended behavior.” However, when Krebs told Google he’d be writing a report on the issue, the company agreed to work on a fix.

The company says the issue should be fixed by sometime in July.

“The implications of this are quite broad including the possibility for more effective blackmail or extortion campaigns,” Young said. “Threats to release compromising photos or expose some secret to friends and family could use this to lend credibility and increase their odds of success.”