Current Events in July 2018

People are living longer and many are staying on the job long past the traditional retirement age of 65.

But when Bankrate recently surveyed millennials, the generation between the ages of 18 and 37, it found a group of Americans planning on retiring early, not later.

When asked when they would like to retire, the average millennial said age 61. The earliest Americans can start drawing Social Security is age 62.

There are plenty of people who retire early, but they generally have won the lottery or have saved a lot of money during their working years. But as we reported in March, there is a rather large disconnect between millennials' goals and their preparations to reach those goals.

Disconnect with reality

A report by the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) found that about 66 percent of people between the ages of 21 and 32 haven’t even put the first dollar toward their retirement fund. The report is based on Census data collected in 2014.

Jennifer Erin Brown, manager of research for NIRS, says many millennials never got into the savings habit because of the “harsh economic landscape” they encountered when they first entered the workforce.

In the years between 2008 and 2012, it was hard enough to find a job, especially one that paid enough to meet expenses and have money left over for savings.

A 2015 survey suggests there should be no generational finger-pointing when it comes to how well or poorly we manage our money for the future. Financial Finesse, a company running financial wellness programs in the workplace, suggests people of all ages need to be doing a better job of savings.

The company studies financial priorities and vulnerabilities of millennials, generation X, and baby boomers. It says different circumstances may be causing them pain, but members of all three generations appear to have money problems.

What to do

Saving money starts with a goal. Ideally, you should plan on at least two savings accounts -- one to meet emergency expenses and another for your financial goal, such as saving for retirement.

Planning to save is one thing, of course, and actually doing it is another. According to America Saves, a non-profit organization that encourages consumers to save for the future, making a budget and sticking to it is a critical element of a successful savings plan.

The group suggests 10 ways to save, even on a tight budget.

If your employer offers a 401(k) retirement plan at work, have a portion of your paycheck go into the account each month. If your employer matches your contribution, by all means take advantage of that since it's free money.

In an effort to give more control over followers lists, Instagram is in the testing stages of a new feature that would allow users to easily remove followers without a notification.

Users with public accounts can’t stop anyone from checking out the updates on their feeds. However, users with private accounts always have the option to remove followers. Before this new feature, public accounts either had to block the user and then unblock them (a practice known as “soft blocking), block them completely, or set their accounts to private.

However, where blocking users is concerned, the person on the receiving end currently knows when they are being blocked. With the new “remove follower” feature, the follower in question will have no way of knowing they’re being removed.

The feature is only in the testing phases -- and solely for Android users -- as of right now. For users eager to see if they’ve been chosen to test out this new feature, they can head to their followers list and look for an icon with three vertical dots to the far right of a user’s name. If you tap on the icon, it will prompt the user to remove the follower.

A string of updates

Instagram has been releasing similar updates recently in an effort to give users the utmost control and privacy over their accounts.

In May, the platform introduced the “Mute” feature. Users that mute a follower’s account no longer see the posts in their feed, but they can still visit the account profile to see everything they’ve missed. Similar to the new “remove follower” function, the user that has been muted is not notified of the decision, and the option is always available to users to “un-mute” said follower.

Earlier this month, Instagram also began testing a new “Do not Disturb” feature. The update was designed to give users more freedom over when they received notifications from the app, as well as its sister companies -- WhatsApp and Facebook. On Facebook, the “Do not Disturb” feature can be activated for a set period of time, or until the user decides to manually turn it off.

The overarching theme is that Instagram wants to give its users complete control over their accounts, and ensure that it’s not driving users away -- whether from too many notifications or harassment from fellow users.

The first Republican House member has joined Democrats to support a rollback of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) dismantling of net neutrality.

Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) has said he will support a measure to use the Congressional Review Act to overturn an FCC vote last December to change the policy, formalized in 2015 under the Obama administration.

In an op-ed piece, Coffman notes that the policy of barring internet service providers (ISP) from favoring one type of content over another was a longstanding practice before it was codified as official policy, and that it has Republican roots, from the George W. Bush administration.

“The Republican-controlled FCC unanimously adopted much of FCC Chairman Michael Powell’s 'four Internet freedoms,'” Coffman writes. “These four items broadly supported competition and the freedom of consumers to access all lawful online content.”

Coffman said the FCC under Obama took steps in 2010 and 2015 to “further solidify these net neutrality principles.” The FCC action under the Trump administration, he says, was a complete reversal.

At the same time, the Colorado Republican has introduced legislation that contains many of the net neutrality protections contained in the 2015 FCC regulation.

Lonely voice

At the moment, Coffman may be a lonely voice within his party, as most Republican lawmakers have not supported net neutrality. But among advocacy groups hoping to overturn the FCC's most recent action, Coffman's defection is a hopeful sign.

“The dam is breaking, as it should,” said Faiz Shakir, national political director of the American Civil Liberties Union. “Rep. Coffman’s support to undo FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s repeal of net neutrality shows that public pressure is continuing to build on this issue and cannot be ignored this November.”

Shakir and others note that net neutrality has been observed from the beginning of the internet. Because internet connections used telephone lines, the same principles regulating telephone companies were applied to the internet.

Common carriers

Because they are deemed “common carriers,” telephone companies are required to treat all traffic the same. The FCC's 2015 regulation essentially classified the internet as a common carrier as well, applying those same restrictions.

Opponents of net neutrality point out that very little internet traffic moves over telephone lines these days and that companies investing in wireless and cable infrastructure should be free to control their networks.

Earlier this year, the Senate approved a Congressional Review Act measure to overturn the FCC's abolition of net neutrality. Even supporters acknowledge the challenges of getting the provision through the House, where Republicans hold a comfortable majority.

BMW’s car-sharing company ReachNow is launching a brand new service in Seattle that’s ready to compete with the likes of Uber and Lyft.

Launching today, ReachNow’s rideshare feature will appear in the app, allowing users to request a ride immediately or schedule a ride up to a week in advance. Though strictly in Seattle for now, the company has plans to expand to other cities in the United States.

“We are proudly introducing an all-new experience that lays the foundation for the future of urban mobility,” said ReachNow’s Chief Customer Officer Dr. Simon Broesmale. “ReachNow is the first company in the world to operate both car sharing and ride hailing from the same app, a milestone for the mobility services industry and one that we are excited to show our Members.”

In an effort to provide a consistent BMW brand experience for users, ReachNow’s car-sharing fleet includes a mix of BMW 3 Series, BMW X1 SAV, BMW i3 electric cars, MINI 4-door hardtop models, MINI Clubman, and MINI 2-door hardtop models.

Inside ReachNow

The rideshare side of ReachNow operates differently than Uber and Lyft in that it contracts drivers through a third party -- and the way those drivers are paid also differs. ReachNow contracts its drivers through Ecoservice, and while competitive ridesharing companies often incentivize making as many trips as possible, ReachNow is promoting quality over quantity.

With Uber and Lyft, drivers’ pay comes from a cut of each ride’s share with opportunities to make more depending on the overall number of rides given. ReachNow drivers are paid $14.25 per hour and have specific shifts, can bring in a five percent bonus each week if their rating stays between 4.8 and five stars, and are also eligible for benefits. Additionally, the drivers won’t be using their own cars, and won’t need to worry about gas, maintenance, or upkeep.

ReachNow will be waiving the sign-up fee for members interested in the company’s new ridesharing service. Rides cost $2.40 per mile plus $0.40 per minute, and the ride minimum is $3.24. As it stands right now, there is no surge pricing for the rides.

To give riders a more personal experience, ReachNow has included a number of options to help customize each ride. In addition to having the option to choose between getting a ride instantly or reserving a ride in advance, riders can also choose the temperature they’d like the car, what radio station they’d like to hear, or choose the “quiet time” option, which tells the driver the rider doesn’t want to talk.

Based on a new study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers suggest that digital media use in teens could have an effect on ADHD symptoms. Findings from the study showed that more research is needed in this area to determine if symptoms are caused by digital media use.

“If we can determine if there is a potential cause link that is consistent across studies, then we can design interventions to curb media exposure,” said Adam Leventhal, a lead author in the study.

“Even simple educational information to let teachers, parents, and pediatric health professionals know that there could be an increased risk when they talk with their teens about digital media use might be helpful.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ADHD affects five percent of all United States children, and is more common in boys than in girls. Symptoms of ADHD include hyperactivity, inattention, or impulsivity that is more debilitating, frequent, or severe than normal. Common treatment methods include medication, school accommodations, and behavior therapy.

“ADHD’s been linked with substance use disorders during adulthood and even involvement in the criminal justice system, and the symptoms are distressing for the person affected,” said Leventhal. “If we can identify any potential risk factor that is implicated in this disorder then that’s important, especially ones that are modifiable like digital media use.”

A look into the study

For the study, the researchers tested 2,587 high school students between the ages of 15 and 16 -- coming from 10 high schools across Los Angeles County in California. At the start of the study, the students had no significant ADHD symptoms.

Beginning in the fall of 2014 and continuing for two years, data was collected on the students’ behaviors in spring 2015, fall 2015, spring 2016, and fall 2016. Each time, the students filled out forms gauging their ADHD symptoms, including nine hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms and nine inattention symptoms.

At the start of the survey, students completed questionnaires reporting how much time they spent engaging in 14 digital media activities, including: video chatting, online shopping, streaming videos or music, texting, social networking, playing digital games, and reading online content. When taking the survey, the students measured their digital media use in terms of high frequency (many times per day), or other frequency levels -- zero times a week, once a week, twice a week, or once or twice per day.

The study found that an average of 9.5 percent of the students who engaged in seven high-frequency activities reported ADHD symptoms, and 10.5 percent of those who engaged in all 14 digital media activities reported ADHD symptoms. Comparatively, 4.6 percent who didn’t report any digital media activity also reported ADHD symptoms throughout the study.

“Those percentages reflect the average rates across the four different follow ups,” Leventhal said. “So one of the things we noticed in the study was that the association between digital media and prevalence of ADHD symptoms was persistent across the follow-up period.”

Study limitations

Leventhal and the researchers urge people to regard the study’s results as “statistically significant but modest.”

Overall, the students who participated in the study were from one age group and one geographical region. More research is needed to determine if these statistics hold up in other parts of the country and with a wider age range of teenagers. Additionally, the study relied on the students’ self-reports of both digital media use and ADHD symptoms.

“We didn’t have clinicians involved in our study to actually give a proper diagnosis,” Leventhal said.

However, despite some limitations, Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a pediatrician and director of the Center for Childhood Health, Behavior, and Development at the Seattle Children’s Research, called the study “the best to date.”

“Even without a clinical diagnosis of ADHD, diminished attentional capacity is associated with poorer function both in childhood and in subsequent adulthood,” Christakis said. “We know that having a shorter attention span, regardless of whether or not you have a diagnosis of ADHD, is bad.”

Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Apple, Sony Crackle, Google Play… and now, Walmart might be jumping into the video streaming game.

As if it’s not crowded enough as it is, Walmart seems primed to try and carve out a share of the 55 percent of American households that subscribe to at least one video streaming service, spending a whopping $2.1 billion a month.

According to The Information, Walmart sees an opportunity in the sub-$8 a month market, a price point that could sap competitors’ more price-conscious subscribers. Walmart is said to be considering an ad-supported free service as well.

“Discussions are still ongoing, and the retailer may eventually decide against offering a service,” The Information reported.

“But Walmart executives believe their customers, particularly in the middle of America, would be interested in a lower-cost option than what is currently available, the person said. Netflix and Amazon are seen as more popular with people on the East and West Coasts of the U.S., one of the people said.”

Research shows that there’s probably enough room for Walmart to enter the fray if it can find and offer enough original content.

In a recent research study, financial advisory service Deloitte found consumers seek out original, high-quality content, and are less willing to pay for packages containing programming they’ll never watch. Netflix reigns supreme in the original content field and its investment is paying off handily.

Deloitte’s study also found that video consumers demand the ability to watch content wherever they are -- mobile, phone, or on their computer. Furthermore, if a streaming service can’t make the consumers’ wishes come true, it’s likely to lose their business.

How bad does Walmart want this segment?

Walmart has to decide how bad it wants the video streaming consumer and how it can create a unique enough niche to sway consumers away from competitors.

Creating original content isn’t cheap. It’s estimated that Netflix ponies up as much as $4 billion a year to produce shows like ‘The Crown’ and ‘House of Cards.’ And, if Deloitte’s research is correct, Walmart will have to step up if it wants to play with the big boys.

The retailer certainly has the cash coming in. Walmart rings up sales totaling $36 million every single minute. Lately, however, the company has been shuttering both Sam’s Club and its own underperforming stores. To stay ahead of the pack, the retailer has little choice but to maintain Sam Walton’s business model of providing low prices for its customer base while preserving narrow margins on costs.

Unbeknownst to most consumers, Walmart began wading into the video streaming pool in 2010 when it spent $100 million to acquire Vudu, a movie rental service consumers have probably seen pop up as a channel when surfing through content on their smart TVs or PlayStations.

In a new update, Uber will be releasing a lineup of tools designed to not only make communication easier between drivers and riders, but also make pickups less of a headache.

Uber users can attest to the confusion that often ensues after requesting rides -- particularly in crowded areas or at night. In order to assuage some of that confusion, and eliminate the number of cancelled rides -- an action that Uber refers to as “wasted supply” -- the company has been researching ways to make pickups easier and more functional for both riders and drivers.

“When the driver has not yet arrived at the pickup location, there’s this resounding sense of stress on their part, because they don’t know what to look for necessarily,” said Ryan Yu, Uber’s product manager for rider experiences. “All they have is the pin and the address. We’re trying to give them more context.”

New features

For starters, Uber will be rolling out Spotlight. When users request rides, they are given the driver’s vehicle make and model, as well as the license plate number. However, when exiting a concert or sporting event when dozens of other people are also trying to hail down their rides, chaos and confusion often ensues for both parties.

With Spotlight, users’ phones can light up a certain color, and drivers will get a notification alerting them of what color to look for. Now, if users hold their phones in the air to try to wave down their rides, both driver and rider will know where to look.

The new Spotlight feature plays off the Beacon feature previously used by Uber. At the end of 2016, the company released Beacon -- a Bluetooth-enabled device shaped like the Uber logo that drivers could stick to the inside of their windshields. Users were able to choose which color they wanted the Beacon to light up with, thus ensuring they’d get in the proper vehicle. Uber hasn’t abandoned the Beacon, and will still honor it over the Spotlight feature, as it has now become available in 14 cities.

In another effort to match riders and drivers more efficiently, users can now also send brief messages in the Uber app to help identify themselves to their drivers. Users can tell their drivers about the color shirt they’re wearing, stores or points of interest they’re standing in front of, or choose from a list of stock messages like “Be right there.” The app will read the messages out loud so as not to distract drivers, and responding would require just a quick tap of the screen.

Finally, Uber is refining its pre-scheduled pickup feature and assuring customers that all reservations arrive on time. Now, Uber will give users $10 to use towards their next trip if their driver doesn’t arrive at the scheduled time.

Homebuilders cut back sharply on construction last month, a bad sign for the U.S. housing market, which is already struggling with record-low inventories of available homes.

The Commerce Department reports homebuilding activity fell to a nine-month low in June, while building permits – an indicator of future construction – fell for a third straight month.

The report showed housing starts plunged 12.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.173 million units, the lowest level since last September. The size of the decline was the largest since December 2016.

Making matters worse, May housing data was revised downward, showing slightly fewer starts than first reported. In June, housing starts were down in all four regions of the country.

Fewer building permits issued

There are also fewer homes in the pipeline, as the number of building permits issued fell 2.2 percent in June, also the lowest level since last September.

Declining homebuilding numbers are nothing new, they've been occurring regularly since the housing crash of 2008. During the housing bubble that preceded the crash, an annual rate of nearly two million units broke ground. Since the crash, housing starts have been at about half that rate.

The lack of new homes coming on the market has put more pressure on the existing home market. There are more potential buyers than available homes, often leading to bidding wars in particularly hot real estate markets.

Even though homes sell quickly, the overall number of homes being purchased is steadily declining. In partially explaining why pending home sales dropped a half percent in May, National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said there just aren't enough properties for sale.

Stalling sales

“Realtors in most of the country continue to describe their markets as highly competitive and fast moving, but without enough new and existing inventory for sale, activity has essentially stalled,” Yun said, noting the drop in May's pending sales was the fifth straight month of declines.

If there is a pent-up demand for new homes, why aren't builders providing them? Industry analysts give a number of reasons.

Building costs have gone up since the housing boom a decade ago. Skilled labor is harder to find and more expensive. Land prices have also risen sharply in the last decade.

That makes it less profitable for builders to offer entry level homes – the kind that are most needed. Instead, much of the residential construction that is taking place is providing more expensive homes, normally out of reach of a first-time buyer.

New Seasons Market of Portland, Ore., is recalling an undetermined amount of ready-to-eat sesame noodle chicken salad.

The product contains peanuts, an allergen not declared on the label.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

The following item, produced on July 13, 2018, is being recalled:

• 24-oz clear clamshell plastic containers with “NEW SEASONS SESAME NOODLE CHICKEN SALAD,” with a “BEST BY” date of “07/18/2018” on the label.

The company operates a kitchen exempt from USDA inspection and the products produced there do not bear a USDA establishment number on the packaging.

The recalled product was shipped to retail locations in Oregon and Washington.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled should not consume it, but discard it or return it to the place of purchase.

Consumers with questions about the recall may email New Seasons Market at talktous@newseasonsmarket.com.

Hain Celestial Canada is recalling Europe's Best brand Field Berry Mixes.

The products may be contaminated with Salmonella.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these products.

The following products, sold in retail stores throughout Canada, are being recalled:

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled products should not consume them, but discard them or return them to the store where purchased.

Consumer with questions may contact the company at (800) 249-4614 or online at www.europesbest.ca/en/contact/.

Ford is the latest automaker to come to terms with consumers whose Ford vehicles are equipped with lethally-defective Takata airbags.

The company will pay $299.1 million to cover economic loss to approximately 6 million Ford owners who incurred expense when their vehicles became too dangerous to drive. The settlement is apart from any personal injury or wrongful deaths in connection with the airbag issue.

Millions of cars around the world have been recalled because their airbags are defective, prone to exploding and spraying tiny bits of metal throughout the vehicle's interior. At least 23 deaths around the world have been linked to Takata airbags, with two of the deaths occurring in Fords.

Six previous settlements

Ford is the seventh carmaker to agree to an economic settlement covering the airbags. Previously, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, BMW, Mazda, and Subaru reached settlements totaling $1.2 billion.

Attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the class action case said the settlement will speed up the removal of the dangerous airbags from Ford vehicles and compensate owners for things like missed work days, daycare expenses, rental car costs, and other out-of-pocket expenses.

“These settlements are proving to be vital in protecting consumers from dangerous Takata airbags, and this latest agreement with Ford is an important expansion of this effort," said Peter Prieto, court-appointed chair lead counsel for the plaintiffs. “All consumers deserve to drive without fear of injury, and the outreach, support and compensation programs in this settlement will undoubtedly make Ford drivers and passengers safer.”

The problem with Takata airbags surfaced in 2015. It was then that the company began recalling the defective airbags, but only under pressure from federal safety investigators. At the time, only six deaths and 100 injuries had been linked to the defect.

The latest settlement is subject to court approval. If preliminary approval is granted, Ford owners who are part of the class will receive more information about the terms. Once approval is granted, the claims process will open to eligible class members, pending any appeals that are filed.

Benefits

Benefits under the settlement include an outreach program, enhanced rental car loaner program, out-of-pocket claims process, customer support program, and residual distribution of remaining funds.

The outreach program is designed to speed up the recall remedy completion rate. Some recalled cars have gone years without being repaired.

The enhance rental car loaner program will provide a loaner car to any class member who requests one to drive while their recalled car is being repaired.

Uber is currently being investigated by the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for alleged gender disparities in pay and hiring practices.

The probe by the EEOC began last August when the group began interviewing both former and current Uber employees and collecting pertinent internal documents for review. According to the EEOC, the commission doesn’t confirm or deny open investigations, and many of its inquiries don’t necessarily result in formal charges.  

Despite the allegations, Uber told TechCrunch that it has “proactively made a lot of changes in the last 18 months,” including creating and enforcing a new “salary equity structure,” involving more employees in diversity training, releasing diversity and inclusion reports, and revamping its system for performance reviews that emphasizes high-quality feedback.

Uber reportedly adjusted salaries last August in an effort to ensure all employees are paid fairly and equally based on tenure, job, and location -- regardless of gender or race.

Recent scandal  

This most recent investigation comes on the heels of a year riddled with scandals for Uber. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, former CEO of Expedia, took over at Uber last August following a string of company-wide investigations.

Uber’s founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick was removed from his position last June after former engineer Susan Fowler described her experience with sexual harassment at Uber on her blog. Published in February 2017, Fowler wrote of how the company blamed her for her countless reports detailing gender discrimination, and how her superior received little more than a warning after a number of women reported sexual harassment.

At the time of the incident, then-CEO Kalanick said the situation was “abhorrent and against everything Uber stands for and believes in.” He also instructed the company’s chief human resources officer to “conduct an urgent investigation into these allegations.”

Additionally, last week, Uber’s head of human resources -- Liane Hornsey -- resigned from her post following an investigation into her handling of racial discrimination claims at the company. According to Reuters, an anonymous group of employees -- all people of color -- reported that Hornsey used “discriminatory language” and made “derogatory comments” about fellow Uber executives.

While Amazon’s annual Prime Day sales event is underway, thousands of the company’s warehouse workers in Europe are on strike demanding better working conditions.

Fulfillment center workers in Spain, Germany, and Poland staged a protest over the increase in working hours, the elimination of bonuses, and the lack of health benefits. Almost 1,800 workers in Spain walked out of work on Monday, according to The Washington Post. Those on strike in Spain stood outside the warehouse and wore masks of Chief Executive Jeff Bezos.

More workers will join the protest on Tuesday in Poland and Germany. The strike is expected to last until July 18.

Calling for improved working conditions

The strike was called for by German labor union, Verdi. The union claims that workers in the e-commerce giant’s warehouses have suffered from physical and mental stress due to the demands of the job. Verdi said Amazon has refused to enter negotiations over these issues.

"The message is clear: while the online giant gets rich, it's saving money on the health of its workers," Stefanie Nutzenberger, union representative, said in a news release.

Spanish workers are on a three-day strike, while Polish workers will engage in the bare minimum amount of work they are required to do by the rules of their contract. The German strike will take place at six facilities.

Amazon claims the strike will not impact the company’s ability to process orders and maintain shipping commitments during Prime Day.

“We believe Amazon’s Fulfillment Center jobs are excellent jobs providing a great place to learn skills to start and further develop a career,” Amazon said in a statement to Reuters.

The employee walkouts aren’t likely to have a huge impact on Amazon’s Prime Day sales, which are expected to hit $3.4 billion this year. However, the protest does draw attention to key issues that could influence consumer spending.

“Amazon is a massive behemoth — it will take more than a strike in Spain to rattle its cage," said Peter Horst, founder of marketing consulting firm CMO, told the Washington Post. “But at the same time, these strikes create a moment for consumers to pause and say, ‘What’s happening here? I love these low prices, but I’m also starting to have sympathy for some of these workers.’”

Earlier this month, Lyft announced its acquisition of the bike-sharing company Motivate -- the most widely used bike-share company in the United States. Now, the company is gearing up to fully incorporate bikes and scooters into its app. Though Lyft has yet to give a concrete date on when this will happen, it’s likely to happen soon.

“Soon you will be able to get real-time transit information, plan a multi-modal trip, and use Lyft Bikes and Scooters to connect to a local transit shop or shared ride pickup location,” the company wrote in a blog post.

Moreover, Lyft is offering incentives and discounts to users that utilize the new bike and scooter program, in an effort to promote the platform. The company says it will be considering “up to 100 [percent] discount on rides that start or end at designated transit stops such as MUNI, BART, or CalTrain.”  

The company’s goal is to make living without a personal car easier than ever, and also to eliminate cars from the roadways. By the end of next year, Lyft is hoping to take one million cars off the road. Just last year, Lyft reported that 250,000 of its members gave up their personal cars.

Lyft says it also will be investing $1 million in an effort to advance transportation equity to people in underserved communities. The company will be partnering with nonprofits like TransForm to develop programs to support low-income residents.

Additionally, the company is working to promote its ridesharing feature. In June, the company reworked its app in an effort to encourage more users to share rides. Currently, 35 percent of all Lyft rides are shared, though the company is hoping to push that to 50 percent by 2020. As Lyft is working to incorporate the bike and scooter feature into its app, the company is hoping to be better equipped to “bridge the first and last-mile gap.”

The booming bike-sharing industry

Lyft’s purchase of Motivate came after Uber purchased the dockless electric bike company Jump earlier this year. At the time of that purchase, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi explained that the company’s main goal is to “make it easier to live without owning a personal car.”

Lyft then acquired Motivate -- the most widely used bike-share company in the country -- for $250 million at the beginning of the month. Motivate is the company behind New York’s Citi Bike Program, Washington D.C.’s Capital Bikeshare, and Boston’s Blue Bikes -- as well as six other cities nationwide.

With Motivate, bike docks are activated by a credit card in strategic locations across major cities. The strategy appears to be working for the company, as New York City reported a major increase in bike commuters last year thanks in part to the Citi Bike program.

“Lyft and Motivate have both been committed for years to the same goal of reducing the need for personal car ownership by providing reliable and affordable ways to move around our cities,” said Lyft co-founder and president John Zimmer.

Apple MacBook lovers are enjoying Christmas in July as the tech giant’s new 13-inch and 15-inch models are out and Apple is hoping consumers find the new models better than ever.

The company touts seven upgrades to its MacBook line, including the ability to crunch code faster, adjust the color of the display to match a room’s ambient lightning, and the addition of a fingerprint ID sensor.

“The latest generation MacBook Pro is the fastest and most powerful notebook we’ve ever made,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

“Now with 8th-generation 6-core processors, up to 32GB of system memory, up to 4TB of super fast SSD storage, new True Tone technology in its Retina display and Touch Bar, the Apple T2 chip for enhanced security and a third-generation quieter keyboard packed into its thin and light aluminum design with all-day battery life, it’s the best notebook for pro users.”

Will this make Mac users happy?

While iPhones are Apple’s bread and butter by a longshot, MacBooks account for 80 percent of all the 100 million Mac computers out in the world.

MacBook users are a zealous bunch, but will the new models create lines around Apple stores waiting to get their hands on one?

Having “Siri” on board to answer users’ questions is likely to bring a smile. However, some Pro users might have to bite their tongue when it comes to the ports on the computers. MacBook Pros are devoid of HDMI and USB ports, and SD card slots which will probably frustrate those already equipped with those connections and sting a little more when they have to buy more dongles to recreate those connections.

The new True Tone technology is generating some buzz. With 500 nits of brightness (a nit is a unit of measurement of luminance), the new models are slightly brighter than an iPhone, but not as bright as, say, the newest TV screens. The new True Tone technology takes into account the color temperature of an environment and adjusts accordingly to created a more natural appearance.

While those enhancements might make some Mac aficionados happy, there are those who are unimpressed.

"I like the improvements to the new MacBooks, but they don’t fundamentally add any new black and white features prior Macs didn’t have," Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy told ConsumerAffairs. 

"What would have been most interesting would have been the addition of touch screen or even LTE for a fully mobile experience," he added. "These features are reserved for the iPad Pro, which is more strategic to Apple than the Macs."

About that keyboard

It was only last month when ConsumerAffairs reported that Apple had fessed up to issues with MacBook keyboards, offering free service to repair the issue on customers’ devices.

Apple seems to have taken great strides to make sure those issues don’t rear their ugly heads again. On the new MacBook Pro keyboards, iFixit discovered that Apple has built a silicone barrier under each key.

While the silicone muffles some of the clicking sound when a key is pressed, “This flexible enclosure is quite obviously an ingress-proofing measure to cover up the mechanism from the daily onslaught of microscopic dust. Not—to our eyes—a silencing measure,” reported iFixIt.

“In fact, Apple has a patent for this exact tech designed to “prevent and/or alleviate contaminant ingress.” but may also prevent dust and debris from getting underneath the keys and blocking the key mechanism.”

And the battery issues?

In April, ConsumerAffairs reported that a component in some of the 13-inch MacBook Pro laptops might fail and cause the computer’s built-in battery to expand. At the time of the finding, the company said that this was not a safety issue and offered to replace any affected batteries free of charge.

ConsumerAffairs reached out to Apple to find out if any improvements to the MacBook batteries were made in the new models, but as of press time, has not received a response.

Looking for a deal?

Along with the two new MacBook models, Apple is also offering a Back to School discount to students, parents, and teachers that includes a pair of Beats headphones and education pricing.

The average new car price is going up, thanks to increased purchases of trucks and SUVs. However, monthly payments on leases are going down.

Kelley Blue Book (KBB) recently reported the estimated average transaction price for light vehicles in was $35,511. That's an increase of $736 over the last 12 months and $118 higher than at the end of May.

At the same time, interest rates are also rising, meaning the average monthly car payment on a purchase is rising faster than in previous months. It's not the same story, however, for auto leases.

An analysis of auto lease deals for the month of July shows some hefty discounts on trucks and SUVs, which were highly popular last year when gasoline prices were lower. Many small and midsize models, out of favor when gas prices were cheap, have retained or increased their lease costs, according to online lease marketplace Wantalease.com.

Lowest payments

In July, the Nissan Sentra has the lowest monthly payment of all cars, costing just $129 per month. That's priced lower than the Ford Focus, which previously held that distinction with a lease payment of $150.

The Focus costs a little more this month, with the average payment rising 2.24 percent.

Consumers negotiating the purchase of a new vehicle this month are finding dealers are mostly holding steady on their prices, but are very willing to offer discounts on a variety of new trucks and SUVs, leading to some attractive lease deals.

The analysis found that the two biggest discounts were on the Chevrolet Equinox with a $73.38 decrease in price, and the GMC Canyon Crew Cab – down $58.33 decrease in price.

As a result, consumers are leasing the Equinox at just $179 per month, while the Canyon Crew Cab is priced at $249.

Summer discounts

“We’re seeing an increase in discounts and aggressive summer pricing beginning to permeate across trucks and SUV’s for lease deals,” said Scot Hall, executive vice president at Wantalease.com. “Consumers are increasingly searching for aggressive deals on everything from small trucks to large, as well as mid-size and luxury SUVs.”

For some vehicles, it costs more to negotiate a lease in July. The renewed popularity of small, fuel-efficient vehicles may partly explain why the monthly payment for a Ford Fusion is up nearly 11 percent. The Fusion is currently offered at the still fairly low monthly payment of $223.

It also costs more to lease a Honda Pilot, with the payment jumping more than 6 percent to $389.

Rents have surged in recent years, along with the price of homes. But the skyrocketing rents don't fall on consumers equally.

A new report from real estate marketplace Zillow shows the median African American family could only afford 16.2 percent of available rental properties last year. That was less than a third of the rental options for median white and Asian households.

Rent affordability is measured by the percentage of household income it takes to pay the rent each month. Economists generally agree that having to pay more than 30 percent of pre-tax income toward housing costs makes a home or apartment unaffordable.

Using median black household income of nearly $40,000 a year, an African American family would have to spend 45 percent of their income to afford 42 percent of available rentals.

Erodes financial freedom

The more a family pays in rent, the less financial freedom it has. The more a household is stretched to make the monthly rent, the harder it is to put aside money for savings on a monthly basis. Needless to say, it makes saving for a down payment to purchase a home that much harder.

"Perhaps more so than any other factor, income determines where and how we live in the United States today,” said Zillow Senior Economist Aaron Terrazas. "Income disparities across racial and ethnic groups in the United States have remained stubbornly persistent, and as a result, black and Hispanic families encounter far fewer affordable rental options than white and Asian families."

Terrazas says that can have a ripple effect. Households struggling to pay rent usually make sacrifices elsewhere, including healthcare.

“The desire to own a home is similar across all races, but the difference in homeownership rates between races is wide – a lasting legacy of the historical income gap," Terrazas said.

Supply and demand

Rents have risen in the last decade for the same reason home prices have – supply and demand. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, fewer consumers could purchase homes because of much tougher mortgage underwriting standards. That meant more people had to continue renting, competing for the limited number of rentals.

In the years since, apartment construction has increased, but not at the rate needed to meet the demand. Meanwhile, the rate of homebuilding is about half of what it was before the market crash, increasing the price of available housing.

Hispanic renters are also feeling the squeeze, with far fewer rental options than white or Asian consumers. Renters earning the median Hispanic household income of $48,210 could afford 27.3 percent of rentals last year, according to the Zillow research.