Current Events in January 2019

Researchers from security firm Wandera have discovered 14 iPhone games that communicated with a server that became infamous for controlling the Golduck malware for Android.

The researchers said the iPhone apps were loaded with ads, which could have duped users into tapping a link and granting permission for malware installed outside the App Store.

"The apps themselves are technically not compromised; while they do not contain any malicious code, the backdoor they open presents a risk for exposure that our customers do not want to take," Wandera told TechCrunch.

"A hacker could easily use the secondary advertisement space to display a link that redirects the user and dupes them into installing a provisioning profile or a new certificate that ultimately allows for a more malicious app to be installed."

Downloaded roughly a million times

Collectively, the apps in question have been downloaded around a million times. However, Apple has now removed them from the App Store. Those who attempt to download them will get a message that says, “not currently available in the US store.”

While this prevents unique users from downloading the apps, some iPhone owners may still have the apps on their device. Here are the 14 different retro games that were recently dubbed risky by Wandera’s Threat Research team:

• Commando Metal: Classic Contra

• Super Pentron Adventure: Super Hard

• Classic Tank vs Super Bomber

• Super Adventure of Maritron

• Roy Adventure Troll Game

• Trap Dungeons: Super Adventure

• Bounce Classic Legend

• Block Game

• Classic Bomber: Super Legend

• Brain It On: Stickman Physics

• Bomber Game: Classic Bomberman

• Classic Brick - Retro Block

• The Climber Brick

• Chicken Shoot Galaxy Invaders

“Wandera researchers identified regular communication between the various apps and a Golduck Command & Control server,” the firm said. “Our security researchers discovered a secondary area being used to display ads that are not powered by Admob and instead, present content from a known malicious server.”

Just ahead of February’s Super Bowl, Pizza Hut has announced that it’s expanding its beer delivery program.

By mid-January, beer delivery will be available at nearly 300 locations in Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, California, and Arizona. By summer, a total of 1,000 locations will be equipped with the ability to deliver six-packs of beer alongside a customer’s pizza order.

Pizza Hut started testing the program in late 2017 as a way to boost sales and stay competitive with Domino’s, which boasted more sales than Pizza Hut for the first time last year.

Currently, Pizza Hut is the only pizza chain in the U.S. to offer a beer delivery service. By May of last year, the service had been rolled out to nearly 100 of the chain’s 7,500 locations.

Positive feedback

The beer delivery option has been well-received by consumers, according to Pizza Hut executives. In an interview with CNN Business, Marianne Radley, Pizza Hut's chief brand officer, said the "positive feedback ... is a big driving force behind this expansion."

Radley added that new customers have started ordering from Pizza Hut because of the service. She also noted that the timing of the expansion, just ahead of the Super Bowl LIII game in Atlanta, is no coincidence.

"As the official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL, we've been celebrating football fans all season long, so it only makes sense for us to bring more customers the beloved combo of pizza and beer ahead of the Super Bowl," Radley said in a statement.

Beers available to order through the service include Blue Moon, Bud Light, Budweiser, Busch Light, Coors Light, Corona Extra, Kilt Lifter, Michelob Ultra, Miller Lite, Miller High Life, Shock Top, and Stella Artois.

Prices vary depending on availability and location but typically range from $3 to $5 for a 2-pack and $6 to $12 for a 6-pack.

Despite significant losses over the last 12 months, cryptocurrencies remain popular with some consumers. But how do you spend them? It just got a little easier.

Ternio, a technology firm specializing in blockchain, has introduced BlockCard, a debit card that enables the account holder to spend their cryptocurrency as though it were dollars. The company says it can be used online or at point-of-sale locations in brick and mortar retail locations, as long as the business accepts credit cards.

To start, the BlockCard will allow you to spend Bitcoin, Ethereum, Stellar Lumens, and Ternio. Consumers who own any of those currencies may deposit them to their BlockCard account. The company says it plans to add additional currencies later in the year.

“Ternio’s goal is to accelerate the use of blockchain and cryptocurrency into everyday life,” said Ian Kane, chief operating officer and founder of Ternio. “BlockCard enables the card holder to gain real utility from their cryptocurrency and removes the notion that crypto is only a speculative asset.”

First to support multiple currencies

BlockCard isn’t the only plastic to support a cryptocurrency, but the company said it is the first to support multiple currencies. It says it is the only card that allows real-time cryptocurrency spending by processing transactions using a crypto exchange.

“We want to give consumers the option on which digital asset they use to fund their BlockCard account,” said Daniel Gouldman, CEO and co-founder of the company. “Card holders decide if they want to buy a bagel with their Bitcoin or a latte with their Stellar Lumens. Most importantly, these transactions occur on digital asset exchanges, which helps to propel the crypto community.”

Ternio said it registered more than 1,000 people during the card’s soft launch. People interested in applying for a card can do so here.

What’s ahead?

Consumers who purchased Bitcoin and other digital currencies early in 2017 saw the value of their holdings surge, but 2018 was a different story, with Bitcoin down about 75 percent from its highs.

What does 2019 hold in store? Bitcoin and other currencies have begun the year with sharp  gains, but they still have a long way to go to make up for their losses. According to NewsBTC.com, a publication covering the crypto markets, Bitcoin remains in a bearish trend, unable to break above the $4,000 level.

Its value at the end of 2017 was more than $14,000.

Food allergies can be troublesome for many people, as experiencing a reaction can potentially be fatal. But despite the potential danger, a recent study found that many adults across the country mistakenly believe they have food allergies.

“While we found that one in 10 adults have [a] food allergy, nearly twice as many adults think that they are allergic to foods, while their symptoms may suggest food intolerance or other food-related conditions,” said lead author Dr. Ruchi Gupta.

Getting a confirmed diagnosis

The researchers utilized responses from over 40,000 adults in a nationally representative survey and came away with several important findings.

Based on survey responses, shellfish is the most common allergy among U.S. adults, affecting over seven million people. Milk is second on the list, followed by peanuts, tree nuts, fin fish, eggs, wheat, soy, and sesame.

“Our data shows that shellfish is the top food allergen in adults, that shellfish allergy commonly begins in adulthood, and that this allergy is remarkably common across the lifespan,” Dr. Gupta said. “We need more studies to clarify why shellfish allergy appears to be so common and persistent among U.S. adults.”

The researchers found that just about half of all food allergies don’t manifest until adulthood. However, the survey also revealed that only half of adults nationwide have had their food allergies confirmed by a doctor.

Dr. Gupta and his team encourage anyone who suspects they may have an allergy to see their physician and have the allergy confirmed, as a proper course of treatment is necessary with any diagnosed allergy.

“It is important to see a physician for appropriate testing and diagnosis before completely eliminating foods from the diet,” said Dr. Gupta. “If food allergy is confirmed, understanding the management is also critical, including recognizing symptoms of anaphylaxis and how and when to use epinephrine.”

Children’s allergies

For many parents, navigating their children’s food allergies can be more concerning than their own. A recent study found that children with food allergies are at a greater risk of developing other conditions, including eczema, allergic rhinitis, and asthma.

The researchers found that children with allergies to peanuts, milk, or eggs are at the greatest risk of of developing these other medical conditions, and they are hopeful that these findings can help prevent and treat these conditions moving forward.

“Eczema, asthma, and allergic rhinitis are among the most common childhood medical conditions in the U.S.,” said Dr. David M. Hill. “Disease rates for these conditions seem to be changing, prompting a need for more information and surveillance.”

Researchers have also worked to develop the Viaskin patch -- a wearable patch designed to help children with peanut allergies.

The patch delivers small increments of peanut proteins into the skin to help the body build up a tolerance to peanuts in a way that’s safe for children. It was found to be effective for almost 50 percent of participants in a clinical trial.

For many consumers, sitting at a computer is part of their everyday routine, both at work and at home. But with all that time at the computer, researchers have found that good posture often goes to the wayside.

Researchers from San Francisco State University found that slumping over a computer screen often enough can lead to both neck and back pain, in addition to headaches and trouble concentrating.

“When your posture is tall and erect, the muscles of your back can easily support the weight of your head and neck -- as much as 12 pounds,” said researcher Erik Peper. “But when your head juts forward at a 45 degree angle, your neck acts like a fulcrum, like a long lever lifting a heavy object. Now the muscle weight of your head and neck is the equivalent of 45 pounds. It is not surprising people get stiff necks and shoulder and back pain.”

Sitting up straight

The researchers performed two experiments to test the way posture at the computer affects neck and shoulder pain, among other side effects.

The first test included nearly 90 students, who were directed to either practice proper posture -- with their heads and necks kept in a straight line -- or were instructed to scrunch up their neck muscles and keep their heads forward.

The participants were then required to move their necks from side-to-side and report on how far they believe they were able to rotate. Then, both groups switched postures and self-reported again.

Over 90 percent of the participants said they had greater range of motion when they were in the proper posture position, as opposed to scrunching their muscles and hunching their heads.

In the second test, 125 students tensed their neck muscles for 30 seconds. Following the experiment, almost 100 percent of the participants reported pain in their neck, head, or eyes. The researchers say that compressing the neck muscles in this way can lead to long-term vertebrate injury, more tension in the muscles, headaches, fatigue, and trouble focusing.

Focusing on good posture

The researchers offer several easy suggestions for people who spend a great deal of time hovering over their keyboards.

Consumers can make it easier to read their screens by placing their computers at eye-level, wearing computer-safe reading glasses, or increasing the font size on their computers.

The researchers also suggest that consumers remain aware of their bodies and posture while at their computers and recognize that keeping proper posture positions can work to their advantage.

According to Peper, “exaggerating” the position the participants mimicked in the experiments and “experiencing the symptoms” can help more people “become aware” of their poor posture and help them sit up straighter.

Millions of consumers use the Weather Channel’s app to keep up with their local weather conditions, but a suit filed by the City of Los Angeles claims the app is keeping up with you.

In a suit filed late last week, the City of Los Angeles claims the company that owns the Weather Channel is manipulating users into activating location tracking by suggesting the information would only be used to provide specific weather forecasts. The suit charges that information is also used to help advertisers better target consumers.

As it turns out, knowing where individuals are at any given moment is very valuable. For example, advertisers use that information to target a consumer when he or she is near their place of business.

The City of Los Angeles lawsuit claims the Weather Channel has sold data collected from its app to companies that mine this sort of data. Citing an article in the New York Times the city said at least 75 companies collected precise location data using information obtained through the app.

The suit charges that consumers weren’t adequately informed of this arrangement. It said the notices supplied by the app failed to provide complete details about how their data would be shared and used. The suit claims  incomplete messages like that are “fraudulent and deceptive” and violate California’s Unfair Competition Law.

Tech industry crisis

The suit strikes at the heart of a crisis the technology industry is now facing. Since Facebook revealed in March that user data had been unlawfully used by a political marketing firm, big tech firms have been in a defensive posture and under increasing regulatory pressure.

As the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) gets underway this week in Las Vegas, Apple addressed the issue head-on in a billboard, declaring “What happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone.”

“If the price of getting a weather report is going to be the sacrifice of your most personal information about where you spend your time day and night, you sure as heck ought to be told clearly in advance,” Michael Feuer, the Los Angeles city attorney, told the Times.

A spokesman for IBM, who owns the Weather Channel app, said the company has always been transparent in its use of personal data. It said the company will vigorously defend the lawsuit.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling 169,481 model year 2002-2005 Lexus SCs and Toyota Sequoias, model year 2003-2005 Toyota Corollas and Tundras, and model year 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibes.

The vehicles are equipped with airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger front airbag, the inflators may explode due to propellant degradation.

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

This recall includes vehicles that have had their airbag previously replaced under an earlier recall.

What to do

Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners.

Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger airbag inflator with an alternate inflator, or replace the airbag assembly that includes an alternate inflator, free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin January 14, 2019.

Owners may contact Toyota customer service at (888) 270-9371, Lexus customer service at (800) 255-3987 or Pontiac customer service at (800) 762-2737.

Ford Motor Company is expanding its earlier recall on vehicles with certain passenger front airbag inflators after Takata declared those inflators defective.

A total of approximately 953,000 vehicles have been added to this expansion, including 782,384 in the U.S. and federalized territories and 149,652 in Canada.

Among the vehicles added to the recall are:

• 2010 Ford Edge and 2010 Lincoln MKX vehicles built at Oakville Assembly Plant, November 28, 2008, to July 12, 2010
• 2010-11 Ford Ranger vehicles built at Twin Cities, August 14, 2008, to June 21, 2014
• 2010-12 Ford Fusion, 2010-12 Lincoln MKZ and 2010-11 Mercury Milan vehicles built at Hermosillo Assembly Plant, July 3, 2008, to July 29, 2012
• 2010-14 Ford Mustang vehicles built at Flat Rock Assembly Plant, June 8, 2009, to December 16, 2011

What to do

Dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator or module at no cost to the customer.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

A hacker group that goes by the name “The Dark Overload” says it has obtained 18,000 sensitive documents that reveal a 9/11 conspiracy. But the group isn’t interested in letting the American public in on their alleged secret. They just want money, preferably in Bitcoin.

“We’re motivated only by our pursuit of internet money,” the group said in a lengthy statement on a coding forum.

The documents, which the group is calling the “9/11 papers,” reportedly come from lawsuits and insurance claims made in relation to September 11, 2001. The group is asking for $2 million in Bitcoin from the targeted companies. “Pay the f--- up, or we’re going to bury you with this,” their threat says.

Smart TVs and Chromecasts

Two hackers who go by the pseudonyms Hacker Giraffe and j3ws3r are going public with their latest hack. The duo announced that they have manipulated strangers’ Chromecasts and smart TVs so that the devices played a message urging people to subscribe to the YouTube comedian PewDiePie.

It’s an unusual thing to brag about, but championing a YouTube personality wasn’t really the point of the hack. On a website the duo created and urged hacking victims to visit, they explain that they are just trying to warn people about the dangers of hacking and the vulnerabilities of their personal devices.

“We want to help you, and also our favorite YouTubers (mostly PewDiePie),” the duo writes on their site . “We're only trying to protect you and inform you of this before someone takes real advantage of it. Imagine the consequences of having access to the information above."

University employees

Officials with Wichita State University are blaming their employees for falling for an email phishing scam. The university told the The Wichita Eagle newspaper that three employees lost their paychecks as a result.

The affected employees had received an email from hackers asking for their university IDs and passwords. The hackers then used that information to gain access to the employees’ bank accounts and divert their direct deposits.

It’s unclear if the three employees will be refunded.

Hackers stole nearly $1 billion worth of cryptocurrency in 2018

If it seems like cryptocurrency hacks were getting reported every week or so last year, that’s because they were. A new analysis in the Cryptocurrency Anti-Money Laundering Report put a tally on 2018 crypto-thefts.

Hackers stole a total of $927 million from cryptocurrency exchanges last year. They were able to carry out the heists because -- surprise! -- there are security vulnerabilities in the cryptocurrency exchanges and software.  

For travel consumers on the lookout for a safe and sound break from the hubbub, TravelPulse has just released its list of the 30 safest places to travel to in 2019.

The list is laden with places known for peacemongering, like Norway, Switzerland, and Denmark, but it’s also dotted with lesser-known destinations perfect for travelers thinking about dipping their toe in a bit of tourism curiosity.

Topping the list is Zambia. This eastern African country gets the all-clear from the U.S. State Department and offers a wonderland of things to see and do. At the top of that list would be its famed Victoria Falls that takes a 350 foot plunge into narrow Batoka Gorge.

If bullet trains and authentic sushi are on your bucket list, the list’s #2 destination -- Japan -- gets high marks. While uber cautious travelers might be concerned about political tensions with neighboring North Korea and China, Japan ranks as one of the Global Peace Index’ 10 "most peaceful" countries when it comes to societal safety and security domain.

For travelers wishing to stick closer to home, United States destinations that made the list are Scottsdale, Arizona; Portland, Maine; Boise, Idaho; and Virginia Beach, Virginia. Boise may be particularly interesting to consumers looking for a second home or investment property. Recently, the Idaho state capitol placed third in U-Haul’s Survey of American Migration Trends.

Ever been to the Indian Ocean?

One of the more intriguing places on the list is Mauritius, an island nation off the southeast coast of Africa in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The country was already a destination favorite among the French and the British -- both having territorial control at one time or another -- but word’s gotten out and Mauritius’ tourism growth has been growing at a near-5 percent clip over the last few years.

"Celebrated for its screensaver-worthy beaches, this booming East African island nation possesses one of the world's best Global Peace Index values," wrote TravelPulse’s Patrick Clarke.

"The U.K. government points out that petty crime is common but most crime is non-violent. What's more, visitors can ensure a safe and pleasant trip by practicing common sense such as avoiding accommodations that aren't registered with the Mauritius Tourism Authority. Better yet, work with a travel agent."

Here’s a complete list of the Top 30 safest places to travel:

1. Zambia

2. Japan

3. Slovenia

4. Iceland

5. New Zealand

6. Norway

7. Chile

8. Austria

9. Costa Rica

10. Portugal

11. Singapore

12. Canada

13. Scottsdale, Arizona

14. Portland, Maine

15. Boise, Idaho

16. Virginia Beach, Virginia

17. Denmark

18. Switzerland

19. Finland

20. Sweden

21. Germany

22. Netherlands

23. Ireland

24. Malta

25. Australia

26. Bhutan

27. Mauritius

28. Cayman Islands

29. Hungary

30. Guadalupe

Travel to China is getting risky for U.S. citizens -- especially those with dual U.S.-Chinese citizenship, according to the U.S. State Department.

As the two countries remain locked in a trade war that has begun to affect the economies of both nations, the State Department has issued a travel advisory for Americans traveling to China.

The U.S. government charges the Chinese government is now carrying out what it terms “arbitrary enforcement of local laws” and has placed special restrictions on dual U.S.-Chinese nationals.

The Chinese government has carried out a similar campaign, arresting Canadian citizens after Canada arrested the CFO of the Chinese tech giant Huawei at the request of the U.S., who accuse her of violating Iranian sanctions. Since her arrest, a Canadian government official says 13 Canadians have been detained by Chinese authorities on various charges.

You could be prevented from leaving the country

The State Department warns U.S. citizens that the Chinese government has asserted broad authorities to prevent Americans from leaving the country, especially those who are also Chinese. It says U.S. citizens have been forced to participate in government investigations by preventing their departure through the use of “exit bans.”

“U.S. citizens may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their alleged crime,” State Department officials say. “U.S. citizens may be subjected to prolonged interrogations and extended detention for reasons related to ‘state security.’ Security personnel may detain and/or deport U.S. citizens for sending private electronic messages critical of the Chinese government.”

Doesn’t recognize dual citizenship

One reason Chinese-American travelers may be vulnerable is that the Chinese government does not recognize dual nationalities. U.S. citizens of Chinese heritage may be subject to additional harassment and the government may block the U.S. Embassy from providing consular services.

For Americans visiting China, the State Department advises entering on your U.S. passport with valid Chinese visa and keep the documents with you at all time. Should you be arrested or detained, ask police or prison officials to notify the U.S. Embassy or the nearest consulate immediately.

The State Department publishes regular crime and safety reports for China. You can check them out here.

A recent study suggests that consumers who are diabetic may one day be able to go through life without actively having to manage their blood sugar with medication.

Experts at the University of Bergen say they have discovered a way for cells to alter their “identities” so that healthy cells can more easily make up for lack of production from damaged insulin cells. Researcher Luiza Ghila says all that is required is “some start-up help” to make it happen.

“We are possibly facing the start of a totally new form of treatment for diabetes, where the body can produce its own insulin,” Ghila said.

Changing cell identity

The researchers made the discovery while analyzing cells in the pancreas, the organ where cells that regulate blood sugar are produced. They found that approximately two percent of cells in the pancreas were able to change their identity.

What’s more, they found that the process of changing a cell’s identity can be dictated by manipulating signals and activity in surrounding cells. The team was successfully able to increase the number of cells that could change their identities to five percent in animal models.

“If we gain more knowledge about the mechanisms behind this cell flexibility, then we could possibly be able to control the process and change more cells’ identities so that more insulin can be produced,” said Ghila.

Could be groundbreaking for other diseases

While the finding has huge implications for consumers suffering from diabetes, the researchers say that their work could apply to other conditions as well.

“The cells’ ability to change identity and function may be a decisive discovery in treating other diseases caused by cell death, such as Alzheimer’s disease and cellular damage due to heart attacks,” said Ghila.

The full study has been published in the journal Nature Cell Biology.

On Thursday, House Democrats passed a legislative package in a bid to end the partial government shutdown, which has been going on for two weeks as of Friday.

The measure would fund the Department of Homeland Security at current levels through February 8 and reopen parts of the government that are currently shut down, The Associated Press reported. A separate bill would fund the Departments of Agriculture and Interior and other agencies through September 30.

However, the package rejects President Trump’s demand for $5 billion in border-wall funding. Due to this fact, the package is expected to be “dead on arrival in the Senate,” according to CNN.

During an interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson on Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence said that, "if there's no wall, there's no deal" to end the partial government shutdown. "We are here to make a deal, but it's a deal that's going to result in achieving real gains. ... We will have no deal without a wall," Pence said.

Wall funding a main sticking point

Following the passing of the spending package on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi implored Trump and Senate Republicans to “take yes for an answer” and approve the Homeland Security measure.

"We’re not doing a wall," Pelosi told reporters at a news conference later that day. "Does anyone have any doubt that we’re not doing a wall?”

Meanwhile, Trump has remained unwilling to concede his staunch position in favor of the wall on the U.S-Mexico border. "Without a wall you cannot have border security,” the President has said.

"You can call it a barrier, you can call it whatever you want,” Trump said at a White House briefing. “But essentially we need protection in our country. We’re going to make it good. The people of our country want it."

Two months after disclosing that hackers broke into its database, Marriott International has confirmed that unauthorized parties gained access to the passport numbers of millions of guests.

The hotel chain said in late November that there was a breach of its reservation database for its Starwood properties that may have exposed the personal information of up to 500 million people. The incident potentially affected guests who stayed at a Starwood hotel since 2014.

The breach was among the largest in history, ranking second only to the Yahoo data breaches that occurred in 2013 and 2014.

In a statement on Friday, Marriott said the number of guests involved in the data breach is lower than its original estimate of 500 million, but it didn’t give an exact figure. The chain said 383 million was the “upper limit” of potentially affected guests.

25 million passport numbers involved

Information possibly extracted in the breach included passport numbers, email addresses, and payment-card data, the company said.

Marriott said it has “concluded with a fair degree of certainty that information for far fewer than 383 million” people was compromised. The chain said that in many cases, there appear to be multiple records for the same guests.

Approximately 25.5 million passport numbers were also compromised in the breach, which spanned almost four years. Marriott said roughly 5.25 million of the 25.5 million passports numbers were stored in plain text.

Last month, Marriott said it would compensate consumers for passport replacements if they could provide evidence that they had been victims of fraud.

“As we near the end of the cyber forensics and data analytics work, we will continue to work hard to address our customers’ concerns and meet the standard of excellence our customers deserve and expect from Marriott,” Arne Sorenson, Marriott’s president and chief executive, said in a statement.

Late on Wednesday, the U.S. Senate confirmed two new FCC commissioners -- Brendan Carr and Geoffrey Starks -- for full five-year terms.

The new additions bring more balance to the federal agency’s lineup of commissioners. Jessica Rosenworcel will no longer be the Commission’s sole Democrat; the FCC will now have three Republicans and two Democrats.

The new Democrat Geoffrey Starks -- a strong net neutrality supporter -- was nominated back in June. He has served as the assistant bureau chief of the FCC’s enforcement bureau and previously as senior counsel at the Justice Department. Starks is filling a seat left vacant by Commissioner Mignon Clyburn.

Joining existing commissioners Aji Pai and Michael O’Reilly on the Republican side is Brendan Carr, who has made next generation 5G wireless technology a primary focus. Carr was just confirmed for his full term after having been nominated and confirmed in August 2017.

“A full FCC”

In a statement, Pai welcomed and offered praise to both of the incoming Commissioners.

Starks, “brings a wealth of experience and expertise” to the position, Pai said. He commended him for highlighting the need to expand rural broadband and the power of telemedicine. “I look forward to working with him and having a fellow Kansan on the Commission,” he said.

“I also congratulate Brendan on his confirmation to a full term,” Pai said. “Brendan has done tremendous work on a number of issues, including his leadership on wireless infrastructure modernization. He has also been a staunch advocate for rural broadband deployment, particularly for precision agriculture and advancements in telemedicine.”

Prior to the new confirmations, the FCC had been split 3-1 in favor of Republicans as of early this year.

"The agreement to pair and confirm these nominees finally gives us a full FCC to decide important questions about spectrum management, the deployment of broadband to underserved communities, and building next generation wireless networks," Sen. John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota and chairman of the Commerce Committee, said in a statement.

Most of the FCC’s operations are currently on hold due to the government shutdown. The agency will resume its operations after Trump and congressional Democrats resolve their stalemate over how to fund the government.

With economic concerns sending oil prices tumbling, motorists are continuing to get a break at the gas pump. Prices fell once again in December and are still going down in January.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the national average price of regular gas is $2.25 a gallon, down three cents from last Friday. It’s 13 cents lower than a year ago.

The average price of premium is also down five cents from last week, at $2.84 a gallon. The price of diesel fuel has finally fallen below $3 a gallon, to $2.98.

Government figures about oil supplies are in short supply due to the government shutdown, but the oil market is flashing signals of a global economic slowdown. Crude oil is trading below $47 a barrel, meaning refiners are producing motor fuel for less.

Nationwide trend

Falling prices have been fairly uniform across the country. Hawaii is still the most expensive state for gasoline, but it’s now tied with California thanks to that state’s hefty gasoline tax.

Ohio has seen a large drop in gas prices thanks to a gas war in some parts of the state. At the start of the week, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis, Patrick DeHaan, reported that five stations in Columbus were selling regular for $1.49 a gallon. The statewide average in Ohio is down nine cents a gallon in the last seven days.

Elsewhere, price dips have been more moderate. Missouri retains the title of cheapest gas with a statewide average of $1.82 a gallon, four cents cheaper than last week. Eleven states now have average gas prices under $2 a gallon. Only four states have an average price over $3.

The states with the most expensive regular gas

These states currently have the highest prices for regular gas, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Survey:

• Hawaii ($3.34)
• California ($3.34)
• Washington ($3.07)
• Alaska ($3.05)
• Oregon ($2.93)
• Nevada ($2.92)
• Arizona ($2.65)
• Connecticut ($2.60)
• New York ($2.60)
• Utah ($2.58)

The states with the cheapest regular gas

The survey found these states currently have the lowest prices for regular gas:

• Missouri ($1.83)
• Oklahoma ($1.91)
• South Carolina ($1.92)
• Alabama ($1.92)
• Texas ($1.92)
• Mississippi ($1.93)
• Ohio ($1.93)
• Louisiana ($1.94)
• Kansas ($1.94)

It was a lot easier to find a job last month because there were more of them. The Labor Department reports the economy produced 312,000 new jobs in December, drawing thousands of Americans back into the labor force.

The report, which exceeded almost every analyst’s prediction, follows Thursday’s report from ADP/Moody’s which showed private sector employment grew by 271,000 last month.

The unemployment rate rose from 3.7 percent to 3.9 percent because more people were looking for jobs in December.

“Incorporating revisions for October and November, which increased payrolls by 58,000, monthly job gains averaged 254,000 over the past 3 months,” said William Wiatrowski, acting commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Where the jobs are

Among the sectors and industries doing the most hiring last month were health care, food service, construction, manufacturing, and retail.

Jobs in health care increased by 50,000 last month, with most of the employment centered around ambulatory care and hospitals. For 2018, the health care sector created 346,000 new jobs, a huge increase over 2017.

Food service establishments, such as restaurants and bars, added 41,000 jobs. For the year, those jobs have increased by 241,000.

Jobs in construction rose by 38,000 with job gains in heavy and civil engineering construction and nonresidential specialty trade construction. For all of 2018, construction jobs were up 280,000.

Even factories were hiring

Despite other data showing a slowdown in manufacturing, the nation’s factories added 32,000 jobs in December. Even better, most of the new jobs occurred in the big-ticket durable goods sector.

Retail added 24,000 jobs in December, most of them in general merchandise stores.

The report flies in the face of the growing pessimism recently plaguing financial markets that the U.S. economy is slowing and may even be slipping toward recession. Employers obviously don’t think so, or they wouldn’t be expanding their payrolls.

In more positive news for consumers, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose 11 cents to $27.48, a 3.2 percent increase on the year.

While there is still little evidence of inflation in the economy, the strong December jobs report may influence the Federal Reserve to stay on its stated course of raising interest rates at least twice in 2019.

Dollarama of Montreal, Canada, is recalling about 111,378 MONTOY Little Princess Dolls sold in Canada.

The plastic doll contains levels of phthalates that exceed the allowable limit and may pose a chemical hazard.

Studies suggest that certain phthalates, including DEHP, may cause reproductive and developmental abnormalities in young children when soft vinyl products containing phthalates are sucked or chewed for extended periods.

There are no reports of incidents or injuries related to the use of the doll.

This recall involves the MONTOY branded Little Princess Doll, which comes in six different variations with the same identification code.

The item number 08-3066065 and UPC 667888315611 can be found on the lower back part of the packaging.

The six variations of the doll are:

• Brown hair, yellow dress
• Blonde hair, blue and pink dress
• Red hair, blue dress with yellow outline
• Red hair, pink dress
• Black hair, purple and pink dress
• Blonde hair, blue and orange dress

The recalled products, manufactured in China, were sold from September 12, 2017, to December 18, 2018.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled toys should take them away from children and either dispose of them or return them to the where purchased for a refund (no receipt required).

Consumers with questions may contact Dollarama toll free at (888) 365-4266, 24/7 or online at https://www.dollarama.com/en-CA/.

Police in Phoenix have documented 21 different instances of locals attacking Google’s driverless cars, the Arizona Republic is reporting.

The attacks include instances of rock-throwing, tire-slashing, and in one case, waving a .22 caliber revolver at the safety driver operating the test vehicle.

Google’s autonomous subsidiary Waymo and other self-driving companies have embraced Arizona for its lax regulations and “support of innovation,” as Waymo put it.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey announced last spring that companies are free to test driverless cars without safety backup drivers as long as the cars "achieve a minimal risk condition.” Last month, Waymo debuted Waymo One, the state’s first self-driving taxi service.

But locals see a downside to that support. Two dozen people interviewed by the site The Information in August said that the cars were prone to jerky movements, sudden stops, and other hazardous behavior. They also cited the Uber fatality in Tempe as a concern.

More recently, in an interview with the New York Times, one couple said that their 10-year-old son was nearly hit by a Waymo car while playing on a residential street.

The boy’s father has reportedly responded by trying to run Waymo vans off the road whenever he encounters one -- among the attacks documented by the police.

In a statement to the Times, Waymo spokesman Alexis Georgeson responded that “safety is the core of everything we do, which means that keeping our drivers, our riders, and the public safe is our top priority.”