Current Events in January 2019

Walmart has given another hint that it plans to increase its competition with Amazon in e-commerce and in technology in general. The world’s largest brick and mortar retailer says it will staff up in 2019 to improve its technology, not just online but also in stores.

In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Walmart Chief Technology Officer Jeremy King revealed that the company plans to hire 2,000 people to join the retail technology group. That group currently employs about 7,500 people.

The new employees will work in areas such as design, software engineering, and data collection and analysis. They’ll join about 1,700 new Walmart employees in that group who joined the company last year.

The increase in hiring in this area shouldn’t come as a surprise since Walmart spent much of 2018 deploying robots in its stores to help with maintenance and inventory control. Someone, after all, has to oversee the electronic workers.

Other new employees will work on developing algorithms that will help employees fill online orders faster by outlining the best routes to take when moving through the aisles. Walmart offers curbside grocery pickup in more than 2,000 stores in the U.S. and hopes to add it to as many as 1,000 more this year.

Competing with Amazon for talent

The new employees will work in high-tech centers both in the U.S. and Asia as Walmart appears to be ready to compete with Amazon to sign the best technology talent.

The new technology group employees won’t be working on a system to replace cashiers, such as Amazon’s cashierless stores. King says that is not currently practical for Walmart.

“We’re talking about a huge scale,” King told Bloomberg. “Those sort of 7-Eleven-size stores [that Amazon operates] are one thing but when you talk about a Walmart Supercenter, it’s going to be some time before we can go completely cashierless.”

But King did say that the company is continuing to work on expanding the number of ways customers can check out without standing in line.

Toyota is recalling about 3,400 model year 2019 Corolla Hatchbacks.

The torque converter in the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) could fail, resulting in a loss of motive power increasing the risk of crash.

What to do

Toyota is currently obtaining parts to replace the Direct Shift-CVT with a new one containing a new torque converter not affected by this issue at no cost to customers. Owners of all recalled vehicles will will be notified by first-class mail.

The recall is expected to begin in mid-February.

Owners may contact Toyota at (800) 331-4331

A 20-year-old German man targeted lawmakers, including Chancellor Angela Merkel and celebrities, because he was annoyed, according to a confession he gave law enforcement.

The hacker, a student who lives with his parents, stressed that he wouldn't have been able to to carry out the attack if the public officials and celebrities used better passwords.

“Bad passwords were one of the reasons he had it so easy,” an official told the Guardian newspaper. “I was shocked at how simple most passwords were: ‘ILoveYou’, ‘1,2,3’. A whole array of really simple things.”

The hacker was arrested on Sunday, and he confessed the following day. Officials said that he did not appear to understand the severity of the hack, which is among the worst in Germany’s history. Almost 1,000 public figures were affected by the breach. The man was released from custody on the condition that he not leave his parent’s house.

Cell phone carriers selling location data

AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon are facing unwelcome scrutiny from Congress over their practice of selling cell phone location data to bounty hunters.

The revelation comes courtesy of Motherboard reporter Joseph Cox, who paid $300 to a bounty hunter with the challenge of tracking down his T-Mobile cell phone. It didn’t take the bounty hunter long to find it.

The reporting implicates all major cell phone carriers for selling individual location data to third parties. The data can then be re-sold to other third parties, transactions that eventually result in bounty hunters, stalkers, or others obtaining location data for several hundred dollars.

California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris and other lawmakers, as well as FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, are now calling for an investigation into the major carriers.

Perhaps in an attempt to avoid some of the scrutiny, AT&T on Thursday announced that it will stop selling consumer location data to third parties.

Ethereum coins

Hackers stole over $1 million worth of Ethereum coins this week in a complicated hack called a 51 percent attack. Luckily for traders, no individuals saw their crypto-savings stolen from their wallets. Instead, the attackers targeted Ethereum Classic, a popular blockchain where Ethereum classic is traded.

Attacks on cryptocurrency were common last year and may become even  more so as the value of blockchain-traded currency plummets.

The 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is wrapping up in Las Vegas after displaying the latest technology innovations from across the globe.

Companies have displayed and demonstrated new developments in artificial intelligence (AI), 5G wireless, autonomous vehicles, and smart appliances. Keynote speakers have urged tech titans to work toward making the internet safer and more secure.

But the highlight of each year’s CES is always the latest amazing gadgets and products. As we reported earlier in the week, LG was a show favorite with its 65-inch OLED TV screen that is so thin that it rolls up and is stored in its case when not in use.

While there were lots of developments in the area of self-driving cars, Paris-based DRUST introduced Superdrive, an AI technology for cars that makes human-controlled vehicles safer. Using Al cloud software, its technology is designed to help drivers steer clear of road hazard before they even occur. DRUST promoted its technology as “a catalyst for behavioral change to improve the number of accidents on the roads around the world.”

PCs can still be impressive

Besides all the new technology products, there were refinements and upgrades to older, existing technology. Dell unveiled its latest version of the Dell XPS 13 laptop, with TechAdvisor finding only a few upgrades to what it said was a great machine to start with but with a lower price than the 2018 version.

Wearable devices are popular among consumers who want to keep track of their daily steps, but these devices can do more than record mobility. Omron Healthcare showed off its HeartGuide, a smartwatch that constantly monitors the wearer’s blood pressure.

The company began taking orders for the product, which has received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval as a medical device.

‘Top tech’

Not all of the head-turning offerings at CES are electronic. Technology can also have a big impact on food, and Impossible Foods was on hand to show off the Impossible Burger 2.0. It’s an enhancement of the company’s original plant-based meat substitute.

The editors at Digital Trends were so impressed with the product that they declared the Impossible Burger 2.0 the “top tech” of this year’s CES.

"By shrinking the flavor gap between real meat and fake meat, Impossible is making it easier for everyone to make more environmentally conscious food choices — and that's a big deal," said  Drew Prindle, emerging tech editor at Digital Trends.

The fake hamburger was also the publication’s choice for tops in the “emerging tech” category, in a three-way tie with the Fluidity FT Aviator and the North Face Futurelight.

It’s likely to be an anxious weekend for as many as 68,000 Sears and Kmart employees as their jobs continue to hang in the balance. But late week events make their prospects appear a little brighter.

After all, at mid-week, their company Sears Holdings petitioned a bankruptcy judge to let it close its remaining stores and liquidate its assets, saying former CEO Eddie Lampert’s $4.4 billion offer to buy the remaining assets wasn’t good enough.

But Lampert has raised his bid to $5 billion, and the judge said the former executive can bid for the assets in Monday’s bankruptcy audition. In a filing, Lampert’s hedge fund, ESL Investments, said it has formed a new company called Transform Holdco LLC that will make a new offer to buy the company’s assets and operate its most profitable retail stores.

Still enthusiastic

In the filing, Lampert said he is still enthusiastic about the deal and about Sears’ future in the retail space. Whether the new company’s offer is sufficient will be determined at Monday’s auction.

Lampert’s new company appears to be the only bidder that wants to keep Sears intact, and thus preserve most of the existing jobs. It will have to compete with others bidding for pieces of the firm.

At stake is the legacy of a retailer that began in the late 19th century, as well as the fate of as Sears and Kmart employees who would lose their jobs if the company eventually liquidates.

In recent years, the company operating Sears and Kmart stores has been dragged lower both by falling sales and rising debt. The company borrowed heavily in the last decade to shore up its business, but most of those investments failed to bear fruit.

Strong counter-trends

Its efforts at a turnaround have encountered two strong counter-trends. On one hand, more retail sales have moved to online channels in the last decade. Even as Sears’ brick and mortar competitors established effective e-commerce operations, Sears -- a pioneer in catalog sales -- failed to do so.

It has also been a victim of the decline of shopping malls. While competitors such as Walmart and Target usually operate stand-alone stores, Sears has usually been an anchor in shopping malls, which have seen dramatic declines in customer traffic.

Influenza has already hit more than 6 million Americans, federal health officials said Friday.

Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was "too soon to make any assessment about this season's severity,” but that the H1N1 virus is the primary virus being detected nationally this flu season.

In its most recent announcement, the CDC said its real-time estimates of the impact of the flu on the public show that between 6 million and 7 million people have been infected with the flu so far this season. As many as 80,000 have been ill enough to be hospitalized.

While this flu season is clearly ramping up, officials say it hasn’t taken off as quickly as it did last year. The 2017-18 flu season ended up being one of the most severe on record, causing roughly 900,000 hospitalizations and 80,000 deaths.

Less than two weeks ago, health officials said 11 pediatric deaths had been associated with this year’s flu season. Now, 16 children have died from influenza. The CDC says it counts the death of every child from influenza, while adult illnesses and deaths are estimated.

“Calculations are based on adjusted rates of laboratory-confirmed, influenza-associated hospitalizations collected through a surveillance network that covers approximately 8.5 percent of the U.S. population, or about 27 million people,” the CDC said.

Not too late to get a flu vaccine

The CDC recommends that everyone over the age of 6 months get a flu vaccine. Since the average duration of a flu season is typically about 16 weeks, there’s still time to get vaccinated.

“It’s still not too late to get a flu vaccine. Year in and year out, people who get a flu vaccine are better off than people who do not get vaccinated,” the CDC said. “Flu vaccines reduce the risk of flu illness and serious flu complications that can result in hospitalization and have been shown to be life-saving in children.”

In previous years, H1N1 -- the primary virus being detected this season -- has been associated with severe illness among children.

“One hundred and eighty families put a child in the grave last year because of a vaccine-preventable infection,” noted Dr. Wendy Swanson, a pediatrician at Seattle Children’s Hospital, at a recent news conference.

A study conducted last year showed flu vaccination cut the risk of flu death among healthy children by 65 percent and among children with a high-risk condition by 50 percent.

Sears is as close as a company can be to teetering on the brink of liquidating its assets, and if it doesn’t make it past its 11th-hour reprieve, it’s possible that its empty stores may become expansion space for Whole Foods.

In a report by Yahoo! Finance, sources said that the Amazon-owned food chain has already taken a look-see at a former K-Mart site in Utah. K-Mart is one of Sears’ sister acts, and it was caught in Sears' massive closing of stores when it filed for bankruptcy last year.

Whole Foods’ marching orders

At a recent market forecast event, Jim Sud, Whole Foods’ executive VP of growth and business development, said that Amazon wants him to put the pedal to the metal.

“In the two years prior to the merger, because of competitive pressures and because of a slowdown in our comparable store sales, we slowed our growth,” Sud said.

“At one time, I think we had 93 stores in development, and we stopped signing leases and stopped opening stores. But when Amazon acquired us, they sort of said: ‘You’re on. Start growing again.’”

The conundrum

One thing Sud’s team has to look closely at is the competition and what niches are still open. Competition in the grocery market can be brutal. Sud went as far as saying it’s retail’s most competitive sector.

Kroger, for one, is quickly establishing new benchmarks by moving to a “scan-and-go” approach, partnering with Walgreens for space inside the pharmacy’s stores, and launching a fleet of driverless delivery vehicles.

Then, there’s the question of how to best expand into Sears’ leave-behinds, or potentially take over the entire space of a Sears’ shell. Both would be a herculean task for Whole Foods.

How many of the 300 Sears and K-Mart stores that have been shuttered does Whole Foods really need and can make profitable? Except for the eight states where it doesn’t have a store, Whole Foods has every major market covered.

If Whole Foods did move into a vacant Sears store, it would also face the daunting task of filling out a lot of empty space. On average, a Whole Foods store has about 38,000 square feet, whereas many Sears’ stores were quadruple that.

Let’s make a deal

Still, malls love food stores, and mall landlords might be open to cutting a deal with Whole Foods just for the foot traffic alone.

“There are lots of vacant retail space that they can take advantage of, and that gives them access to reasonable retail locations, but I also think they want to secure good real estate deals by filling voids, and getting good rental levels from landlords,” Neil Saunders, managing director of retail at GlobalData, told Yahoo Finance.

“If that’s an existing center -- second generation space -- that meets all of our criteria…we’ll jump all over it,” Sud commented.

In the coming months, Taco Bell will be testing its first dedicated vegetarian menu in stores.

The chain said on Thursday that it will unveil new limited-time vegetarian and vegan items as part of the test, as well as highlight its current vegetarian options. Existing dishes that can be made without animal products include crunchwraps, tostadas burritos, and tacos.

One of Taco Bell’s previous efforts to cater to vegan and vegetarians has included a “Make it Meatless” feature on its app and website, which shows consumers how to customize their orders to exclude meat or dairy.

Taco Bell says it's the only American Vegetarian Association-certified quick serve restaurant.

“Taco Bell has more than 8 million vegetarian combinations, and there are plenty of gratifying meatless options from which to choose as well– enough to customize a new meal every day for nearly 20,000 years,” the company said in a press release.

Other 2019 commitments

Taco Bell also outlined some of its other commitments for 2019 as the new year gets underway. They include:

• The removal of synthetic preservative tBHQ from all menu items, a 25 percent total reduction in sodium by 2025, and “continued pursuit of the highest quality ingredients”

• Ensuring that all its beef is sustainable

• Improving recycling efforts, specifically with regard to cups

• A continued commitment to “creating 100,000 new U.S. jobs by 2022.”

• Ongoing support for the Taco Bell Foundation

The chain noted that in 2017, it vowed to remove XL soda cups, use only cage-free eggs across its menu, only serve chicken raised without antibiotics important to human medicine, develop more opportunities for young people by supporting the Taco Bell Foundation in growing the Live Más Scholarship program, and create more U.S. jobs.

“Having made good on those commitments, Taco Bell is now taking its purposeful initiatives to the next level. This year, the brand is continuing its journey to give fans more of what they want and less of what they don’t,” Taco Bell said.

A Royal Caribbean cruise ended early after nearly 300 people reportedly suffered gastrointestinal symptoms.

Royal Caribbean confirmed that 277 guests and crew members came down with a symptoms consistent with norovirus, a stomach illness that can be caused by contaminated food or drinks, or by people not washing their hands, according to the CDC.

The cruise line stressed that sick passengers accounted for a small percentage of the nearly 9,000 people aboard the Oasis of the Seas cruise.

Nevertheless, authorities in Jamaica didn’t allow any of the guests to disembark as a precaution. Some passengers complained on social media that many parts of the boat had been cordoned off. They said that most restaurants and bars were closed during the long wait at the Jamaican port.

“Me and my girl personally saw 3 locations cut off for vomit,” one passenger wrote on Twitter.

The ship’s next destination was in Mexico, but it headed back to Florida instead. Royal Caribbean apologized and distributed a letter to guests, offering everyone a full refund for the weeklong trip, which ended a day early due to the outbreak.

Royal Caribbean’s CEO said last year that norovirus is common on cruise ships because it is easily spread among the close quarters where people stay. He said that passengers need to make sure that they properly wash their hands.

Amazon and IMDb, a site the online retailer has owned since 1998, have officially launched a free streaming video channel that will be available in the U.S. on the IMDb website and Amazon Fire TV devices.

IMDb Freedive currently offers a selection af around 130 movies and 29 TV titles, but Amazon plans to continually expand the selection and rotate out content. IMDb said the service will soon be “available more widely, including on IMDb’s leading mobile apps.”

"Customers already rely on IMDb to discover movies and TV shows and decide what to watch," IMDb CEO Col Needham said in a statement. "We will continue to enhance IMDb Freedive based on customer feedback and will soon make it available more widely, including on IMDb's leading mobile apps."

A few movies users can watch for free through the platform include "Awakenings," "Monster," "The Illusionist," "The Last Samurai" and "True Romance." Some of the TV shows currently available include "The Bachelor," "Fringe," "Heroes" and "Without a Trace."

Since the service is ad-supported, it doesn’t require a subscription. Freedive joins other ad-supported video on-demand services, including The Roku Channel, Tubi, Vudu, YouTube, and PopcornFlix.

The addition of IMDb Freedive to the growing lineup of streaming options comes on the heels of a recent IAB study showing that 73 percent of adults who typically watch streaming over-the-top (OTT) video say they watch ad-supported OTT video.

For many consumers, spending too much time on social media often happens subconsciously. We pick up our phones, and before long, hours have passed.

While many of us think nothing of the extra time spent scrolling on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, a new study conducted by researchers from Michigan State University found that too much time on social media can lead to bad decision-making.

“Decision making is oftentimes compromised in individuals with substance abuse disorders,” said lead researcher Dar Meshi. “They sometimes fail to learn from their mistakes and continue down a path of negative outcomes. But no one previously looked at this behavior as it relates to excessive social media users, so we investigated this possible parallel between excessive social media use and substance abusers.”

Too much time online

Meshi and his team didn’t explore why users are making poor decisions, but they were curious to see if there was a correlation between too much time on social media and future decision-making.

The researchers conducted a survey in which 70 participants answered questions about their social media use. The questions were tailored to see how dependent the participants were on social media, how they feel when they can’t use it, and how they’d feel about never using it again.

Following the survey, the participants completed a common psychological task that helps gauge decision-making skills -- the Iowa Gambling Task.

The goal of the task is for participants to collect as much money as possible. Each participant is presented with four identical decks of cards. By following patterns presented throughout the task, they were asked to choose between “good decks” -- which rewarded them with money -- and “bad decks” -- which penalized them.

The researchers found that those who spent more time on social media were likely to have less money at the end of the task, while people who spent less time on social media finished the task with more money.

The group noted that many drug addicts perform similarly on the Iowa Gambling Task, as they have difficulty making good decisions. According to Meshi, this study uncovered another layer of social media’s effect on society, and more research needs to be done to better educate consumers.

“I believe that social media has tremendous benefits for individuals, but there’s also a dark side when people can’t pull themselves away,” Meshi said. “We need to better understand this drive so we can determine if excessive social media use should be considered an addiction.”

Social media addiction

Much research has been done recently that explores the way consumers are using social media, showing both the positives and negatives of the platforms.

A recent study looked at what it would cost certain consumers to deactivate their Facebook profiles for up to one year. Experimental auctions revealed that it would cost anywhere from $1,100 to over $2,000 for the study’s participants to cancel their Facebook profiles for that long.

The study included college students, residents of a large midwestern town, and respondents of Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform. As costly as the bids ran, some users refused to bid at all, signaling their dependence on Facebook and their unwillingness to even consider deactivating their profiles.

Consumers continue to enjoy lower gasoline prices, but the rate of decline has slowed from the last couple of weeks and appears to have stalled.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the national average price of regular gas is $2.24 a gallon, just a penny lower than last Friday. It’s 27 cents cheaper than a year ago. The average price of premium is $2.83 a gallon, down two cents from last week. The average price of diesel fuel is $2.94, four cents less than seven days ago.

The week’s biggest declines came in states with the highest prices at the pump. California replaced Hawaii as the state with the highest statewide average gas price. At the same time, some of the states with the lowest prices saw their statewide averages actually go up. Prices in Oklahoma and South Carolina are both up a penny per gallon over last week.

Ordinarily, that might signal prices have reached a bottom, but a report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) raises the possibility that prices could slide further in the weeks ahead.

The report shows U.S. supplies of gasoline surged by 8.1 million barrels last week, meaning the U.S. has nearly 11 million barrels more of motor fuel than at this time last year. According to AAA, consumers are buying less gas than forecasted. If that trend continues, AAA predicts motorists could see even lower prices at the pump throughout the winter.

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:

• California ($3.29)
• Hawaii ($3.28)
• Washington ($3.01)
• Alaska ($2.98)
• Oregon ($2.89)
• Nevada ($2.91)
• Arizona ($2.61)
• Connecticut ($2.56)
• New York ($2.56)
• Utah ($2.52)

The states with the cheapest regular gas

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

• Missouri ($1.86)
• Alabama ($1.90)
• Oklahoma ($1.92)
• Mississippi ($1.92)
• Texas ($1.92)
• Louisiana ($1.92)
• South Carolina ($1.93)
• Kansas ($1.96)
• Tennessee ($1.97)
• Ohio ($1.97)

For many parents, finding the perfect amount of time for their children to spend in front of screens can be extremely difficult.

With tons of factors to consider, a new study found that parents’ behaviors and rules play a large role in how much time children are engaging with screen media. Specifically, children of parents who either punish or reward them with adjusted screen time were found to spend more time in front of devices.

“It’s similar to how we wouldn’t use sugary treats as rewards because by doing so we can heighten the attraction to them,” said researcher Jessica Haines. “When you give food as a reward, it makes children like the carrot less and the cake more. Same thing with screen time.”

What affects screen time

According to researcher Lisa Tang, the goal of the study was to “investigate the impact of parenting practices on toddler and preschoolers’ screen time.” The study included 68 parents and 62 children between 18 months and five years old, as this is the time when habits typically start to form.

The parents were asked questions about their children’s screen time, including their own time spent in front of screens, when they allow their children to use devices, and how they monitor their children’s screen time.

Based on the participants’ responses, parents spend an average of two hours per weekday and over two and a half hours on the weekend in front of screens, while children spend about an hour and a half per weekday and over two hours on the weekend using screens. The researchers found that there were several factors that influenced children’s screen time, including using screens during meals, as this habit was found to increase children’s time with devices.

Haines notes that the researchers don’t endorse this behavior; they encourage parents to “be consistent and follow this restriction” if they don’t want their children to be in front of devices at meal times.

For parents who use screen time as either a punishment or a reward, children’s screen time increased -- particularly on weekends. The researchers found that, when used as a behavioral tactic, children spent about 20 more minutes per day in front of screens over the weekend.

Additionally, parents’ own screen time can increase their children’s screen time if it is seen as a family activity. When parents -- particularly moms -- spend time on a device around their children, the habit rubs off on the child.

With this study, the researchers are hopeful that parents understand what can contribute to more time spent in front of screens, and they can help motivate their children to put the devices down.

“Watching screens takes away from other interactions that help children develop social and academic skills,” Tang said. “Our hope is that these findings can help us arm parents who are entering a world where screens are ubiquitous.”

Setting boundaries

Research has shown that setting boundaries for children is of the utmost importance where technology is concerned. This past summer, lawmakers pushed for even more research on the way technology is impacting children, as the effects on health and development are still unknown.

The Senate introduced the Children and Media Research Advancement Act, which would spend about $95 million on long-term studies over the next five years.

“What we feed the minds of children is as important as what we feed their bodies,” said Michael Rich, associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. “We need to understand it as best we can. We need to use data to project forward what can create the healthiest and safest environment in which we are raising kids and interacting with each other.”

Sofina Foods is recalling Janes brand Pub Style Chicken Strips.

The product may be contaminated with Salmonella.

Canada's Public Health Agency is investigating an outbreak of human illness.

Janes, sold throughout Canada, is being recalled:

What to do

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

Consumers with questions may call Janes Food at (905) 673-7145.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling an estimated 1.4 million vehicles in the U.S.

Due to a defect linked to temperature cycling, humidity and time, passenger-side airbag inflators may -- on deployment -- send shrapnel into the vehicle cabin.

To date, the automaker has replaced more than 4 million Takata inflators. However, its inventory of replacement parts has outpaced demand for service.

The following vehicles are being recalled:

• model year 2010 Ram 3500 pickup
• model year 2010 Ram 4500/5500 chassis cab
• model year 2010-2011 Dodge Dakota pickup
• model year 2010-2014 Dodge Challenger sport coupe
• model year 2011-2015 Dodge Charger sedan
• model year 2010-2015 Chrysler 300 sedan and
• model year 2010-2016 Jeep Wrangler SUV

Vehicles of the same type will be recalled in Canada (est. 88,830), Mexico (12,821) and markets outside the NAFTA region (118,084).

What to do

Chrysler will advise owners of the recalled vehicles when they may schedule service.

Owners with questions or concerns may call the Chrysler recall information center at (800) 853-1403.

Fiat Chrysler (FCA) has agreed to a settlement with the U.S. and California governments to resolve charges that it systematically cheated to make its diesel vehicles meet clean air standards.

The automaker faced lawsuits by the U.S. Justice Department, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the state of California, all of whom have agreed to settle the case. FCA will pay a total of more than $500 million.

Under the agreement, FCA will implement a recall program to repair more than 100,000 noncompliant diesel vehicles sold or leased in the United States, offer an extended warranty on repaired vehicles, and pay a civil penalty of $305 million to settle claims of cheating emission tests and failing to disclose unlawful defeat devices.

The case is similar to the one involving Volkswagen, in which its TDI diesel-powered cars were found to employ onboard software that would only limit emissions to allowable levels when it sensed the vehicle was being tested.

Specific charges

In the case of FCA, the company was accused of installing defeat devices to reduce the effectiveness of the emission control system during normal on-road driving conditions. The affected vehicles are model year 2014 through 2016 Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles equipped with “EcoDiesel” 3.0 liter engines.

The settlement resolves all civil allegations but not any potential criminal charges.

The Justice Department sued FCA in May 2017 after negotiating with the company for months. During that time FCA vigorously denied the charges.

The following month, researchers at West Virginia University told Bloomberg News that on-road tests for diesel-powered Jeep Cherokees and Ram 1500 trucks revealed emissions that were three to 20 times the legal limit.

As we reported 11 months ago, FCA is expected to phase out production of diesel engines by 2022.

The U.S. government’s shutdown has created havoc with travel and even raised concerns about IRS refund checks going out.

One of the biggest concerns was the livelihood of 800,000 U.S. federal workers caught in the middle. Luckily, those workers found a pair of angels on Wednesday. Representative Derek Kilmer (D-Washington) and Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) spearheaded a group of 22 Democratic lawmakers setting in motion the Federal Employee Civil Relief Act (S.72 and HR.67).

If passed, the act would guarantee federal workers and their families protection from the threat of foreclosures, evictions, and loan defaults during a government shutdown.

“While the President and Senate Republicans struggle to get their act together, real people are suffering,” said Senator Schatz. “Right now, thousands of federal workers and their families are struggling to pay rent and make ends meet. It’s absolutely unacceptable. Our bill will protect federal workers and make sure they aren’t harmed because of a political stunt.”

“Across 800,000 kitchen tables today, hard-working people are trying to figure out how to pay bills and provide for their families without an income,” said Representative Kilmer. “Federal workers are public servants, they deserve better than being treated like pawns in a negotiation. This shutdown is wrong, and it’s time to reopen the government – but until that happens, it’s Congress’s responsibility to help out the families most affected. This bill gives them some much needed relief.”

The details

The essence of the bill is to block any threats of federal workers losing their residences, falling behind on loan payments, having their vehicles repossessed, or having their health insurance yanked away because they were furloughed due to a government shutdown or required to work without pay.

Schatz and Kilmer used a bill -- the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act -- that can be traced to more than 100 years ago as the template for the new legislation.

The root of the act came from circumstances surrounding the Civil War, when Congress froze civil actions brought against Union soldiers and sailors. During both World Wars, the bill was dusted off and used again to protect servicemembers and their families.

The new Schatz-Kilmer version keeps landlords and creditors from taking action against federal workers or contractors caught in the crossfire of the government shutdown and incapable of paying rent, mortgages, or loans.

The bill would also gives federal workers the right to file a lawsuit against any creditor that tries to skirt this protection. Specifically, the Federal Employee Civil Relief Act would give those workers safe harbor from the following:

• Being evicted or foreclosed;

• Having their car or other property repossessed;

• Falling behind in student loan payments;

• Falling behind in paying bills; or

• Losing their insurance because of missed premiums.

The act also gives federal workers 30 days to get back on their feet and catch up on their bills.