Current Events in March 2019

As the threat of destructive wildfires grows as a result of climate change, researchers are focusing on making homes that are wildfire-resistant. 

Wildfires occur every year, but last year they destroyed more U.S. homes than at any point in recorded history. In California alone, around 14,000 homes located in the path of two intense California wildfires were completely destroyed.

“During 2018, wildfire caused more loss of life and more property damage than any other weather-driven peril in the U.S., including two major hurricanes,” Roy Wright, CEO and President of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), said in a statement.

“These wildfires are becoming far more severe. Yet there are practical steps that can be taken by individual property owners, community planners, and state and federal leaders to reduce our collective risk from wildfire and make our neighborhoods safer and more resilient,” Wright said.

Possible solutions

Wright’s insurance institute has identified the following as features that could make homes less combustible:

• Five-foot buffer zone between the house and any landscaping

• A fiber cement composite siding, which is less combustible than traditional materials

• Metal gutters to reduce the risk of flying embers landing in gutters and igniting a fire

• Dual-paned glass windows to improve the odds of the home remaining sealed up, which would help keep out flames and embers

• A fiberglass door

“Fire resistance means you’ve incorporated building materials and design features that will get the ember exposure, will get the fire exposure, but would resist it,” Daniel Gorham, research engineer with IBHS, told CNBC.

The firm is currently conducting research on fire-resistance by blowing equal amounts of embers on a typical home and a home that’s been built with fire-resistant features and materials. Though the two homes were connected, the fire-resistant home didn’t burn at all; the typical home was fully engulfed.

A video of a recent demonstration of the experiment can be viewed here.

IBHS notes that the cost to build and landscape a fire-resistant home isn’t significantly higher than the cost of building a typical home. In fact, the cost of wildfire-resistant building materials is comparable or even slightly lower than traditional materials.

The insurance institute offers an online resource for consumers looking for ways to reduce wildfire damage to their home.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reached a settlement with operators it accuses of running a sweepstakes scam to collect a record $30 million in cash and assets, evidence that the phony sweepstakes scam is still pretty effective.

The FTC and the state of Missouri brought the case to court last year, claiming the defendants targeted seniors with promises of huge sweepstakes checks if they paid an upfront fee. The FTC said it seized $21 million in cash, as well as two luxury vacation homes, a yacht, a luxury automobile, and other personal property. Under the terms of the settlement, the defendants are permanently banned from the prize promotion business.

“These defendants tricked millions of people—many of them older adults—into paying money to collect prizes that never materialized,” said Andrew Smith, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “With our valued partners in the Missouri AG’s office, we are working hard to protect older Americans against scams like these.”

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt says the complaint stems from reports that the defendants sent out direct mail pieces telling recipients they had won or were likely to win a substantial cash prize, as much as $2 million. All they had to do to claim the winnings was pay a fee that ranged from $9.00 to $139.99.

“With this record settlement, we sent a clear message to those who seek to perpetrate fraud within the State of Missouri: your actions will not go unpunished,” Schmitt said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with the Federal Trade Commission’s talented team to secure this settlement.”

The money -- the most ever collected by the FTC to settle charges relating to a sweepstakes scam -- will be used to compensate victims.

How to avoid the sweepstakes scam

Consumers can protect themselves from the phony sweepstakes scam if they follow one simple rule: never pay an upfront fee of any kind in order to collect a prize. It’s a sure sign of a scam.

Consumers should also understand that it is not possible to win a sweepstakes or contest that you did not enter. Again, if someone tells you that you did win, they’re running some kind of scam.

A close cousin to the phony sweepstakes scam is the government grant scam. Victims are told they can receive a large government grant, even though they haven’t applied for one, if they just pay an upfront fee. The FTC recently took action to shut down one of these operations.

ConsumerAffairs readers have had a lot of experience with these kinds of schemes. You can read what they have to say about them here.

Recent studies have noted the health risks associated with consuming alcohol -- even in moderation. Now, consumers can add blood pressure to the list of potential issues.

According to a new study, consuming as few as seven to 13 drinks per week can lead to high blood pressure.

“I think this will be a turning point for clinical practice, as well as for future research, education, and public health policy regarding alcohol consumption,” said researcher Dr. Amer Aladin. “It’s the first study showing that both heavy and moderate alcohol consumption can increase hypertension.”

Moderation is still a risk

To gauge the relationship between alcohol consumption and blood pressure, the researchers utilized six years worth of data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES).

The researchers included over 17,000 participants in the study, dividing them into three groups based on how much they drank: one group for those who never drank, another group for those who drank moderately (seven to 13 drinks per week), and a third group for heavy drinkers (14 or more drinks per week).

The researchers evaluated blood pressure using the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association’s (AHA) 2017 guidelines, which lowers the barometer for what was traditionally considered hypertensive to 130/80 mm Hg, and places a normal blood pressure at 120/80 mm Hg.

The biggest takeaway from the study was that the more the participants drank on a weekly basis, the greater their likelihood of developing stage 1 or stage 2 hypertension. Heavy drinkers were the most affected, as the researchers found that these participants had a nearly 70 percent chance of developing stage 1 hypertension. They were also nearly 2.5 times as likely to develop stage 2 hypertension.

Moderate drinkers fared only slightly better, showing an over 50 percent risk of stage 1 hypertension and double the risk of developing stage 2 hypertension. The researchers hope these findings are beneficial for consumers moving forward, and that they pay close to attention to both their blood pressure readings and alcohol intake in the future.

“This study is not only large, but diverse in terms of race and gender,” Dr. Aladin said. “The results are very informative for future research and practice. If you are drinking a moderate or large amount of alcohol, ask your provider to check your blood pressure at each visit and help you cut down your drinking and eventually quit.”

Maintaining healthy blood pressure

Keeping blood pressure within a healthy range can be difficult for many consumers, but researchers have figured out several ways to make the process a bit easier.

Researchers recently found that both blueberries and napping can be effective for lowering blood pressure. Laws that regulate smoking indoors have also been linked to lowering blood pressure.

The housing market has been red hot in the last five years, but there have been signs it has cooled off in the last 12 months. A new academic study suggests it could get even cooler in the months ahead.

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and Florida International University have developed an index to track housing demand in the largest U.S. markets. It’s called the Beracha, Hardin & Johnson Buy vs. Rent (BH&J) Index.

In 19 of the 23 markets it tracks, it now shows “slight to significant” drops in demand from consumers interested in purchasing homes.

"Historical evidence indicates that home prices adjust to these directional pressures," said Ken Johnson, a real estate economist at FAU and one of the creators the index.

What it means for home prices

It stands to reason that a drop in demand would lead to a drop -- or at least a leveling off -- in home prices. Prices have risen consistently since the financial crisis because inventory levels -- the supply of available homes for sale -- has steadily decline.

But within the last year, the real estate industry has reported small increases in inventory levels. Real estate marketplace Zillow recently reported that buyers are are moving into the driver’s seat as the housing market slows, especially in some of the nation's hottest markets.

Zillow reports that market conditions now favor buyers more than they did a year ago, a conclusion it reached after analyzing the share of property listings with a price cut, the length of time it takes to sell a home, and the sale-to-list price ratio.

No surprise

"It is no surprise that the markets which pushed the bounds of affordability over the housing recovery are now experiencing significant cooling," said Skylar Olsen, Zillow director of economic research. "As down payments and mortgage payments far outpaced incomes, buyer demand eventually exhausted itself.”

The Florida researchers now conclude that many would-be buyers have left the market, content or resigned to rent a home for now. With fewer buyers ready to make a purchase, and with inventory levels slowly increasing, sellers may have to wait longer and accept less money to make a sale.

Of the 19 metro areas where housing demand is falling, the Florida researchers single out Dallas, Denver, and Houston as markets where demand is falling the fastest. They say demand is also falling in Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Seattle, San Francisco, and Miami, but at a slightly slower rate.

Medical experts have been encouraging consumers to get the flu shot for countless reasons, and a new study found that it has added heart benefits.

Researchers from the American College of Cardiology found that after analyzing over 30 million hospital records, patients who got their flu shot while in the hospital were 10 percent less likely to have a heart attack than those who didn’t get the flu shot.

“You don’t need to be a medical professional to see this data and understand the importance of getting the flu vaccine,” said Dr. Mariam Khandaker. “The flu vaccine should be considered primary prevention for heart attack, just like controlling your blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol.”

Staying heart healthy

To see how getting a flu shot while in the hospital affected patients’ likelihood of having a heart attack or other cardiovascular issues, the researchers evaluated hospital records from the 2014 National Inpatient Sample, which contained over 30 million patient files.

The researchers found that getting the flu shot while hospitalized was associated with fewer cardiovascular risks. The vaccine prevented nearly 5,000 heart attacks, which amounted to an overall 10 percent reduction risk of having a heart attack.

“By getting the flu vaccine, you can help to prevent this cascade of events from taking place, and, thus, prevent a heart attack,” said Dr. Khandaker. “While a person can still contract some strains of influenza after getting a flu shot, the vaccine can lower the severity of illness, and, thus, still potentially help to prevent a heart attack.”

Four percent of the unvaccinated group had a heart attack or related cardiovascular incident, whereas the vaccinated group was at three percent. Though this seems like a small margin, the researchers note that because of how large the study was, this difference is significant, further proving how beneficial the flu shot can be to patients.

“The flu vaccine is a very low-cost intervention, yet it’s still under-utilized,” Dr. Khandaker said. “It is important for physicians to educate patients about the benefits of vaccination in order to help them make informed decisions. Hospitals are a good venue to do this, in addition to other places such as the primary care clinic.”

Fighting the flu

Another recent study explored how the flu shot can help patients fighting heart disease.

Researchers found that patients who were newly diagnosed with heart failure who received the flu shot decreased their risk of death by nearly 20 percent, while yearly flu shot-recipients reduced their risk of death by over 10 percent.

“I hope that our study can assist in making physicians and cardiologists who care for patients with heart failure aware of how important influenza vaccination is for their patients,” said researcher Daniel Modin. “Influenza vaccination may be regarded as a standard treatment in heart failure similar to medications.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned consumers about this year’s flu season back in September, and experts say that the shot is imperative for consumers of all ages, but children, pregnant women, and the elderly are at the highest risk of contracting the flu and should make sure to get vaccinated.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling 8,933 model year 2017-2019 Fiat Spider 124s equipped with automatic transmissions.

Due to incorrect programming of the Transmission Control Module (TCM), certain conditions may cause the vehicle to downshift unexpectedly and decelerate abruptly, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will update the TCM software, free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin March 27, 2019.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V20.

Arctic Cat of Thief River Falls, Minn., is recalling about 200 Textron Havoc off-highway utility vehicles (ROVs).

Fuel can leak from the fuel line, posing a fire hazard.

No incidents or injuries have been reported.

This recall involves Model Year 2019 Textron Havoc off-highway utility vehicles manufactured by Arctic Cat.

The two-seat vehicles come in three color combinations: Charcoal metallic/black, red/black or white/black. The vehicles have Textron Off Road printed on each side of the hood and Havoc on each side of the rear cargo box.

Vehicle identification numbers (VIN) ending in 9007497 through 9007717 are included in this recall. The VIN is stamped under the vehicle’s front hood.

The ROVs, manufactured in the U.S., were sold at Textron Off Road and Arctic Cat dealers nationwide from October 2018, through January 2019, for between $14,000 and $18,000.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled vehicles and contact Arctic Cat to schedule a free repair. Arctic Cat is contacting all known purchasers directly.

Consumers may contact Arctic Cat at (800) 279-6851 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CT) Monday through Friday or online at www.textronoffroad.com and click on Recall Information located at the bottom of the page for more information.

Torrent Pharmaceuticals Limited is recalling 60 lots of Losartan potassium tablets and 54 lots of Losartan potassium/ hydrochlorothiazide tablets

The products, used to treat high blood pressure, contain trace amounts of an unexpected impurity, N-Methylnitrosobutyric acid (NMBA), that are above the acceptable daily intake levels released by the FDA.

There are no reports to date of adverse events related to this recall.

The following products are being recalled:

The recalled products were distributed nationwide to Torrent’s wholesale distributor, repackager and retail customers

What to do

Patients who are taking the medications should continue to do so, as the risk of harm to their health may be higher if the treatment is stopped immediately without any alternative treatment.

Patients should contact their pharmacist or physician who can advise them about an alternative treatment prior to returning their medication.

Torrent is arranging for return of all recalled products to Qualanex. Instructions for returning recalled products are given in a letter being sent to all customers.

Consumers with medical questions regarding this recall may contact Torrent Pharmaceuticals at (800) 912-9561 from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm (ET) or by email at Medinfo.Torrent@apcerls.com

Dynamic Tire Corp., is recalling 130 Sailun tires, S698 157/154 L PR20, size 315/80R22.5, produced June 18, 2018 – June 25, 2018.

The Tire Identification Number (TIN) on the tire sidewall is incomplete and does not include the date of manufacture.

Tires with an incomplete TIN and subject to a safety recall would be impossible to identify as being affected by a safety recall. Using tires affected by a safety recall can increase the risk of a crash.

What to do

Dynamic Tire has notified owners, and dealers will reimburse the purchase price or replace the tire, free of charge.

The recall began February 12, 2019.

Owners may contact Dynamic Tire customer service at 1-905-595-5558.

Volvo Car USA is recalling 45,990 model year 2018-2019 Volvo XC60s.

Under certain conditions and cold temperatures, the tailgate lifting arms may freeze which may cause them to separate from the vehicle.

If the tailgate lifting arms separate, they could project rearward with significant force, increasing the risk of injury.

What to do

Volvo has notified owners, and dealers will replace the tailgate lift arms with an improved design free of charge.

An interim notification was mailed on January 31, 2019 to notify owners of the issue. A second letter will be sent once remedy parts are available.

Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R89910.

After collecting $500,000 from computer masturbators, hackers looking for human vulnerabilities to exploit in exchange for a Bitcoin ransom appear to have found a new target: teenagers fretting over college.

Three prestigious private colleges -- Oberlin College in Ohio, Grinnell College in Iowa, and Hamilton College in New York -- were hacked through Slate, a third party system that colleges use to store information about applicants.

One applicant received a note offering “your entire admission file,” including “comments by admissions officers, assigned ratings, interview report (if present), teacher recommendations, tentative decision (if applying for regular)” for a mere 1 Bitcoin, the equivalent of $3,800. The offer later dropped to $60. The applicant posted the letter on Reddit. Asked about the breach, university officials confirmed that its Slate system was hacked.

“We have advised all of our colleges and universities to review the security practices of their single sign-on and password reset systems,” the CEO of Technolotions, the firm that runs Slate, told the Wall Street Journal.

Google Chrome

Google’s lead security engineer is warning everyone to update their Chrome browser after security researchers found a flaw that may allow hackers to remotely access and “hijack” computers through the desktop version of the app.  

Google has since addressed the breach, but the fact that the company had to be alerted to it by an outsider means the hackers had a decent head-start.

“Seriously update your Chrome installs... like right this minute,” security engineer Justin Schuh wrote on Twitter.

Local school district

A school district in Georgia says that hackers tried to access its payroll database and steal $2 million.

The Thomas County School System says it caught the plot via its security system and its banking partner. In recent years, local government websites and payroll systems have become a popular hacking target.

Time to “spring forward” this weekend. If you’re anything like most people, pushing your clock ahead may cause a little fatigue until your body catches up.

It’s also a change that can play havoc with commuters as they try and fend off driver fatigue and hazards on the road, says Virginia Tech Transportation Institute expert Jeff Hickman.  

“Any time change can exacerbate drowsiness because your internal clock has not adjusted to the time change. This can lead to disruptions in sleep until your body adjusts, which can take a few days to a week,” says Hickman.

Hickman notes that sleep deprivation is compounded because the sun doesn’t instantly jump forward when clocks do, forcing many commuters out on the streets and highways during morning darkness.

How to adjust to the time change

Hickman offered these tips for drivers to avoid fatigue:

Avoid driving during rush hour and from 2-4 a.m.

Crash risk increases during rush hours and from 2-4 a.m. Driving between 2-4 a.m. is particularly dangerous because a person’s circadian rhythm is at its lowest during this timeframe. And when a driver is already sleep-deprived, the desire to sleep during the circadian low is even greater.

Get a full night’s sleep

Drivers should try to sleep at least seven to eight hours in order to avoid drowsiness. However, one night’s rest may not be enough for someone who has experienced several sleepless nights. In those cases, the driver will need several days of restful sleep to compensate for the sleep debt.

Pay attention to signs of drowsy driving

Signs of drowsy driving include slow eyelid closures, yawning, gentle swaying of the head, seat fidgeting, difficulty staying in your lane, difficulty maintaining speed, and delayed reactions.

Be aware of other factors impacting drowsy driving

Situations that increase drowsiness are driving alone, monotonous road conditions (such as long straightaways with limited changes in the environment), long drives, and extended periods of heavy traffic.

Non-drivers have changes to deal with, too

“Each person is different. For some, this change will have no impact. For others, it may take a day or two -- and for some, it may take longer to adjust (maybe a week),” Hickman told ConsumerAffairs.

“Prior sleep deprivation is only make the effect of Daylight Savings Time (DST) worse. There's not much you can do at this point. If you're proactive, you could alter your bedtime/wake time by 10-15 minutes each day until you're aligned with DST. Going to bed an hour early the day before DST is likely to have limited benefit as your body's internal clock is still programmed to sleep and wake at a set time.”

An extra shot of coffee might help, too. Hickman told ConsumerAffairs that while caffeine is a good short-term countermeasure, 7-8 hours of sleep is the only effective countermeasure.

“Most people assume that each hour of sleep has the same restorative benefit (4 hours = 50% restoration); however, this is incorrect. The most benefit is achieved in hours 6-7 and 7-8.”

Don’t forget about the kids.

In a separate story about how time change impacts children, ConsumerAffairs reported that when the times of the day that usually correspond to certain amounts of light are altered, so are the signals that tell a child’s body when it’s time to start and end the day. According to the Pediatric Sleep Council, it can take children up to 10 days to fully reset their internal clock to Daylight Saving Time.

The Better Sleep Council added that tacking on an extra step or two to your child’s bedtime routine can also be beneficial, like reading a book together. Having them take a warm bath or shower can also help them relax before bed.

In a blog post on Thursday, Clement Lecigne of Google’s Threat Analysis Group disclosed that two zero-day vulnerabilities were discovered in Google Chrome. Chrome users are being urged to install the latest version of the browser right away.

"Seriously, update your Chrome installs... like right this minute," Google Chrome Security and Desktop Engineering Lead Justin Schuh wrote in a tweet.

The flaw has been deemed a high risk security flaw and has been exploited by hackers since last week.

"Google is aware of reports that an exploit for CVE-2019-5786 exists in the wild," the tech giant said. The company said it has “only observed active exploitation against Windows 7 32-bit systems.” Those users are urged to upgrade to Windows 10.

The bug was first reported on February 27, and Google quietly rolled out an update to address the issue two days later on March 1.

Chrome users are urged to verify that their browser updated automatically by opening Chrome, going to the menu, and then clicking “About Google Chrome.” The latest version of the software, which includes a fix for the issue, is version 72.0.3626.121.

Google said it’s refraining from providing additional details about the bug until a majority of Chrome users have installed the update.

Keeping blood pressure within healthy levels can feel like a balancing act for many consumers. Now, researchers have found that one method might be to get some extra sleep. The team found that taking a midday nap was effective in lowering blood pressure.

“These findings are important because a drop in blood pressure as small as 2 mm Hg can reduce the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack by up to 10 percent,” said Dr. Manolis Kallistratos. “Based on our findings, if someone has the luxury to take a nap during the day, it may also have benefits for high blood pressure. Napping can be easily adopted and doesn’t cost anything.”

Power of a nap

To see how napping would affect blood pressure, the researchers divided over 200 participants with an average blood pressure of nearly 130 mm Hg into two groups: napping and non-napping.

All participants received an echocardiogram at the start of the study and wore blood pressure monitors throughout the day to measure blood pressure during regular day-to-day activities. The researchers accounted for age, medications, gender, and lifestyle -- including eating habits and coffee and alcohol intake.

For those in the napping group, sleeping periods typically lasted for less than an hour. However, the researchers noted several benefits, including overall improved blood pressure readings.

According to the findings, blood pressure was over 5 mm Hg lower for those who napped compared with those who didn’t -- and the longer the nap, the better the results. For each hour the participant slept, his/her blood pressure dropped by 3 mm Hg.

While many consumers don’t have the time to nap extensively during the day, even a short nap could have some benefits.

“We obviously don’t want to encourage people to nap for hours on end during the day, but on the other hand, they shouldn’t feel guilty if they can take a short nap, given the potential health benefits,” Dr. Kallistratos said. “Even though both groups were receiving the same number of medications and blood pressure was well controlled, there was still a significant decrease in blood pressure among those who slept midday.”

Leading with sleep

This isn’t the only study of late to tout sleep as the answer to improved health. Recently, researchers found that short bouts of sleep could be effective in helping consumers make important decisions.

The study concluded that sleep positively impacts problem-solving abilities, which the researchers credit to the brain’s ability to process information better following periods of rest.

On the flip side, not getting enough sleep can have repercussions, both big and small. This proves how imperative sleep is to our overall functioning and well-being.

The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday unveiled a proposal that would make more workers eligible to receive overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The proposed rule rewrites the Obama administration’s “overtime rule,” which was adopted in 2016 but never took effect because it was blocked by a federal judge just a week before it was slated to take effect.

The new rule, if enacted, would mandate that workers who earn less than $35,308 a year ($455 to $679 per week) would be eligible for time-and-a-half pay for all hours worked beyond 40 in any given week. The current threshold is set at $23,660.

“The Department proposes to rescind formally the 2016 rule and propose a new rule that updates the minimum weekly standard salary level to reflect growth in wages and salaries, and allow the inclusion of certain nondiscretionary bonuses and incentive payments to count towards up to 10 percent of the standard salary level,” the DOL said in its proposal.

Instead of allowing the threshold to rise automatically with inflation, the new rule would require that the DOL update the threshold at its discretion every four years.

“This would provide clarity and help workers and employers by having a regular and orderly process for future changes,” the DOL wrote.

Expanding overtime eligibility

The proposal would bring overtime eligibility to 1.1 million additional workers. By comparison, the rule proposed by former President Barack Obama that was invalidated by a federal judge would have have brought overtime eligibility to 4.2 million workers.

"Our economy has more job openings than job seekers and more Americans are joining the labor force," Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta said in a news release. "... Today's proposal would bring common sense, consistency, and higher wages to working Americans."

In a statement, Heidi Shierholz, the DOL's chief economist under former President Obama and current director of policy at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, criticized the Labor Department’s weakened criteria for overtime eligibility.

"This administration is effectively turning its back on millions of workers. Trump and his cabinet are again siding with corporate interests over those of working people,” Shierholz wrote.

In a post on Medium, presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren outlined several reasons why she believes breaking up tech giants such as Amazon, Facebook, and Google will pave the way for the next generation of great U.S. tech companies to “flourish.”

Warren, a Democrat, says large companies like these should be broken up by the government because they tend to engage in anti-competitive behaviors and use their resources to create a monopoly.

"I want a government that makes sure everybody — even the biggest and most powerful companies in America — plays by the rules," Warren wrote. "And I want to make sure that the next generation of great American tech companies can flourish.”

“To do that, we need to stop this generation of big tech companies from throwing around their political power to shape the rules in their favor and throwing around their economic power to snuff out or buy up every potential competitor."

Warren’s proposals

To help level the playing field and promote competition, the Massachusetts Senator proposes designating large tech platforms as “platform utilities.”

“These companies would be prohibited from owning both the platform utility and any participants on that platform," Warren wrote.

Additionally, Warren proposes using mergers to limit competition.

“Facebook has purchased potential competitors Instagram and WhatsApp. Amazon has used its immense market power to force smaller competitors like Diapers.com to sell at a discounted rate. Google has snapped up the mapping company Waze and the ad company DoubleClick,” Warren noted.

“Rather than blocking these transactions for their negative long-term effects on competition and innovation, government regulators have waved them through,” she said.

By stemming the influence of large tech companies, Warren says tech entrepreneurs would be in a better position to compete with Amazon. The changes would also put pressure on Facebook to respect its users' privacy and would prevent Google from demoting competitors' search results.

“We must ensure that today’s tech giants do not crowd out potential competitors, smother the next generation of great tech companies, and wield so much power that they can undermine our democracy,” she wrote.

The proposed merger of T-Mobile and Sprint is still pending, but T-Mobile CEO John Legere has said 5G is one good reason for its approval.

Without a merger, he says both companies would have a difficult time building out their 5G networks the way their customers would want. With the merger, he says the new 5G network would be spectacular.

In a blog post this week, Legere revealed just how spectacular he thinks the combined company’s 5G network would be. Legere said consumers using the T-Mobile-Sprint home internet service would get speeds of 100 Mbps and higher. The system will be so simple, he writes, that consumers can install it themselves.

Best of all, he writes, 5G will give the large cable companies more competition than they’ve ever had before. Because of 5G’s massive capacity, consumers will be able to rely on wireless service for their internet service and get speeds as fast or faster than fiber optic connections. And though he made no mention of what 5G service will cost, Legere said it will be less than what consumers are now paying for a wired connection.

Opposition to the merger

The proposed merger would reduce the major wireless players from four to three and because of that, there are plenty of people who are against the merger. In December a group of consumer groups, labor unions, and industry associations formed the 4Competition Coalition, a new alliance aimed at derailing the merger.

The groups say reducing the number of wireless providers will give consumers fewer choices. T-Mobile and Sprint have countered that as separate, stand-alone companies they will not be able to compete with AT&T and Verizon in the 5G environment.

Earlier this year, two separate House committees held hearings on the proposed merger, voicing concern that low-income consumers make up a sizable portion of the two companies’ customers and could face higher prices as a result of the merger.

New York’s attorney general has made the same argument, but in his blog post this week Legere disagreed.

‘Competition’

“We’ll give millions of Americans – especially those in underserved rural areas – more choices and options for connecting to the internet and participating in the digital economy,” he wrote.

In his post, Legere used the word “competition” several times, making a case that combining T-Mobile and Sprint would not result in higher costs for consumers but might even bring them down.

“With our best-in-class 5G network we will offer a meaningful new option to millions of Americans in the form of New T-Mobile Home Internet,” Legere promised. “New T-Mobile’s business plan is to have 9.5 million customers for our in-home broadband service by 2024. We will bring competition, period!”

Legere says T-Mobile plans to test a home internet service using a 4G router and the carrier’s existing LTE network. Once the merger takes place, he says it will be upgraded to include 2.5 GHz spectrum and 5G compatible hardware.

Recent studies have found that many consumers are waiting until later in life to have children, and now a new study could inspire hope in women over 50.

Researchers have found that childbirth can be as safe for baby and mother after age 50 as it as at age 40.

“It turns out that 50 is the new 40 when it comes to childbirth,” said Dr. Eyal Sheiner. “There is no doubt that medical teams will need to handle increasing numbers of birth for women over age 50.”

Medical advances

Dr. Sheiner and his team evaluated over 240,000 deliveries to determine how older age affected childbirth. Women under 40 accounted for over 230,000 of those deliveries, while the remaining deliveries were all in women over 40.

The researchers wanted to assess any potential health complications for the baby during labor and delivery while also evaluating specific complications in older mothers, such as: C-section deliveries, premature births, hypertension, and diabetes while pregnant.

The researchers did notice that complications arose primarily in the women over 40, and most specifically, those between the ages of 40 and 50. However, that risk remained stable when the mother was over the age of 50.

Dr. Sheiner points to recent advances in medical technology, such as egg donation and extracellular fertilization, as the reason behind why many women have safe pregnancy and delivery experiences in older age.

However, despite these positive results, Dr. Sheiner notes that there are more factors to worry about for pregnant women over the age of 40. To help prevent any potential complications and ensure a safe pregnancy and delivery, he suggests healthcare providers track expectant mothers’ vitals carefully throughout the duration of the pregnancy.

The age old question

While much research has explored the potential consequences of women giving birth later in life, not much research has looked at how a father’s age can affect a newborn. Researchers from the Stanford School of Medicine recently found that the risk for complications increased the older the father was.

Once a father is 35, the baby is automatically at a higher risk for several health complications. A decade later, the baby is over 10 percent more likely to be premature and admitted into the NICU. The complications only increase when the father hits 50.

“We tend to look at maternal factors in evaluating associated birth risks, but this study shows that having a healthy baby is a team sport, and the father’s age contributes to the baby’s health too,” said researcher Michael Eisenberg.

However, there could be some upsides to having kids later in life. Researchers found behavioral problems are less likely when children are born to older mothers.

"We know that people become more mentally flexible with age, are more tolerant of other people and thrive better emotionally themselves,” researcher Dion Sommer said in a statement. “That's why psychological maturity may explain why older mothers do not scold and physically discipline their children as much.”

Honda’s small SUV, the HR-V, is the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) Top Safety Pick for 2019, with a few caveats. IIHS researchers specify that the car needs to be equipped with optional front crash prevention and specific headlights.

Honda has refreshed the HR-V model for 2019, and IIHS says those changes have been big improvements when it comes to keeping occupants safe. Updates to the vehicle’s structure improved frontal crash performance, as demonstrated in the IIHS' small and moderate front overlap tests.

Another safety feature, Honda Sensing, is now standard on EX and above trims. It includes Forward Collision Warning; Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) incorporating Lane Departure Warning (LDW); Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS); and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC).

Swept the crashworthiness tests

With these improvements, the HR-V won the highest possible rating of "Good" in all six crashworthiness tests and a "Superior" rating for its available Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS).

Kelley Blue Book’s (KBB) review of the Honda HR-V shows an MSRP range of between $21,515 and $29,535. The editor’s review calls it a small SUV that’s big on interior room, style, and safety.

“For those seeking compact-car dimensions, price, and fuel economy in a SUV-like form, the 2019 Honda HR-V pushes all the right buttons,” the reviewer writes. “Loaded with features and now with more trim choices and options, the HR-V offers more passenger volume than the Mazda CX-3, better fuel economy than the Chevy Trax or Jeep Renegade and, unlike the Nissan Kicks and Toyota C-HR, the option of all-wheel drive.”

Introduced in 2016 model year

Honda introduced the HR-V in the 2016 model year as an option for consumers looking for an entry-level SUV. It has a 1.8-liter I-4 rated at 141 hp engine under the hood. Front-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive is optional on all trim levels.

The 2019 HR-V was given an acceptable headlight rating for the LED reflector headlights on its Touring trim. However, the HR-V's base halogen headlight received a poor rating because IIHS said they provide inadequate visibility in multiple headlight test scenarios.

The HR-V made up for it with its showing in the driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraint tests, as well as a good or acceptable rating in the passenger-side small overlap front test.

IIHS said those are key elements to making it as the organization’s Top Safety Pick.