Current Events in September 2020

Uber has committed to becoming a zero-emission mobility platform by 2040. On Tuesday, the ride-hailing giant outlined several new initiatives that will help it meet that goal and mitigate its environmental impact.

“The path there will be electric. It will be shared. It will be with buses and trains and bicycles and scooters. These monumental changes won’t come easy. Or fast. But we have a plan to get there, and we need you to come along for the ride,” the company said in a statement.

The pandemic has given people “a glimpse of what life could be like with less traffic and cleaner air,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a virtual press event. However, the executive warned that emissions levels will soon return to normal.

COVID-19 “didn’t change the fact that climate change remains an existential threat and crisis that needs every person, every business in every nation to act,” he added. 

Switching to electric

Uber said on Tuesday that it is committing to getting its drivers in Europe, the U.S., and Canada to switch to using electric vehicles by 2025. To reach that goal, the company has set aside $800 million. Drivers can receive discounts on cars purchased or leased through Uber's auto partners, which include GM, Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi. 

Uber also wants to get its corporate operations down to net-zero emissions by 2030. 

The company also announced that it will launch “Uber Green” in 15 U.S. and Canadian cities. In exchange for paying a dollar more, riders can be picked up in an EV or hybrid electric vehicle. Uber said it expects the program to be launched in over 65 cities globally by the end of 2020.

“You can now tap a button and request a ride in an electric or hybrid vehicle in select cities around the world,” the company said. “Each Uber Green trip in a hybrid or electric vehicle emits at least 25% less carbon emissions compared to the average Uber ride.”

Uber has also released its first Climate Assessment and Performance Report to give people insight into how it’s doing in terms of lowering its emissions. The company found that vehicles on its platform were more efficient than cars with a single occupant, but its carbon intensity was higher than personal cars occupied by an “average” number of occupants. 

The ride-hailing firm said in the report that it hosted 4 billion rides across the U.S. and Canada from 2017 to 2019. However, officials said the current state of its operations is "unsustainable.” 

“It’s our responsibility as the largest mobility platform in the world to more aggressively tackle the challenge of climate change,” Uber said. “We want to do our part to build back better and drive a green recovery in our cities.”

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on NBC’s “TODAY” that Americans who don’t take a COVID-19 vaccine will become the “weak link that will allow this virus to replicate.” Bourla’s company is currently conducting late-stage clinical trials of a vaccine candidate. The executive said last week that Pfizer could have results from the trial as early as October.

Pfizer and other drugmakers are racing to develop a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, but research has indicated that many Americans aren’t ready to jump at the chance to take a vaccine when one becomes available. According to a recent Gallup poll, 35 percent of the U.S. population wouldn’t take the vaccine even if it was free, effective, and FDA-approved. 

Bourla said he understands people’s concern about vaccines, but he maintained that Pfizer will develop its vaccine “using the highest ethical standards.” He said his company will only request FDA authorization after data has shown that the vaccine is safe and effective. 

On Tuesday, Pfizer and other drugmakers signed a pledge confirming that they would “uphold the integrity of the scientific process” on the path toward developing the first COVID-19 vaccines. 

“We want it to be known that also in the current situation we are not willing to compromise safety and efficacy,” said co-signatory Ugur Sahin, CEO of Pfizer’s German partner BioNTech.

Fast-tracking vaccine authorization

The pledge came on the heels of a statement made by FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn, who said recently that the agency would be willing to speed up the federal approval process in order to get the vaccine out as soon as possible. 

Hahn clarified that emergency use authorization isn’t the same as FDA approval. However, he said he would be willing to issue the EUA if the benefits of releasing the vaccine as soon as possible outweighed the risks.

"We have a convergence of the COVID-19 pandemic with the political season, and we're just going to have to get through that and stick to our core principles,” Hahn told the Financial Times. “This is going to be a science, medicine, data decision. This is not going to be a political decision."

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said last week that things are “right on target” as far as vaccine development. 

”I think you’ll know by the end of this year, November, December, that we do have a safe and effective vaccine,” he told MSNBC.

Facebook is determined to make sure that any problems it experienced during the 2016 election don’t happen again in 2020.

The company announced earlier this month that it will stop running political ads the week before the November 3 election, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also published a manifesto to ensure that the platform keeps its nose clean. Now, on top of those efforts, the company is primed to pay users to log off before the upcoming election.

According to multiple reports, Facebook is looking for 200,000 to 400,000 users to take part in a study to gauge the impact of social media on voting. The platform will purportedly pay “selected members” up to $120 to deactivate their Facebook (FB) and Instagram (IG) accounts at the end of September, and the study will be published sometime in 2021.

“To continue to amplify all that is good for democracy on social media, and mitigate against that which is not, we need more objective, dispassionate, empirically grounded research,” Facebook said in describing the plan. To add to the objectivity of the research, the external researchers won’t be paid by Facebook and they won’t answer to Facebook either.

How do you sign up?

If you’re hoping to snare an extra $120, be patient. This is a don’t-call-us-we’ll-call-you deal. Facebook says it’s modeling study samples to give the survey the best chance of being scientifically accurate and representative of the U.S. adult population. 

The company said that “representative, scientific samples of people in the US” will see a notice in either Facebook or Instagram inviting them to participate. 

“Anyone who chooses to opt-in – whether it’s completing surveys or deactivating FB or IG for a period of time – will be compensated,” Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois tweeted. 

A number of consumer groups have filed comments with the Office of Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), opposing a proposed rule change they say will overturn state laws limiting how much interest consumers can be charged.

Currently, 45 states have laws on the books that cap interest rates at a certain level, usually around 36 percent. That makes it all but impossible for small-dollar lenders to operate in those states since the interest rate on these short-term loans can easily be in the triple digits.

Since national banks are not subject to state laws, some payday lenders have proposed teaming up with a bank when they make short-term loans. Consumers get the loan from a payday loan storefront, but the loan would actually come from the unregulated bank on paper, which under the law can charge whatever it wants.

“Under this proposal, a bank makes a loan if, as of the date of origination, it is named as the lender in the loan agreement or funds the loan,” the OCC said in its proposed rule change.

‘Explosive, high-cost loans’

Critics say this proposal would open up consumers to dangerous lending practices that could threaten their financial stability.

“This proposed rule would unleash predatory lending in all 50 states, including the 45 states that have enacted interest rate caps to protect their residents from exploitive, high-cost loans,” said Rachel Gittleman, financial services outreach manager at the Consumer Federation of America (CFA).

The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) calls the rule change an “end run,” allowing lenders to overcome state regulations that limit interest rates. Critics also call it a “rent-a-bank” scheme, since the bank of record has little involvement in the actual loan, though it may loan the money to the third-party lender, which in turn loans it to the consumer.

“The OCC’s proposal provides that a bank ‘makes’ the loan and thus is the lender -- so that state interest rate laws do not apply -- so long as the bank’s name is on the loan agreement or the bank funds the loan,” CRL said in a statement. “This rule would prohibit courts from looking behind the fine print form to the truth about which party is running the loan program and is the ‘true lender.’”

Who is the true lender?

The “true lender” part of the current regulation has allowed the courts to prevent evasions of state usury laws by looking beyond the official forms and determining what entity is actually making the loan. Lauren Saunders, director of the National Consumer Law Center, says that would end under the OCC’s proposed rule.

“The true lender doctrine has long been used to prevent payday lenders and other high-cost lenders from laundering their loans through banks, which are not subject to state interest rate caps,” Saunders said.

In a recent op-ed in American Banker, John Ryan, CEO of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, urged the OCC to let Congress determine what is and isn’t a bank, saying the emergence of the fintech industry has muddied the waters. 

Ryan also suggested that for a business to be considered a bank, it should be required to accept deposits as well as lend money.

While researchers have found ways consumers can protect themselves against Alzheimer’s disease, a new study is exploring how certain medications can increase the risk of cognitive decline.

According to researchers from the University of California at San Diego, anticholinergic drugs, which are used to treat everything from high blood pressure to allergies, can put consumers at an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. 

“This study...suggests that reducing anticholinergic drug use before cognitive problems may be important for preventing future negative effects on memory and thinking skills, especially for people at greater risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” said researcher Lisa Delano-Wood, PhD. 

Knowing the risks

The researchers had nearly 700 participants involved in the study, none of whom were exhibiting any signs of memory or cognitive struggles when the study began. Participants reported on the anticholinergic drugs they were taking, which can be administered as either over-the-counter or prescription drugs, and the researchers assessed their health outcomes over the course of a decade. 

The researchers learned that not only were the participants taking nearly five different types of anticholinergic drugs, but the doses of the drugs were much higher than what is typically recommended -- especially for older people. Taking these drugs in such high quantities was linked to memory and cognitive impairments as the study progressed. 

The researchers also looked at the participants’ genetic make-up to determine how the combination of any pre-existing factors and the presence of anticholinergic drugs could affect the likelihood of participants developing Alzheimer’s. Ultimately, the researchers also identified a link there, as cognitive impairments were 2.5 times more likely when participants were taking anticholinergic drugs and presented with existing risk factors. 

While the researchers plan to do more work in this area moving forward, they hope that these findings show how anticholinergic drugs can be a detriment to consumers’ cognitive function as they age. 

“This points to a potential area for improvement since reducing anticholinergic drug dosages may possibly delay cognitive decline,” said researcher Alexandra Weigand. “It’s important for older adults who take anticholinergic medications to regularly consult with their doctors and discuss medication use and dosages.” 

Nissan North America is recalling 5,520 model year 2020 Sentras.

The right-hand LED headlight may have been misaligned during production.

An improperly aimed headlight can result in insufficient illumination of the road while driving at night, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the right-hand LED headlight free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin October 5, 2020.

Owners may contact Nissan customer service at (800) 867-7669

Prima Wawona of Fresno, Calif., is recalling Wawona, Wawona Organic brand conventional and organic bagged peaches.

The products may be contaminated with Salmonella.

The recall is being made in connection with a Salmonella outbreak under investigation by the FDA and CDC that is suspected to have caused the illness of more than 60 people in nine states.

The peaches with the following product codes were sold in supermarkets from June 1, 2020 to August 19, 2020:

• Wawona Peaches – 033383322001
• Wawona Organic Peaches – 849315000400
• Prima® Peaches – 766342325903
• Organic Marketside Peaches – 849315000400
• Kroger Peaches – 011110181749
• Wegmans Peaches – 077890490488

The product codes may be found at the bottom of each package.

The recalled peaches were distributed through retailers in Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled products should discard or return them to the place of purchase for a refund.

Consumers with questions may contact Prima Wawona toll-free at (877) 722-7554, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, or online at wawonapacking.com.

Oberto Snacks of Kent, Wash., is recalling approximately 309 pounds of smoked sausages.

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

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions.

The following item, produced on March 21, 2020, is being recalled:

• 3-oz. flexible plastic packages containing “CATTLEMAN’S CUT SMOKED SAUSAGES OLD FASHIONED” with a “BEST BY 21MAR2021 22” date and a time range between 18:35 to 19:15.

The recalled product, bearing establishment number “EST. 2862B” inside the USDA mark of inspection, was shipped to retail locations nationwide.

What to do

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

Consumers with questions may contact Stephanie Larson at (253) 437-6330.

Hyundai and Kia are recalling nearly 600,000 cars in the U.S. because of a defect that the companies say could cause the vehicles to catch fire.

The affected vehicles are the 2013 through 2015 model years and include 283,803 Kia Optimas from 2013 to 2015 and 156,567 Kia Sorentos from 2014 and 2015. The recall involves 151,000 Hyundai Santa Fe SUVs from the 2013 to 2015 model years.

The jointly owned companies say the problem is caused when brake fluid leaks inside a hydraulic control unit for the anti-lock brakes. When that happens, it can cause an electrical short which can spark a fire. It’s not exactly a new issue because the automakers have been investigating it since 2018.

Hyundai has told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it has received 15 reports of engine fires caused by the leak. Kia has reported eight such incidents. Fortunately, neither brand has reported any injuries.

Previous recall

Earlier this year Hyundai recalled 429,686 model year 2006 through 2011 Elantras and model year 2007 through 2011 Elantra Touring vehicles for a similar fire-related issue.

The company said moisture could enter the anti-lock brake (ABS) module and result in an electrical short. The company cautioned that an electrical short within the ABS module may cause an engine compartment fire, even when the car is turned off, increasing the risk of an injury.

In the most recent recall, Hyundai-Kia said it would notify owners of affected vehicles and recommend that they take the cars to a dealer for inspection and repair.

In the meantime, owners who want to find out if their car is part of the recall can go to the NHTSA website and enter their vehicle’s VIN.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 6,166,939 (6,121,733)

Total U.S. deaths: 186,984 (186,018)

Total global cases: 26,383,872 (26,102,099)

Total global deaths: 870,176 (864,415)

Healthy August jobs report shows labor market is healing

In a sign that the economy is recovering from the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Labor Department reports that the economy produced 1.4 million jobs in August and the nation’s unemployment rate fell to 8.4 percent

Government hiring was a big driver of the increase, mainly due to an increase in U.S. Census workers. But there were also healthy gains in retail, business services, and leisure and hospitality, which had been hard-hit by the pandemic.

Among the unemployed, the number of people on temporary layoff fell by 3.1 million last month to 6.2 million, down considerably from the high of 18.1 million in April. But the number of permanent job losers increased by 534,000 to 3.4 million, an increase of 2.1 million since February.

Stimulus missing from government funding bill

Congress and the White House have agreed on a measure to fund the government and avoid a shutdown at the end of the month, but the measure contains no aid for consumers and businesses to weather the economic effects of the pandemic.

Republicans and Democrats are still far apart on what they think should be in an aid package and how much money it should contain. While the two sides are said to agree on many provisions, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has said the two sides are at odds on the question of funding state and local governments.

Vice President Mike Pence says funding the government with a clean continuing resolution keeps partisan disagreements out of the process. “Now, we can focus just on another relief bill, and we’re continuing to do that in good faith,” he told CNBC.  

A third of companies not sure when they’ll reopen offices

Millions of employees have been working from home since late March, and many businesses have been reevaluating their office needs. A new survey by The Conference Board suggests that the jury is still out on that question, with 35 percent of businesses reporting that they’re not sure when they’ll reopen their offices.

The survey also found that about 60 percent of companies have consulted their workers about returning to the workplace. Previous surveys have shown that employees generally prefer working virtually and believe they are more productive.

In deciding when and if to reopen workplaces, only 5 percent of businesses in the survey said wide availability of a proven vaccine would enter into the equation. The findings also reveal that, for offices that have reopened, only 67 percent are requiring employee screening, testing, or temperature checks.

White House task force says six states ignored recommendations

Health experts made tailored recommendations to states during the summer, but a White House coronavirus task force report shows that the guidance was mostly ignored by six states, including Missouri and Iowa, where cases have recently spiked.

The Missouri report recommended that officials in the state close bars and mandate masks. Missouri reportedly has the 10th highest case rate in the country. The report also pointed to colleges in Missouri and Iowa as trouble spots.

"University towns need a comprehensive plan that scales immediately for testing all returning students with routine surveillance testing to immediately identify new cases and outbreaks and isolate and quarantine," the report said.

Finally, a comfortable face mask

The world has learned in recent months what doctors and nurses have always known -- wearing a face mask all day isn’t that pleasant. But engineers at Georgia Tech have been working on that.

Engineers say their modular Georgia Tech mask combines a barrier filtration material with a stretchable fabric to hold it in place. Prototypes made for testing use hook and eye fasteners on the back of the head to keep the masks on. They also include a pocket for an optional filter to increase protection. The engineers contend that the prototypes have not shrunk or lost their shape after 20 washings.

“If we want to reopen the economy and ask people to go back to work, we need a mask that is both comfortable and effective,” said Sundaresan Jayaraman, a Georgia Tech professor. “We have taken a science-based approach to designing a better mask, and we are very passionate about getting this out so people can use it to help protect themselves and others from harm.”

Around the nation

• Washington: Washington, the first state to suffer a coronavirus outbreak earlier this year, is seeing its death numbers continue to decline. A new study also found that people 80 years old and older account for half the COVID-19 deaths in the state.

• Iowa: The state’s surge in new coronavirus cases is complicating efforts to reopen public schools. Gov. Kim Richards has ordered that schools provide at least 50 percent classroom instruction but a growing number of teachers and parents are rebelling. 

• Massachusetts: Bit Bar, an arcade based in Salem, has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Charlie Baker, claiming his reopening plan is unfair. The complaint says its games are similar to those found in casinos, which have reopened under the governor’s plan while arcades remain closed.

Johnson & Johnson announced Thursday that its potential COVID-19 vaccine prevented severe illness among a small group of hamsters.

In results published in the medical journal Nature Medicine, Johnson & Johnson said its researchers found in early research trials that a single dose of its coronavirus vaccine candidate shielded the hamsters from becoming severely ill for up to four weeks after being exposed to the virus. 

Compared to unvaccinated hamsters, those that were vaccinated generated enough antibodies to keep them from losing a significant amount of weight or experiencing other severe conditions like pneumonia. 

“This pre-clinical study further validates our confidence in our SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate,” Johnson & Johnson’s chief scientific officer, Paul Stoffels, said in a statement. “With our Phase 3 trials planned to start this month, we remain committed to expanding our manufacturing and distribution capabilities to enable global access to our SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate should it prove to be safe and effective in humans.” 

More tests coming

For the study, the researchers used Syrian golden hamsters. This type of hamster was chosen because they are more susceptible to diseases than monkeys.

Although the study was conducted on hamsters, the researchers said the findings could offer clues to protecting humans from becoming severely ill as a result of the virus. The researchers noted that COVID-19 is known to progress into severe disease in some people. 

The drugmaker said it will begin a 60,000-person trial to test the potential treatment in the second half of September.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said on Friday that it could cost about $1.8 billion to remove and replace Huawei and ZTE equipment in U.S. networks. 

In late June, the Chinese telecoms were formally designated as threats to national security. The FCC cited “a weight of evidence” showing that the companies could work with China’s intelligence service to harm U.S. communications. 

Based on a review of data it collected, the FCC estimates that it will cost $1.8 billion to excise these companies from more than 50 U.S networks receiving federal funds.

“By identifying the presence of insecure equipment and services in our networks, we can now work to ensure that these networks—especially those of small and rural carriers—rely on infrastructure from trusted vendors,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement.

Bolstering defenses

Pai added that he “once again” strongly urges Congress to “appropriate funding to reimburse carriers for replacing any equipment or services determined to be a national security threat so that we can protect our networks and the myriad parts of our economy and society that rely upon them.” 

In designating Huawei and ZTE as national security threats, the FCC said it “cannot and will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to exploit network vulnerabilities and compromise our critical communications infrastructure.” Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Taiwan have also banned Huawei. 

In March, President Trump signed legislation prohibiting carriers from using federal funds to purchase network equipment from Huawei and ZTE. Huawei has maintained that it’s not sharing data with the Chinese government. 

Recent studies have urged consumers to cut back on their red meat consumption, as even small quantities can negatively impact health outcomes. 

Now, a new study conducted by researchers from the University of South Australia has found that even certain cooking methods can affect consumers’ health when it comes to these foods. According to their work, cooking red meat at high temperatures releases certain compounds that can negatively affect heart health. 

“When red meat is seared at high temperatures, such as grilling, roasting, or frying, it creates compounds called advanced glycation end products -- or AEGs -- which when consumed, can accumulate in your body and interfere with normal cell function,” said researcher Dr. Permal Deo. “Consumption of high-AGE foods can increase our total daily AGE intake by 25 percent, with higher levels contributing to vascular and myocardial stiffening, inflammation, and oxidative stress -- all signs of degenerative disease.” 

Finding new cooking methods

To understand how different cooking methods could affect consumers’ heart health, the researchers had 51 participants try out two different diets over the course of two four-week periods. One diet utilized slower cooking methods and consisted primarily of white meat, whole grains, and nuts and legumes. The second diet included processed grains and more red meat that was cooked faster and at higher temperatures. 

After each four-week period, the researchers assessed the participants' health outcomes, paying particular attention to AGE levels and other proteins that could affect heart disease. 

The researchers learned that eating more red meat in general was associated with poorer health outcomes. However, it’s also important for consumers to note that the cooking method can play a big role. The researchers found that cooking red meat at higher heats changes its nutritional make-up and produces higher levels of AGE. 

“Frying, grilling, and searing may be the preferred cooking method of top chefs, but this might not be the best choice for people looking to cut their risk of disease,” said researcher Peter Clifton. 

Switching things up in the kitchen

Following a healthy diet is one of the key components of preventing heart disease. While many consumers may opt for alternatives to meat, the researchers recommend that consumers rethink how they typically do things in the kitchen. A new recipe could be effective in helping promote better heart health. 

“The message is pretty clear: if we want to reduce heart disease risk, we need to cut back on how much red meat we eat or be more considered about how we cook it,” said Clifton. “If you want to reduce your risk of excess AEGs, then slow cooked meals could be a better option for long-term health.” 

T-Mobile promised last year that it would provide internet connectivity to 10 million underserved student households if its merger with Sprint was approved. Now, the company has outlined its plan to make good on that promise. 

In an effort to close the “homework gap,” the company has opened up applications for its “Project 10Million” plan. T-Mobile has set aside $10.7 billion for the program, which will go toward providing connectivity to low-income families and students who are part of a national school lunch program. 

“Project 10Million gives eligible households 100GB of data per year and a FREE mobile hotspot for 5 years,” the carrier said on its website. “Plus, participating school districts have the option to apply the value of the free program, up to $500/year per student, towards additional data plans based on your students needs.” 

Increasing access to reliable internet

T-Mobile noted that internet connectivity has become even more crucial as many schools have shifted to online learning. 

“Even before the pandemic, more than 9 million of America’s 56 million school-age kids did not have access to reliable internet and could not complete after-school assignments,” the carrier said in a statement. “Now, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented 50 million students are learning remotely. Those without reliable internet connectivity will face an even bigger schoolwork gap as they are unable to participate in any type of online classroom learning.” 

School districts can get more information about Project 10Million or apply for the program here. Once an application is approved, students in the school district can get a free hotspot and 100GB of data over a year, or around 8GB per month. 

While many consumers use hair dye to switch up their current look or to mask aging hair, a new study is exploring the health risks associated with using such products. According to researchers, permanent hair dyes don’t increase the risk for all types of cancers or related deaths; however, there are certain types of cancers that are more likely when consumers regularly use hair dyes. 

“This prospective cohort study among mostly white U.S. women offers some reassurance against concerns that personal use of permanent hair dyes might be associated with increased risk of mortality,” the researchers wrote. “However, we did find a positive association for risk of some cancers, including basal cell carcinoma, breast cancer (estrogen receptor negative, progesterone receptor negative, hormone receptor negative), and ovarian cancer.” 

Knowing the health risks

The researchers conducted a study that followed over 117,000 women for 36 years to determine how their exposure to hair dye affected their likelihood of developing cancer. They drew data from the Nurses’ Health Study and tracked how often the women used permanent hair dyes and their subsequent health outcomes. 

Ultimately, the risk for most cancers and related deaths were low. Compared to those who never used hair dye, those who regularly dyed their hair showed no increased risk for developing several types of cancer, including cancers of the kidneys, lungs, or bladder, among several others. 

However, the researchers did find some health risks associated with using permanent hair dyes. In looking at various strains of skin cancer and breast cancer, the researchers noted that exposure to hair dye yielded mixed results. Some types of skin and breast cancer -- like basal cell carcinoma and estrogen receptor negative -- increased the risk of cancer, while others showed no increased risk -- like melanoma and hormone receptor positive. The researchers found that hair dye may also increase the risk for ovarian cancer. 

Ultimately, the risk for disease was higher the more times that women dyed their hair. 

Different hair colors could be affected differently

An interesting finding from this study was that women with different hair colors had different health results. For example, women with naturally darker hair were more likely to develop Hodgkin’s lymphoma, while women with naturally lighter hair were more susceptible to basal cell carcinoma. 

“Possible explanations could be that shades of permanent hair dye are associated with the concentration of ingredients, with darker colours having higher concentrations,” the researchers said. 

The researchers want to do more work in this area to better understand how natural hair color and exposure to hair dye could play a role in disease risk. 

Gas prices remained largely unchanged this week in spite of storm damage in the Gulf of Mexico and an approaching holiday weekend. Labor Day travelers should find prices at the pump about 34 cents a gallon less than last Labor Day weekend.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the national average price of regular gasoline is $2.22 a gallon, just a penny less than last Friday. The average price of premium is $2.82 a gallon, the same as last week. The average price of diesel fuel is $2.42 a gallon, a penny cheaper than last week.

The Memorial Day and Independence Day weekends saw far fewer motorists on the road than in years past but more people may hit the road over the Labor Day weekend. 

"For several weeks, we were all staying home per orders from our governors, but now with many restrictions lifted more people are willing to venture out, but still close to home," said Roger Block, president of Travel Leaders Network, a national travel agency.

The firm says 50 percent of travel requests submitted through the TravelLeaders.com website are for travel options between Fall 2020 and year's end.

Car buying could impact fuel prices

New research from Cars.com shows nearly 60 percent of Americans plan to travel this Labor Day weekend, nearly double the number compared to Memorial Day. The overwhelming majority say they plan to drive.

Because of that, Cars.com predicts car dealers will get visits this weekend from many of the people who aren’t on the road.

"We have tracked consumer sentiment about car buying and travel habits during the pandemic for months now — and our findings continue to show that more and more people are turning to car ownership because of the safety and freedom it provides," said Kelsey Mays, senior consumer affairs editor, Cars.com. "And, interestingly enough, this new generation of buyers - many who previously did not own a car, particularly in urban areas - are looking at sedans over the typically popular SUVs or crossovers as their vehicle of choice."

All of this could impact fuel prices down the road, causing demand to rise faster than expected. AAA points out that gasoline demand spiked in the last week and refinery operations in the Lake Charles, La., region are still down after Hurricane Laura stormed through the region late last month. So far, however, it’s had little impact on prices at the pump.

The states with the most expensive gas

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

• California ($3.24)

• Hawaii ($3.23)

• Washington ($2.83)

• Oregon ($2.67)

• Nevada ($2.69)

• Alaska ($2.55)

• Pennsylvania ($2.52)

• Utah ($2.48)

• Idaho ($2.46)

• Colorado ($2.36)

The states with the cheapest regular gas

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

• Mississippi ($1.88)

• Louisiana ($1.91)

• Texas ($1.91)

• Arkansas ($1.92)

• Alabama ($1.93)

• Oklahoma ($1.93)

• Missouri ($1.93)

• Tennessee ($1.98)

• South Carolina ($1.99)

• Kansas ($2.01)

An auto dealership group with locations in Arizona and New Mexico has agreed to shut down its entire operation as part of a court-approved settlement that resolves Federal Trade Commission (FTC) allegations that its dealerships cheated consumers and falsified information on vehicle financing applications.

The defendant in the case was Tate’s Auto Group, owner of Ford-Lincoln-Mercury and other dealerships in Winslow, AZ, Gallup, NM. The suit, originally filed in 2018, claimed that Richard Berry, one of the group’s’ officers, falsified consumers’ income and down payment information on vehicle loan applications. The FTC also charged Berry of misrepresenting important financial terms in advertisements. 

“These auto dealers sent bogus applications to finance companies to qualify consumers for car loans that they could not afford, subjecting the consumers to defaults and repossessions,” said Andrew Smith, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Falsifying income and down payment information on car loan documents is illegal, and the FTC won’t hesitate to take action against car dealers who engage in this harmful conduct.”

The Tate group is currently in Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings and has to pay up on a monetary judgment of $7,203,227, make the Commission an unsecured claimant in the bankruptcy proceedings, and destroy all information related to claims such as customer lists. 

Smarting from the doozy of a Bitcoin scam that compromised the Twitter accounts of the rich and famous, the social media company closed down the ability to download archives of “Your Twitter Data.” Now that the dust has settled and the apparent chief perpetrator has been arrested, it’s bringing that feature back.

Twitter apologized profusely for the incident, which plundered the accounts of everyone from Warren Buffett to Kanye West. Collectively, victims of the scheme posted similar tweets asking for donations via Bitcoin, but hackers also got a hold of some of those celebrities’ “Your Twitter Data” archives -- an intrusion that not only had the potential to steal private messages, but also personal data. 

How to turn personal data back on

Twitter’s process for retrieving personal data is fairly simple. To access it, just go to Settings > Account > Your Twitter data. Then, type in your password and click to start the transfer. One note of warning for Twitter app users: you might be transferred over to Twitter’s mobile website, but the platform says there’s nothing to worry about if that happens.

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling 4,854 model year 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, Jetta, Jetta GLI & Tiguan, and Audi Q5 & SQ5 and model year 2021 Volkswagen Atlas vehicles.

The front seat backrest frame may not have been welded properly.

The backrest adjustment could break in a crash, possibly reducing the amount of occupant restraint, thus increasing risk of injury.

What to do

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front seats, and -- as necessary -- replace the seatback frames free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin October 25, 2020.

Volkswagen owners may contact their customer service at (888) 241-2289. Audi owners may contact their customer service at (800) 822-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 72L1, 72K8, and 72K9.