Current Events in January 2021

By hook or crook, foreign actors continue to try to worm their way into U.S. companies and internet platforms. 

On Tuesday, CNBC reported that Google has uncovered a new twist in the cyber spy game, courtesy of North Korean state hackers who are trying yet another hacking angle. This time, it appears they’re targeting security researchers directly on social media.

Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) uncovered a campaign in which bad actors worked a confidence ploy to create credibility with security researchers by building out a research blog. The fraudsters also created multiple Twitter profiles and personas on LinkedIn, Telegram, Discord, Keybase, and via email so they could interact with potential targets. A brassy bunch, the actors even used their new Twitter profiles for posting links to their blog and posting videos of their claimed exploits.

Anyone concerned should pay attention to the details

To date, Google’s threat analysts say they’ve only seen these actors targeting Windows systems as a part of this campaign and that even computers running "fully patched and up-to-date Windows 10 and Chrome browser versions" still got infected.

Nonetheless, a red flag has been raised, and Google recommends that potential targets compartmentalize their research activities by “using separate physical or virtual machines for general web browsing, interacting with others in the research community, accepting files from third parties and your own security research.”

To help identify the sites, blogs, and accounts to stay away from, TAG has published a full list of actor controlled sites and accounts. It’s available here.

Google remains vigilant about security issues. To help circle the wagons against digital insurrections, the company offers rewards of up to $150,000 for anyone who can lead them to Chrome-related vulnerabilities like the ones leveraged in this situation.

Southwest announced Monday that it will no longer accept emotional support animals on flights beginning March 1. The company’s decision is in line with new regulations from the Department of Transportation (DOT) regarding trained service animals and emotional support animals. 

Late last year, the DOT reversed a rule that provided significant room for interpretation on what could be considered an emotional support animal. Some airlines claimed that passengers were claiming that their pet was for emotional support in order to avoid pet fees.

"We applaud the Department of Transportation's recent ruling that allows us to make these important changes to address numerous concerns raised by the public and airline employees regarding the transport of untrained animals in the cabins of aircraft," Steve Goldberg, Southwest’s Senior Vice President, Operations and Hospitality, said in a statement. 

Trained service dogs allowed

Going forward, the airline says it will only accept properly trained service dogs in cabins. 

"Southwest Airlines continues to support the ability of qualified individuals with a disability to bring trained service dogs for travel and remains committed to providing a positive and accessible travel experience for all of our Customers with disabilities,” Goldberg said.

Service dogs that will be allowed on flights will have to be trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities including “ a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability,” Southwest said. 

“Only dogs will be accepted (including those for psychiatric service) — no other species will be accepted as a trained service animal,” the airline added. 

Travelers who want to bring their non-service dog or cat on board as a pet will be required to pay a fee, and the animal must be kept in a carrier that fits under their seat. Southwest is reportedly the last major U.S. airline to ban emotional-support animals following the DOT’s policy change. 

Recent studies have highlighted the benefits associated with eating anti-inflammatory foods. Now, a new study conducted by researchers from Duke University found that exercise also helps reduce chronic inflammation. 

“Lots of processes are taking place throughout the human body during exercise, and it is difficult to tease apart which systems and cells are doing inside an active person,” said researcher Nenad Bursac. “We discovered that the muscle cells were capable of taking anti-inflammatory actions all on their own.” 

The power of exercise

For this study, the researchers utilized a platform they created that includes fully-functional replicas of human muscles. They exposed the muscles to interferon gamma molecules in several different experiments to simulate the effects of inflammation. The team wanted to see how these molecules affected muscles and whether exercise could be used to combat any negative effects. 

The first part of the study involved introducing interferon gamma to the human muscle models for one week straight. After that week, the muscles received both the interferon gamma molecule and a simulated exercise routine to try to combat the inflammatory properties. 

Prior to the exercise regimen, the researchers observed that the interferon gamma led to a significant loss of muscle mass and general strength. However, introducing simulated exercise eliminated nearly all of the negative effects of this exposure. 

“Not only did we confirm that interferon gamma primarily works through a specific signaling pathway, we showed that exercising muscle cells can directly counter this pro-inflammatory signaling independent of the presence of other cell types or tissues,” Bursac said. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope that the technology they used in this study can serve future projects that also benefit consumers’ health care needs. 

“When exercising, the muscle cells themselves were directly opposing the pro-inflammatory signal induced by interferon gamma, which we did not expect to happen,” said Bursac. “These results show just how valuable lab-grown human muscles might be in discovering new mechanisms of disease and potential treatments. There are notions out there that optimal levels and exercise regimes of exercise could fight chronic inflammation while not overstressing the cells. Maybe with our engineered muscle, we can help find out if such notions are true.” 

Newly elected U.S. President Joe Biden has laid out plans to scrap all gas-powered cars and trucks in the federal government’s fleet and put electric vehicles (EV) in their place.

Consumer demand for more traditional vehicles -- especially trucks -- is still vibrant, but EV sales nearly doubled from 2017-2019 and are continuing to climb. The EV rage seems to be an all-in thing. Even Cadillac has joined the race. 

Biden’s promise came alongside an executive order signed on Monday. His "Buy American” initiative is an administration kickstarter buoyed by an investment of “hundreds of billions of dollars” focused on supporting domestic industry, electric vehicles included.

“The federal government also owns an enormous fleet of vehicles, which we’re going to replace with clean, electric vehicles made right here in America by American workers, creating millions of jobs — a million autoworker jobs in clean energy — and vehicles that are net-zero emissions,” Biden said.

Putting foreign imports on alert

Biden says the “Buy American” effort will be “the largest mobilization of public investment in procurement, infrastructure, and R&D since World War Two,” but he also played a heavy-handed card directed at automakers who rely on inexpensive imports from overseas.

“With the executive order I’ll be signing today, we’ll increase Buy American requirements for these kinds of projects and improve the way we measure domestic content requirements. For example, right now, if you manufacture a vehicle for the federal government, you need to show that at least 50 percent of the components of that vehicle were made in America,” Biden said.

“But because of loopholes that have been expanded over time, you can count the least valuable possible parts as part of that 50 percent to say ‘Made in America,’ while the most valuable parts — the engines, the steel, the glass — are manufactured abroad.”

Creating more jobs

The President knows he’s going against the wind, and there’s a lot of catching up to do. However, he’s undaunted. “Basically we’re batting zero for two,” he said. “The content threshold of 50 percent isn’t high enough. And the way we measure the content doesn’t account for U.S. jobs and economic activity. We’re going to change that as well.”

“The executive action I’m signing today will not only require that companies make more of their components in America, but that the value of those components is contributing to our economy, measured by things like a number of American jobs created and/or supported,” the president stated.

The day after the Super Bowl, there is as much “water cooler” chatter about the commercials as there is about the game. This year, there will be fewer commercials to talk about.

A number of companies that traditionally make commercials for the big game have announced that they will forego ads during this year’s telecast. Instead, they’ll be redirecting that spending toward an assortment of public-spirited causes.

Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser beer, a fixture during the game’s commercial breaks for over three decades, is sitting out the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It released this YouTube video on Monday announcing its decision and explained that it will use the money it would have spent on the expensive advertisements to support an Ad Council campaign to provide information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.

“A key learning from 2020 is that we must prioritize humanity and purpose,” said Marcel Marcondes, U.S. CMO, Anheuser-Busch. 

Marcondes says any ads the company airs won’t be for its flagship product. Instead, he says the messages will be designed to ”provoke us to think about what matters most in life.”

Concern about the optics

Industry analysts say major brands are being careful not to damage their images. The optics of splashy, celebratory ads might not play so well with the public against a backdrop of a pandemic that has thrown millions out of work, closed thousands of businesses, and claimed the lives of more than 400,000 Americans.

Pepsi has said it will not air the number of commercials it has in past years. However, the soft drink giant remains the sole sponsor of the Super Bowl halftime show.

Rival Coca-Cola will also take a seat on the bench. It released a statement to CNBC, saying it had decided to focus on “investing in the right resources.” Coke has also been a victim of the pandemic, seeing its sales suffer over the last 10 months since a huge amount of its product is sold through bars and restaurants.

Fewer car ads

In recent years, Hyundai has been a regular sponsor of the most-watched sporting event of the year. But not in 2021.

A company spokesperson said the decision was likely for this year only and was "based on marketing priorities, the timing of upcoming vehicle launches, and where we felt it was best to allocate our marketing resources."

Audi is also taking a hiatus from advertising during this year’s game. In a statement, it said it is taking 2021 to “focus on new endeavors.”

The game’s newest sponsor, Little Caesar’s pizza, is also calling a timeout. The company, which aired its first Super Bowl commercial last year, said it doesn’t have a new message to share.

Instead of going down during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, new car sales continued to move higher, along with the prices consumers paid.

Because there was a supply and demand issue -- factories closed for several weeks early in the pandemic -- at times there were more buyers than there were cars for sale. As a result, dealers had less wiggle room and consumers paid an average of more than $40,000 for a new car in December, according to an analysis from Edmunds.com.

With those higher prices, financing periods got longer. Depending on the amount of the down payment -- and Edmunds says it averaged around 10 percent -- buyers are running the risk of soon owing more than the car is worth.

The Service Contract Industry Council (SCIC), Motor Vehicle Protection Products Association (MVPPA), and Guaranteed Asset Protection Alliance (GAPA) -- trade groups representing products designed to insulate car owners from that risk, say auto service contracts, GAP waivers, and vehicle protection products are now more important than ever.

‘Peace of mind’

"With new vehicle prices and the amount consumers are borrowing to finance the vehicles reaching record highs, consumers need the peace of mind a GAP waiver provides of knowing that if they suffer a total loss due to theft or accidental damage, it's not going to devastate them financially," said Tim Meenan, Executive Director of MVPPA, SCIC, and GAPA.

A GAP waiver, sometimes called GAP insurance, covers the difference between what the vehicle is worth and what the owner owes in the event of damage to or loss of the vehicle. A consumer may pay $40,000 for a vehicle but it is worth significantly less, as far as an insurance company is concerned, once it’s driven off the lot.

 "Also, as vehicle options and technology become more complex, repairs become more costly. That's why auto service contracts and vehicle protection products can help save consumers so much down the road," Meenan said.

Service contracts

Service contracts, sometimes called extended warranties, cover some repairs after the manufacturer’s warranty expires. Meenan says they have become more important as consumers have opted to finance their vehicles for six or seven years.

There are important differences when it comes to service contracts. A dealership may provide an extended warranty and may be a convenient option. Keep in mind it may limit where you have your car repaired.

ConsumerAffairs has collected thousands of verified reviews of auto warranty companies. You can check them out here.

Ford Motor Company is recalling 29,344 model year 2021 E-350s and E-450s.

The underside of the engine cover may have mispositioned insulation, allowing the cover to get excessively hot.

Direct and continuous contact with certain areas of engine cover surface in the passenger compartment may increase the risk of injury or burns to the skin of the driver or front seat passenger.

What to do

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine cover for gaps between the rubber seal and the insulation. If gaps are present, the dealer will install engine cover insulation patches in the right hand and left hand inner lower corners of the engine cover.

The dealer will also update the powertrain calibration for heat management under elevated idle conditions should a vehicle be equipped with SEIC or BCP, free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin February 8, 2021.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S73.

Pero Family Farms Food Company is recalling its Butternut Squash Trays.

The product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

No illnesses have been reported to date

A list of the recalled products, packaged in a flexible clear plastic container with labeling on the top and bottom of the container, or in a clear plastic bag, may be found here.

The recalled product was sold under the Pero Family Farms in retail stores in Louisiana, Florida, Texas, New York, Maine, Georgia, Ohio, Virginia, Alabama, Virginia and Missouri from January 2 – 11, 2021.

What to do

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

Consumers with questions may contact Nick Bergstrom at Pero Family Farms at (561) 498-5771 ext. 2107 from 8 am – 5pm (EST), Monday through Friday.

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

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 25,144,973 (25,111,828)

Total U.S. deaths: 419,341 (419,043)

Total global cases: 99,346,343 (99,105,389)

Total global deaths: 2,132,491 (2,127,884)

In the dark about vaccine supply

The newly appointed head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the government has no idea how much coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine is currently available. A number of states have complained of supply shortages in recent weeks.

“I can’t tell you how much vaccine we have, and if I can’t tell it to you then I can’t tell it to the governors and I can’t tell it to the state health officials,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told “Fox News Sunday.”

Walensky laid much of the blame for the distribution bottlenecks at the feet of the Trump administration. She said the gap in knowledge about vaccine supplies is indicative of “the challenges we’ve been left with.”

Hospitalizations decline

There’s finally some good news about the coronavirus. New cases that surged following holiday gatherings have started to decline, and so has the number of patients who require hospitalization.

"I think the next four weeks will be very telling, if that dip is temporary after the high of the holidays, or if we're heading in the right direction to improve our nation," said Dr. Shashank Ravi, assistant director at the Stanford, Conn., Emergency Department.

In Tennessee, a state described as the “epicenter” of a national outbreak a month ago, hospitalizations have declined by nearly a third.

CDC: Severe allergic reaction to vaccine is rare

While there have been isolated reports of people suffering severe anaphylaxis, or allergic reactions, to the coronavirus vaccines, a new government report calls those reactions “rare.”

In its report, the CDC followed vaccinations using the drug developed by Moderna and found that it caused few life-threatening reactions during the first three weeks of its availability.

CDC researchers were able to confirm 10 such reactions out of more than four million vaccinations. The report says people with an immediate allergic reaction to the first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine should not receive additional doses of either of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

More pandemic-related economic pain

As the labor market eroded in late 2020, coinciding with a big surge in virus cases, homeowners increasingly had a harder time keeping up with mortgage payments. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reports that the number of homeowners exiting forbearance programs has flatlined in recent weeks.

Mike Fratantoni, MBA's senior vice president and chief economist, says he’s concerned that the recent rise in new unemployment claims could be a troubling sign for the future. 

"Job market data continue to indicate weakness, and that means many homeowners who remain unemployed will need ongoing relief in the form of forbearance. While new forbearance requests remain relatively low, the availability of relief remains a necessary support for many homeowners."

Merck ends its vaccine effort

Citing disappointing clinical trial results, Merck said it will not continue its efforts to produce a vaccine against the virus. The company had been working on two potential vaccines.

The early tests showed both vaccines were able to generate an immune response in subjects, but not to the extent of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna products, both of which achieved 95 percent effectiveness.

Johnson & Johnson is in the final stages of its clinical trial on a one-dose vaccine. Over the weekend, Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), predicted that the company would apply for emergency use authorization in two weeks.

Around the nation

• Virginia: Data analyzed by the New York Times suggests that Virginia is the only state where there are significant increases in new cases of COVID-19. Virginia also reportedly ranks last among states in vaccine doses administered of those distributed.

• Iowa: Iowa is among the states now seeing new cases of the virus taper off, especially severe cases. State health officials report that the number of COVID-19 patients requiring hospital treatment has now fallen below 400.

• California: Gov. Gavin Newsom may lift regional coronavirus stay-at-home orders across California today, according to published reports. Such a change could allow restaurants and gyms in many counties to reopen outdoor dining and services.

In response to the rocky coronavirus (COVID-19) rollout, many of the nation’s retail pharmacies are stepping up to help. Starting soon, several of them say they will administer the vaccine in their stores.

Dr. Cheryl Pegus, Walmart’s executive vice president of health and wellness, said the company has the ability to provide the vaccine seven days a week at more than 5,000 Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies.

“As we look to a future when supply can meet demand and more people are eligible to receive the vaccine, we plan to offer the vaccine seven days a week at our pharmacies, through planned in-store vaccination clinics, and through large community events,” Pegus wrote in a company blog post. 

CVS and Walgreens have been working together to vaccinate at-risk populations in the nation’s long-term care facilities. Both companies now say they are ready to pivot to providing vaccinations at their pharmacies and in-store clinics.

“Thanks to the dedication of tens of thousands of Walgreens pharmacy team members, we have been able to provide 1 million COVID-19 vaccinations to those who need them most in just one month,” said John Standley, president, Walgreens. 

Challenges

Standley acknowledges the well-publicized challenges, but he said the process is already becoming smoother as government jurisdictions continue to advance their prioritization and distribution plans.

CVS Health said it has hired an additional 10,000 pharmacy technicians, pharmacists, and nurses to implement its part of the vaccine rollout and to help with testing. The company says it has administered over 12,000 doses of the vaccine to date.

The retailers say they stand ready to help whenever federal and state governments open vaccinations to the public at large and -- more importantly -- provide an adequate amount of vaccine.

Shortages

Many states have reported vaccine shortages, making it difficult to meet the demand from Americans who want the shots. Over the weekend, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said the U.S. government has no idea how much vaccine is currently available, and that puts states in a bind.

“If they don’t know how much vaccine they’re getting not just this week but next week and the week after they can’t plan,” Walensky told Fox News Sunday. “They can’t figure out how many sites to roll out, they can’t figure out how many vaccinators that they need, and they can’t figure out how many appointments to make for the public.”.

Vaccine supply is limited to what has been produced by the team of Pfizer and BioNTech and by Moderna -- the two vaccines that have emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

President Joe Biden is set to sign an executive order today aimed at strengthening U.S. manufacturing.

During his campaign, Biden said that he would bolster the government’s Buy American rules if elected. Monday’s “Made in America” order will come with a 180-day deadline to formalize changes, according to an administration official. 

"He believes we can rebuild the vitality of American manufacturing and our industrial strength. A big piece of that is centered around the idea that when we use taxpayer money to rebuild America, we buy American and we support American jobs," the official said.

Under the order, the Buy American program will be modified to make it more difficult for contractors to sell foreign-made goods to federal agencies. The order will also make it harder to obtain waivers that let agencies avoid the Buy American rules. 

Investing in U.S. workers

The manufacturing industry took a hit under the COVID-19 pandemic, and the sector is still down 543,000 jobs since February 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

The order is part of Biden’s "Build Back Better" plan to revitalize the U.S. economy. It seeks to ensure that "when the federal government spends taxpayer dollars they are spent on American made goods by American workers and with American-made component parts," the White House said in a briefing document.

The newly installed president has signed 30 executive orders in less than a week. A majority have focused on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and many have reversed policies enacted under the Trump administration. 

The president has started the process of bumping the minimum wage for federal workers to $15 and hour and has set out to provide additional relief to very low-income Americans. Additional orders focusing on racial equity, climate, health care, and immigration are expected to come this week. 

Several recent studies have explored the struggles that many women face with postpartum depression. However, relatively little research focuses on how men cope with new fatherhood. 

A new study conducted by researchers from Lund University found that depression is rather common for new fathers, and those emotions are often linked to feeling insecure in one’s romantic relationship. 

“Low self-confidence in close relationships seems to trigger parental stress, which in turn triggers the symptoms of depression,” said researcher Elia Psouni. 

Identifying depression-related triggers

For the study, the researchers surveyed over 500 fathers who had infants between the ages of one and 18 months old. They answered questions about their self-confidence, how they feel in their romantic relationships, and their overall mental health. 

The study revealed that 20 percent of the fathers involved in the study were experiencing severe depressive symptoms after the birth of their children. The researchers also learned that men who had partners experiencing postpartum depression were more likely to be struggling with their own mental health. 

“The study shows beyond doubt that parents affect one another and reveals the importance of monitoring how parents in various relationships and family constellations manage and fare over a long period,” Psouni said. 

While proximity to depression played a role in the new fathers’ mental health struggles, the researchers also found another common denominator among the men: low self-confidence. The researchers learned that many of the new fathers experiencing depression were also likely to lack confidence in their abilities to be a good parent and their roles in their romantic relationships. 

“Having a negative view of oneself, one’s own characteristics and abilities, while valuing other people highly often leads to a constant worry about not being good enough, about disappointing others and -- potentially -- losing them,” said Psouni. 

Google has announced plans to convert some of its facilities into COVID-19 vaccination sites. 

In a blog post, the company’s CEO Sundar Pichai said COVID-19 vaccines will be distributed at Google’s “buildings, parking lots and open spaces” in a number of major metropolitan areas, including at campuses in New York City, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Kirkland, Washington.

The clinics will be set up in accordance with guidance from local officials once enough doses become available. Google said the action was made possible through a partnership with One Medical and public health authorities. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected every community all over the world,” Pichai said. “It’s also inspired coordination between public and private sectors, and across international borders, on a remarkable scale. We can’t slow down now.”

Google said it plans to expand the sites nationally over time. The company also pledged $150 million to promote vaccine education and distribution. 

"While there is much uncertainty still ahead, the development of multiple safe vaccines in such a short time gives us reason for hope," Pichai wrote in a blog post. "We recognize that getting vaccines to people is a complex problem to solve, and we're committed to doing our part."

Tech companies stepping up 

Google isn’t the only tech giant lending a hand in the effort to vaccinate people. Microsoft has also announced that it will allow its campus in Redmond, Washington to be used as a vaccine distribution site. 

Amazon has also offered up its facilities, saying in a letter to the Biden administration last week that it’s "prepared to leverage our operations, information technology, and communications capabilities and expertise to assist your administration's vaccination efforts.” Amazon asked for workers at its fulfillment centers, data centers, and Whole Foods stores to receive vaccines at the “earliest appropriate time.” 

Recent studies have explored the consequences of rising global temperatures. Now, new data from NASA is looking at just how warm it was over the last year. 

According to findings from a new study, experts found that 2020 tied with 2016 for the warmest year on record. The researchers say they’re concerned about what consistently rising temperatures mean for consumers and the environment moving forward. 

“The last seven years have been the warmest seven years on record, typifying the ongoing and dramatic warming trend,” said researcher Gavin Schmidt. “Whether one year is a record or not is not really that important -- the important things are long-term trends. With these trends, and as the human impact on the climate increases, we have to expect that records will continue to be broken.” 

What contributes to global temperatures?

NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) tracks the global temperature each year using data from weather stations, ocean temperature readings, and satellites that track changes in the atmosphere. Each year, they compare the global temperature to the baseline temperature calculated between 1951 and 1980. 

They learned that 2020 was almost two degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the baseline temperature, and it tied with 2016 as the warmest year ever on record. The researchers at NASA explained that there are several factors that contribute to rising global temperatures, and 2020 had a wide array of influences that came into play. 

The researchers credit the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) for having the biggest impact on rising global temperatures. They explained that fluctuations in ocean temperatures affect the speed, direction, and temperature of the winds, all of which can then impact the overall temperature on Earth. Wind patterns are calmer when ocean temperatures rise, but this also releases more heat into the atmosphere and can increase temperatures around the world.

“The previous record warm year, 2016, received a significant boost from a strong El Nino,” said Schmidt. “The lack of a similar assist from El Nino this year is evidence that the background climate continues to warm due to greenhouse gases.” 

Wildfires also play a role

On a different note, the Australian wildfires that affected the continent for nearly half of 2020 had both positive and negative impacts on the environment. While the fires led to the devastation of millions of acres of land and contributed to more debris and pollution in the air, the lack of sunlight for months on end likely benefited the overall global temperature. 

The study also showed that efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic played a role in the yearly temperature reading. Global shutdowns that led to improvements in air pollution and lower CO2 emissions were believed to be a positive to come out of the pandemic; however, this actually contributed to the rising global temperature. 

The researchers explained that carbon dioxide (CO) emissions were at record lows, but overall CO2 emissions remain consistently high, and that’s what affects the global temperature. While improvements to air pollution may seem like a positive, the researchers say it actually leads to more heat by creating more opportunities for sunlight to reach the earth. 

The researchers hope that these findings shed light on the state of climate change, and how many of our actions can contribute to rising global temperatures. Ultimately, these factors will have long-term effects on the planet, and it’s important that consumers understand the implications of consistently high global temperatures. 

Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched 143 spacecraft on Sunday morning -- the most satellites sent skyward in a single launch -- to support the company’s new budget-minded SmallSat Rideshare Program.

Don’t let the word “rideshare” throw you off and leave you thinking about booking a weekend trip to sunny Saturn. In the SmallSat way of life, “rideshare” simply means that a group of microsatellites is going along for the ride when SpaceX sends a rocket into space. 

In the grand scheme of things, Musk’s idea is to offer a “family of Launch Vehicles that improves launch reliability and increases access to space” in a cost-effective way -- as little as $1 million for the first 485 pounds.

What’s in it for consumers?

Private spaceflight in the Earth’s orbit includes a slew of consumer end-uses. Among them are communications satellites and satellite radio/TV. 

Several companies -- like the Bill Gates-backed Teledesic -- got into the game in the 1990s to try to beam more affordable communications and internet services from space, but playing that game was more expensive and less popular than many thought it would be. Many of those early efforts wound up in bankruptcy. Now -- 30 years later -- things have started to change. 

“Satellite technology is far cheaper and more advanced. And, thanks primarily to SpaceX, the price of launching payloads into orbit has plummeted,” wrote CNN Business’ Jackie Wattles. Musk seems to be on track to avoid all the potential pitfalls that sank SpaceX’s predecessors: how to economically mass produce satellites, offer an affordable internet service that can match the speeds of cable and wireless — “and avoid Chapter 11 along the way,” Wattles added.

One interesting upshot of the rush to put more satellites in the sky is how it ties into the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s been a higher demand for cloud services since companies began relying more on a teleworking model for their employees over the past year. Companies like SpaceX might be able to offer a more affordable solution to this new normal.

Despite the financial hit that Teledesic took back in the day, Gates is back and working with Musk on this venture. In October, Microsoft announced that it was partnering with Musk’s SpaceX in an effort to expand its cloud-computing platform and hopefully get a leg up on its cloud platform foe, Amazon.com. 

A new space race is heating up

The new space race isn’t between the U.S. and Russia anymore. Now, it’s a commercial venture with dozen of private companies in the game. The competitors range from wannabe start-ups backed by Virgin Atlantic’s Richard Branson to the well-heeled Northrop Grumman Corporation, one of the world's most powerful military technology providers and weapons manufacturers.

Musk’s sales team is already doing its job at an impressive pace. In October 2020, SpaceX beat out rivals to score a $149 million deal with the Pentagon to build missile-tracking satellites. If all goes well with that contract, there certainly could be more.

There could also be more in the way of competition. Finally, after a 20-year incubation, Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin is reportedly scheduling a debut launch of its New Glenn rocket in 2021. New Glenn will not only deploy a self-contained satellite group as large as SpaceX’s, but it will also carry people and payloads to Earth’s orbit and beyond. Blue Origin is already booking passage on its New Shepard rockets at a price of $200,000 for an 11-minute flight.

Tesla is suing one of its former employees for allegedly stealing “highly confidential” company information. 

In a lawsuit filed Friday, the electric automaker claimed software engineer Alex Khatilov breached contract by stealing “thousands” of software files from its Warp Drive system within just a few days of working on the company’s quality assurance team. 

Khatilov claimed he transferred the files to his personal Dropbox account “unintentionally” and told investigators that he “forgot” the files were there. He claimed he was instructed to download the files to his computer because his job would have him working with them. 

But the complaint alleges that Khatilov’s actions were “willful and malicious, and with the deliberate intent to injure Tesla’s business.” 

Copying the roadmap

Tesla’s Warp Drive software helps automate purchasing and other systems within the company. Tesla claims the stolen code and software could be used by competitors to figure out “which systems Tesla believes are important and valuable to automate and how to automate them – providing a roadmap to copy Tesla’s innovation,” according to the suit.

The siphoned materials were the result of an estimated “200 man-years of work,” Tesla claims.

Tesla has previously sued rivals, such as electric automaker Rivian, for allegedly stealing trade secrets. In 2018, the company accused another ex-employee of stealing source code related to its Autopilot system and in 2019, the company sued Zoox for hiring employees that possessed internal Tesla documents. 

The numbers are in. In the midst of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the nation’s housing market had its best year in 2020 since 2006, just before the market crashed in a wave of foreclosures.

Sales were strong into the end of the year. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports existing-home sales rose in December by 0.7 percent. Sales in 2020 were up 22.2 percent from 2019.

"Home sales rose in December, and for 2020 as a whole, we saw sales perform at their highest levels since 2006, despite the pandemic," said Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist. "What's even better is that this momentum is likely to carry into the new year, with more buyers expected to enter the market."

While that’s great for people trying to sell a home, it’s not so good for people hoping to buy one. With more would-be buyers than sellers, home prices moved sharply higher last year. NAR reports the median sale price was $309,800, up 12.9 percent from one year ago. Housing inventory sank to 1.07 million and a 1.9-month supply -- both historic lows.

Local market distortions

Real Estate broker Redfin recently reported that some housing markets have seen bigger price distortions because people with high-paying jobs in expensive markets are suddenly moving in because they can now work from anywhere.

The company reports Nashville, Atlanta, and Austin are three cities where locals looking for a home have had to compete with wealthier newcomers. As a result, there are fewer homes, and the ones that are available cost more.

Nashville real estate agent Mike Estes says he’s worked with a number of clients moving to the area from Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. Estes says his clients are shocked at how much house their money can buy.

"I've lived in Nashville for 14 years and the joke is that $500,000 to $700,000 is the new $300,000 to $500,000," said Estes. 

Double-edged sword for the locals

But he notes the rapid rise in prices is displacing some longtime residents who find that price range too steep. And while local homeowners are pleased with the increase in their property values, Estes says that they can't capitalize on it unless they relocate to a less expensive market.

Meanwhile, industry analysts say the buying frenzy probably isn’t over. With the stock market and housing market rising in tandem, there’s a lot of money sloshing around in the system.

"Buyers are likely disappointed by the lack of new homes listed in the past month," said Redfin’s chief economist Daryl Fairweather. "But that's not stopping them from making offers on what is on the market, which is sending pending sales up. It's looking like 2021 will see a housing market frenzy that will rival what we experienced in 2020."

General Motors is recalling 464 model year 2020 Chevrolet Bolt Evs.

The vehicles may have an improperly cast front left brake caliper that can fracture during a high-pressure braking event.

If a brake caliper fractures and brake fluid is lost, the vehicle may experience reduced brake performance , increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the casting lot number on the front left brake caliper and replace it -- if necessary -- free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin February 5, 2021.

Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at (800) 222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202321400.