Current Events in January 2021

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

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 24,087,284 (23,952,960)

Total U.S. deaths: 399,264 (397,672)

Total global cases: 95,703,104 (95, 179,173)

Total global deaths: 2,044,445 (2,033,641)

Two million deaths and counting

Over the long holiday weekend, the worldwide death toll from the coronavirus (COVID-19) passed the 2 million mark. Today the U.S. death toll is close to 400,000.

In fact, the U.S. has by far recorded the largest number of COVID-19 deaths of any country. The second-largest number of deaths attributed to the virus is in Brazil with 210,000 deaths.

China, where the virus originated, has recorded only 4,700 deaths since the pandemic began. The U.S. daily death toll is getting close to that number.

Second variant of the coronavirus found in Germany

Health officials expressed concern, a few weeks ago, when a variant of the coronavirus was found in the U.K. Now, a second variant has been found at a hospital in Germany.

The slightly different form of the virus was discovered in 35 of 73 newly-infected people at a hospital in Bavaria. Samples are reportedly being studied at the Charité University Hospital in Berlin.

Officials said the variant is different from the recently discovered variant in the U.K. and South Africa, which is no more deadly than the original but is said to spread more easily.

WHO opposes ‘vaccination passport’ idea

The World Health Organization (WHO) has gone on the record opposing a proposal floated in some countries to create “vaccination passports” for people who have received the coronavirus vaccine.

The objective is to allow people who have received the vaccine to return to normal life faster and make travel easier. However, the WHO says that could be unwise.

“Being vaccinated should not exempt international travelers from complying with other travel risk reduction measures,” the WHO Emergency Committee stressed during its recent meeting.

Biden won’t lift travel ban

The outgoing Trump administration and incoming Biden administration are at odds over restrictions placed on travelers entering the U.S. from certain countries. Hours after Trump said the restrictions would be lifted, a spokeswoman for Biden said they wouldn’t.

“With the pandemic worsening, and more contagious variants emerging around the world, this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel,” tweeted President-elect Joe Biden’s spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

The current policy bans entry on most people traveling from the UK., Europe, and Brazil.

Blood pressure medicine a non-factor in COVID-19

If you take common blood pressure medicine, you may have been concerned about reports that it could make you more vulnerable to the effects of the coronavirus. Researchers say it’s not true.

The UCLA scientists found that there was no increased risk of COVID-19 diagnosis, hospitalization, or subsequent complications for users of either angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)

“People with hypertension have worse COVID-19 outcomes, and there remains speculation that some anti-hypertensive medications may be detrimental,” said lead researcher Dr. Marc Suchard. “The clear answer is that ACE inhibitors and ARBs pose no increased risk as compared to other treatments.”

Around the nation

Massachusetts: Businesses throughout the state that survived with the help of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans last year are facing a painful reality. While the U.S. government is not taxing those forgiven loans, the state of Massachusetts is.

Nebraska: State health officials have delivered some positive news amid the rising cases of the virus. The number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus in the state has dropped to 429, the lowest number in nearly three months.

Oregon: Routine screening has identified someone at the University of Portland with the mutant version of the coronavirus. The person, who had no symptoms, was quickly quarantined. State health officials say it’s likely there are other cases in the state.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) has told the incoming Biden-Harris transition team that its members are primed and ready to serve as vaccination sites, pitching the idea to the incoming administration that hotels have an array of pluses that many other venues don’t.

“As you know, administering the vaccine on a national level will be a significant undertaking requiring innovative solutions and collaboration. To aide in the distribution, the hotel industry is asking that hotels be considered as an option for vaccine administration sites in partnership with public health departments,” AHLA’s President and CEO, Chip Rogers, suggested in a letter to the Biden-Harris team.

The AHLA has some wind behind its back going into this idea. In the early stages of the pandemic, it launched the “Hospitality for Hope” initiative, offering 2.3 million rooms in close proximity to established healthcare facilities so frontline workers had a place to stay. 

Hotels as vaccination sites

It might seem braggadocious for the AHLA to say it has a “unique capability," but in this situation, all of the pieces do seem to fit. 

“Administering the vaccine on a national scale and of this magnitude is a significant undertaking and hotels bring a unique set of infrastructural and operational capabilities to serve as vaccine administration sites that public health agencies should seriously consider utilizing,” said Rear Adm. (retired) Louis Tripoli, MD, former command surgeon, US Pacific Command.

“With a substantial network of properties across the country with excess capacity right now due to the drop in travel demand, hotels could be a major asset in helping administer the vaccine safely and more conveniently to the American public.” 

A number of pluses

In pitching the idea to Biden-Harris administration, the ALHA said hotels are uniquely suited to serving as vaccine distribution sites due to the following characteristics: 

Geographic reach: The AHLA says it has upwards of 50,000 hotels in the U.S. cities, suburbs, and rural communities and covers every state.

Available capacity: While hotels are taking a hit by running at less than 50 percent COVID-driven occupancy rates, the AHLA’s pitch, if successful, could help turn that around. The group is trying to convince the incoming administration that its properties provide comfortable and flexible lodging options for families to vaccinate.

Property design and operation: The AHLA says its member hotels operate “24/7” and have everything from private rooms to ballrooms and outside areas pre-equipped for round-the-clock vaccination administration.

Comprehensive cleanliness protocols: “The industry has also adopted AHLA’s Safe Stay, an enhanced cleaning initiative that builds on the hotel industry’s long-standing commitment and operations procedures to ensure the safety of guests during the ongoing public health crisis,” Rogers reminded the Biden-Harris team.

Infrastructure: Another incentive the group pitched is that most hotels have ample parking and usually accessible from major transportation hubs. Rogers added that on top of that, parking lots could be utilized for vaccination administration, similar to drive-thru testing sites.

Refrigeration capabilities: One thing most people take for granted but makes perfect sense in this situation is that many hotels have refrigeration capabilities that could be used to store vaccines.

Diet has been closely linked with heart disease risk, and many recent studies have touted the benefits of consumers opting for more plant-based options as a means of improving their heart health. 

Now, a new study is focusing on how consumers’ fried food intake can negatively affect their health. Experts have found that the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke is linked to fried food consumption; the more fast food consumers eat, the greater the risk of heart disease or stroke. 

“Our meta-analysis indicates that fried-food consumption is associated with increased risk of CVD,” the researchers wrote. “The findings may support public health recommendations to control fried-food intake for preventing CVD.” 

Fried foods compromise health

The researchers analyzed data from nearly 20 previous studies to determine how fried food can impact consumers’ risk of developing cardiovascular disease. In analyzing data from over 754,000 study participants, the researchers were able to compare diet choices with health outcomes. 

They learned that participants who ate the highest quantities of fried foods were at the greatest risk of cardiovascular disease or stroke. Heart failure was the most common risk linked to fried food consumption; those who ate the most fried food were nearly 40 percent more likely to experience heart failure. That risk increased by 12 percent with each additional 114 grams of fried food consumed each week. 

Generally, fast food consumption was linked with poor health outcomes. The study showed that frequent fast food eaters were nearly 30 percent more likely to experience a serious cardiovascular event and more than 20 percent likely to develop heart disease. 

The researchers attribute the high fat content and inflammatory properties in fried food to be the reason behind the cardiovascular disease risk. While they plan to do more studies to better understand how fried food can impact consumers’ health, they hope that these findings can serve as a guide to establish stricter dietary recommendations for consumers. 

“Our study provided evidence for the adverse effects of consuming fried food on CVD and can be useful for dietary guidelines,” the researchers wrote. “[World Health Organization] suggested limiting fried-food consumption to reduce the amount of total fat intake and industrially produced trans-fatty acid intake for a healthy diet. However, no dietary guideline is approved for the specific effect of fried-food consumption on CVD.” 

Microsoft has announced that it’s teaming up with Cruise and General Motors to make the use of self-driving cars a not-too-distant reality. 

Cruise, the self-driving subsidiary of GM, has entered a “long-term strategic partnership” with Microsoft to “accelerate the commercialization of self-driving vehicles.” In an announcement, Microsoft said Cruise will use its Azure cloud platform to deliver self-driving technology “at scale.” 

“To unlock the potential of cloud computing for self-driving vehicles, Cruise will leverage Azure, Microsoft’s cloud and edge computing platform, to commercialize its unique autonomous vehicle solutions at scale,” the company said. 

Microsoft, meanwhile, will use Cruise’s knowledge of how to serve transportation companies. 

“Microsoft, as Cruise’s preferred cloud provider, will also tap into Cruise’s deep industry expertise to enhance its customer-driven product innovation and serve transportation companies across the globe through continued investment in Azure,” Microsoft said. 

The software giant is also joining GM, Honda, and previous investors in an equity investment of $2 billion for Cruise. The investment brings Cruise’s valuation to $30 billion, a jump which should help the AV company financially survive the pandemic and compete with rivals like Waymo. 

Accelerating the adoption of AVs

On Twitter, Cruise President and Chief Technical Officer Kyle Vogt said autonomous vehicles will be “a major lifestyle upgrade for billions of people, and one that requires almost zero effort to unlock.” 

“Tech to do this is hard,” Vogt said. “It’s not just AI, but realtime, safety-critical AI. There's also manufacturing, industrializing new tech, and rollout of fleets. Few companies can acquire or already possess the critical mass of talent, capital, tech, and expertise to pull this off.” 

“A handful of front-runner AV companies that look most likely to win are attracting substantially all of the best human capital and a huge chunk of the financial capital,” Vogt continued. “That is how a company without millions of customers can be valued at $30 billion. We’ve made some incredible progress towards this vision, but there is much left to do. Back to work!”

Fiat Chrysler (FCA) completed its merger with European automaker Peugeot over the weekend and announced the combined company has a new name -- Stellantis.

The move took some automotive experts by surprise since carmakers spend billions of dollars building name recognition for their brand. But others said the move resolves the sticky issue of which company name would come first, as in the case of Fiat Chrysler.

Stellantis is now the world’s fourth-largest automaker. When it finally announced its commitment to merge with Peugeot a year ago, FCA estimated the merged company would sell 8.7 million vehicles annually, with an operating profit margin of around 6.6 percent. 

Both companies said the merger would put the new automaker in a strong financial position that would give it significant flexibility and the budget to carry out strategic plans and invest in new technologies throughout the cycle.

"This is a union of two companies with incredible brands and a skilled and dedicated workforce,” FCA CEO Mike Manley said in December 2019. Both have faced the toughest of times and have emerged as agile, smart, formidable competitors.”

FCA was created by the merger of Chrysler, one of the “big three” U.S. automakers, and Italian carmaker Fiat. Chrysler was founded in 1925 and struggled through the 1970s. However, it enjoyed a rebirth in the 1980s under the leadership of CEO Lee Iacocca. 

Will stick with 14 brands

Executives at the combined company said Stellantis will continue to operate 14 current brands, seven from each company. However, it’s unclear which models will make the cut and which ones will go the way of the Studebaker. 

In Car and Driver’s recent list of the best-selling vehicles in America, only three FCA models were in the top 25 -- the Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, and Ram pickup.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal suggests the Stellantis brand for an automaker may take some getting used to. It quotes several automotive writers who panned the name selection, saying Stellantis sounds more like a prescription medication. 

One headline announcing the name change carried the headline, “Take two Stellantis and call me in the morning.”

Over the last 10 months, Americans for the most part have grown accustomed to wearing a mask in public spaces. But many health experts are now suggesting that not just any mask will do.

In a recent Op-Ed piece, medical publication STAT News pointed out that the newly-discovered coronavirus (COVID-19) variant, first found in the UK, is more easily spread from person to person and is more difficult to contain.

“While most masks provide some level of protection for the wearers and those around them, many masks, including the widely used cloth and surgical masks, only partially filter the small COVID-19-spreading particles known as aerosols that people emit when coughing, sneezing, breathing, and talking,” the authors write. “As demonstrated in a recent study, high-filtration (Hi-Fi) masks like N95 masks are the best protection against these small particles.”

The publication concluded that, as the nation continues to roll out vaccines against the virus, a cost-effective measure would include providing every household with these so-called Hi-Fi masks, especially since government health officials expect the new virus variant to quickly spread throughout the U.S.

N95 masks work best

According to AirQueen, a manufacturer of Hi-Fi masks, these masks filter out 95 percent of infectious particles. It says these masks have offered “complete protection for many healthcare providers who directly treat COVID patients.”

The company says medium filtration masks include surgical masks with 67 percent filtration and triple layer cloth masks with 50 percent protection. Low filtration includes loosely woven single layer cotton masks with as low as 5 percent protection.

Currently, most of the masks consumers wear in public are not rated N95. These cloth masks protect people around the wearer if the person happens to be infected. 

However, they are less effective at protecting the wearer if someone nearby, not wearing any face covering, is sick and sneezes in their direction. Even so, As recently as November, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) asked the public to stick with cloth masks and leave N95 masks to the professionals.

New variant, new threat

With a new highly-transmissible strain of the coronavirus on the loose, that advice could change in the weeks ahead. 

"With the rapid spread of this COVID variant and airborne nature, the Hi Fi mask offers vital enhanced protection for the general public,” said medical journalist and author Dr. Bob Arnot.  “This is especially true for front line workers from teachers to firemen who have not been able to obtain this high level of protection.”

Arnot says the White House could invoke the Defense Production Act to increase the supply of Hi-Fi masks to the general public. In a speech last week announcing a new federal approach to dealing with the pandemic, President-elect Biden said he would use the wartime act when needed to help bring the pandemic under control.

Ford Motor Company is recalling 12 model year 2020 EcoSport and model year 2019-2020 Transit Connect vehicles.

The driver side front airbag modules are missing the first-stage booster propellant and sleeve.

Airbag modules missing the first-stage booster propellant will not deploy as intended in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

What to do

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the airbag module free of charge.

The recall was expected to begin December 28, 2020.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C26.

Weis Markets is recalling more than 11,000 containers of Weiss Quality Cookies and Cream and Klein’s Vanilla Dairy Ice Cream.

The products may be contaminated with extraneous material -- specifically metal filling equipment parts.

There has been one report of a customer who discovered an intact piece of metal equipment.

The Weis Quality Cookies and Cream ice cream, packaged in a round 48-oz, container with a UPC of 041497-01253 and a sell by date of 10/28/21, was sold in 197 Weis Markets’ stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Delaware and West Virginia..

The Klein’s Vanilla bulk ice cream is packaged in 3-gallon containers with a code stamp of 0302 and are not for retail sale. This product was sold to one retail establishment in New York and has been removed from sale.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled products may return them for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact Weis Customer Service at (866) 999-9347 Monday through Friday 8am-5pm (EST).

Americans would get another $1,400 per person in direct payments under President-elect Biden’s proposed coronavirus (COVID-19) stimulus plan. It would supplement the $600 per person direct payment approved late last month.

In a speech to the nation Thursday evening, Biden outlined a sweeping aid package that not only seeks to help consumers but also sends money to state and local governments and provides help for struggling businesses. The price tag for the package is $1.9 trillion.

Here’s what’s in the proposal:

• Direct payments of $1,400 per person;

• Increases the extra unemployment compensation from $300 to $400 per week;

• $25 billion in rent assistance to low and moderate-income households;

• $5 billion for struggling renters to pay utility bills;

• Extend the federal eviction moratorium to September 30;

• 15 percent increase in food stamp benefits;

• Temporary increase in the Child Tax Credit;

• Health insurance subsidy for people who lost employer-sponsored health care;

• Reinstatement of emergency paid leave through September 30;

• New $15 billion aid program for small businesses;

• $350 billion to state and local governments;

• $20 billion increase in the national vaccine program; and

• A minimum wage increase to $15 an hour.

Bigger than last month’s aid bill

The package is significantly larger than the pandemic aid package approved in December when Republicans controlled the White House and the Senate. After Wednesday, Democrats will control the White House and both houses of Congress.

Pressure for additional aid continues to build. The number of cases of the virus has mushroomed over the last three months, forcing new restrictions on many businesses.

On Thursday, the Labor Department reported that new claims for jobless benefits rose to 950,000, the most since mid-August when the second wave of coronavirus cases began to take hold in wide areas of the country. After peaking at nearly 7 million in March, jobless claims have mostly remained well under 1 million per week.

In last week’s report, the largest increase in new claims occurred in Florida and Illinois, with both states reporting more than 50,000 new claims.

If lawmakers need more evidence that some action is required to bolster the economy, they need look no farther than today’s Commerce Department report on December retail sales. Sales, excluding automobiles, fell 1.4 percent last month.

Even with Congress now in the hands of Democrats, Biden will have his work cut out for him. Some of the proposals in his legislation have been floated before and rejected by Republicans. Since most legislation requires 60 votes in the Senate, the incoming president will need to pick up 10 Republican votes to pass the measure.

If you plan on flying anytime soon, don’t act like a fool. The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Administrator Steve Dickson has signed an order directing a harsher legal enforcement policy against unruly airline passengers. The move comes in the wake of recent episodes where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior, as well as cases in which some passengers refused to wear masks onboard a flight.

The move follows the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) new set of standards for determining whether an airline was being unfair or deceptive in dealing with passengers. 

“Flying is the safest mode of transportation and I signed this order to keep it that way,” Dickson said.

Be prepared to write a check for $35,000 if you act up

Up to now, the FAA has had a more lenient way of addressing unruly-passenger incidents by using a mix of warnings, counseling, and civil penalties. Dickson said the kid gloves are off now. Effective immediately, the FAA is getting rid of the simple warning or required counseling. Instead, the agency will pursue legal enforcement action against any passenger who “assaults, threatens, intimidates, or interferes with airline crew members.” 

If a passenger acts up in any fashion that crosses that warning line, they should be prepared to pay a fine of up to $35,000 and possibly spend time in prison on top of that. 

This policy will be in effect through March 30, 2021.

Don’t test the FAA

Dickson reminds the flying public that the FAA monitors and tracks all commercial passenger flights in real-time, and it has reporting mechanisms in place for crew members to identify any safety and security concerns that may arise in flight. 

“We have zero tolerance for threatening or violent behavior by passengers, and we will take the strongest possible enforcement action against any passenger who engages in it,” he said.

Airlines for America (A4A), an advocacy group representing the aviation industry, praised Dickson for the FAA’s assertiveness. 

“The safety and security of passengers and employees is always the top priority of the U.S. airline industry, and we welcome the FAA’s order to implement a more stringent policy regarding unruly passenger behavior,” A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio said. “We cannot have any form of dangerous behavior that threatens the safety of passengers and crew members.”

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

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 23,337,896 (23,103,550)

Total U.S. deaths: 389,191 (385,503)

Total global cases: 93,363,092 (92,563,274)

Total global deaths: 1,999,849 (1,983,691)

Biden proposes big aid package

President-elect Biden has followed through on his promised addition to the coronavirus (COVID-19) aid package that Congress passed last month. Thursday evening, in an address to the nation, Biden proposed a $1.9 million bill providing aid to consumers, businesses, and state governments.

The highlight of the measure as far as consumers are concerned is a $1,400 direct payment to every American. Added to the $600 payment in last month’s law, it would raise the total direct payment to $2,000 per person.

There’s mounting evidence that the U.S. economy needs help to counter the effects of the pandemic. Initial claims for unemployment benefits rose last week to 950,000. The Commerce Department reported today that retail sales, excluding automobiles, fell 1.4 percent in December.

Surgeon General urges doctors to use antibody treatments

Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams says the U.S. has a large stockpile of therapeutic drugs, mainly antibody treatments made from the plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients. But he says many of these drugs remain on the shelf because doctors aren’t using them.

“You need to think about and be willing to prescribe these medications much more frequently as a way to protect your patients, preserve your hospital capacity, and to support your exhausted colleagues,” Adams said, addressing doctors through a news conference.

The U.S. government has already shipped more than 1 million courses of the drugs to hospitals and recently agreed to purchase more from Regeneron.

Hospitalizations suddenly fall back

Amid all the grim news about the pandemic, there has been a small glimmer of good news this week. The rate at which COVID-19 patients have required hospital treatment has gone down a bit.

According to data from The Atlantic’s COVID Tracking Project, around 128,900 people are currently being treated in U.S. hospitals, down from 130,300 as of Wednesday and from 131,300 as of Tuesday. 

It comes as good news because hospitals in many parts of the country -- especially Southern California -- have been strained to the breaking point.

Changing the guard at Operation Warp Speed

President-elect Biden has chosen former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. David Kessler to head Operation Warp Speed, the executive branch task force driving the COVID-19 response.

Kessler headed the health agency from 1990 to 1997, spanning the Bush and Clinton administrations. His appointment was cheered by public health advocates.

“The necessary interface between Operation Warp Speed and the FDA will benefit under his leadership as will the entire process of development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostic tests,” said Sidney Wolfe, founder and senior adviser of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group.

Restaurants reflect on 2020’s huge changes

The National Restaurant Association has released its 2021 Restaurant Trends Report, and as you can imagine, it looks quite different than the assessment made at this time a year ago. The pandemic had yet to rear its ugly head in the U.S., and consumers were still packing full-service restaurants.

This year, restaurants are fighting just to survive. The association’s top trends include off-premises dining, scaled-down menus, selling grocery items, and alcohol to go.

“These food and menu trends didn’t offset the industry’s devastation, but they do illustrate the resiliency, innovation, and commitment of restaurateurs,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of Research and Knowledge for the association. 

Around the nation

• Vermont: The state’s relatively low coronavirus case count has risen sharply in recent weeks, along with the rest of the country. Addison County has reported 218 new cases since December 30. Health department officials say the increase stems from social contacts during the Christmas holidays.

• Arkansas: The Arkansas Pharmacists Association has posted an outline form specifying who is currently eligible to receive a vaccination at pharmacies around the state. Most of those individuals are people working in health care who did not get vaccinations directly at the facility where they are employed.

• New Mexico: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham reports that 11 counties in the state have positivity rates below 10 percent, but Harding County is the lone county in the green, signifying the fewest cases. She said most of the state still remains in the red with infection rates too high to reopen.

Google announced on Thursday that its acquisition of Fitbit was complete, saying the deal would bring more sophisticated devices to the wearables market. However, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) now says its investigation into the acquisition hasn’t yet wrapped. 

In a statement to various media outlets, the DOJ said it’s still looking into the possible effects of the deal. Regulators previously expressed concern that Google could use Fitbit’s large swath of user data to personalize ads. 

“The Antitrust Division’s investigation of Google’s acquisition of Fitbit remains ongoing. Although the Division has not reached a final decision about whether to pursue an enforcement action, the Division continues to investigate whether Google’s acquisition of Fitbit may harm competition and consumers in the United States.” 

The agency added that it is “committed to conducting this review as thoroughly, efficiently, and expeditiously as possible.” 

But Google said in a statement that although the DOJ’s investigation is ongoing, the agency’s time limit for delivering a decision has passed. For this reason, Google said it felt comfortable finalizing the deal.  

“We complied with the DOJ’s extensive review for the past 14 months, and the agreed upon waiting period expired without their objection,” the company said. “We continue to be in touch with them and we’re committed to answering any additional questions. We are confident this deal will increase competition in the highly crowded wearables market, and we’ve made commitments that we plan to implement globally.” 

At this point, there’s no official word on whether the DOJ intends to take legal action against Google or Fitbit. 

Divorce can be a major source of physical and mental stress for consumers, and a new study has explored how kids of divorced parents are affected by this change in the family dynamic. 

According to researchers from Arizona State University, kids are more likely to struggle with mental health concerns when their divorced or separated parents are frequently arguing. 

“Conflict is a salient stressor for kids, and the link between exposure to interparental conflict and mental health problems in children is well established across all family types -- married, cohabitating, separated, and divorced,” said researcher Karey O’Hara. 

“Conflict between divorced or separated parents predicted children experiencing fear that they would be abandoned by one or both parents. This feeling was associated with future mental health problems, especially for those who had strong relationships with their fathers.”

Kids fear being abandoned

The researchers had families enrolled in the New Beginnings Program -- an initiative that helps families transition following a divorce or separation -- participate in the study. Nearly 560 kids between the ages of nine and 18 were surveyed about their experiences with parental conflict, stress levels, and overall well-being. 

The more that separated or divorced parents fought, the more stressed and anxious the kids felt. The researchers learned that kids who experienced the highest levels of parental conflict feared being abandoned by their parents. This also had long-term consequences, as the study revealed that kids who worried about abandonment were also more likely to struggle with mental health nearly a year down the road. 

“When parents who are married or cohabitating engage in conflict, the child might worry about their parents separating,” said O’Hara. “But children whose parents are divorced or separated have already seen the dissolution of their family. The idea that they might be abandoned might be unlikely, but it is not illogical from their perspective.” 

Parental relationships don’t play a role

The researchers also learned that this correlation between parental conflict and kids’ mental health struggles was consistent regardless of the kind of relationship parents had with their kids. Several recent studies have indicated that parents serve an important role in managing stress for their kids; however, exposure to this kind of persistent arguing was enough to be detrimental to kids’ mental wellness despite any closeness with parents. 

“Having a high-quality parental relationship is protective, but it is possible that quality parenting alone is not enough in the context of high levels of interparental conflict between divorced parents,” O’Hara said. 

Toyota is set to pay a $180 million fine for failing to report emissions-related defects in its vehicles for at least a decade. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the failure represents a “serious violation” of Clean Air Act rules. 

“Toyota’s actions undermined the EPA’s self-disclosure system and likely led to delayed or avoided emissions-related recalls,” Audrey Strauss, the acting U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement.

The EPA said that between 2005 and 2015, Toyota “failed to report mandatory information about potential defects in their cars to the EPA, keeping the agency in the dark and evading oversight.” The defects affected how Toyota’s vehicles controlled tailpipe emissions.

Brought financial benefits

As a result of the disclosure failure, the EPA said Toyota benefited financially from being able to avoid emission-related recalls. Meanwhile, the environment suffered due to excessive air pollution from its vehicles. 

Toyota managers and staff in Japan were allegedly aware of the long-running disclosure failure but didn’t take action to stop it, according to the complaint. Subsequently, millions of vehicles with defects were improperly sold. 

In a statement, Toyota argued that its failure “resulted in a negligible emissions impact, if any.” It also said it reported the defects to the EPA in 2015 after discovering a “process gap” that resulted in delays in filing the defect reports. 

“Within months of discovering this issue, we submitted all relevant delayed filings and put new robust reporting and compliance practices in place,” the company said.

In addition to paying the civil penalty, the Japanese automaker has agreed to investigate any future emissions-related defects quickly and report them to the EPA. 

Many consumers have made the switch from in-person work to working from home since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While this change has cut down on commuting times, it also has meant that consumers are spending a lot more time on the internet while at home.

A new study conducted by researchers from Purdue University explored how consumers can use all of this extra screen time to benefit the environment. According to the researchers, one of the best ways consumers can cut down on their carbon footprint is to keep their cameras turned off during virtual meetings. 

“Banking systems tell you the positive environmental impact of going paperless, but no one tells you the benefit of turning off your camera or reducing your streaming quality,” said researcher Kaveh Madani. “So without your consent, these platforms are increasing your environmental footprint.” 

Small changes make a big impact

The researchers gathered internet processing data from several countries around the world to better understand how consumers’ internet habits can influence various environmental outcomes. They looked at social platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Zoom and explored how usage affected carbon, water, and land footprints. 

“If you just look at one type of footprint, you miss out on others that can provide a more holistic look at environmental impact,” said researcher Roshanak Nateghi. 

The researchers learned that streaming services and online video conferences are two of the biggest culprits in terms of negative impacts on the environment. However, by making simple switches, consumers help reduce the effect of such environmental damage. 

They explained that keeping your camera off during a virtual meeting can reduce the carbon, water, and land footprints by 96 percent, and swapping high definition streaming for standard definition can reduce these footprints by 86 percent. Opting against data downloads can also be incredibly beneficial for the environment. Currently, a one-hour video call uses up to 12 liters of water and produces 1,000 grams of carbon dioxide. 

While CO2 emissions have hit record lows since the start of the pandemic, the researchers worry about how continued excessive internet usage will continue to affect the environment. If consumers keep up at the current pace, carbon, water, and land footprints are anticipated to increase by the end of 2021.

“There are the best estimates given the available data,” said Nateghi. “In view of these reported surges, there is a hope now for higher transparency to guide policy.” 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has levied a $9,918,000 fine against  robocaller Scott Rhodes for illegally using caller ID spoofing with the “intent to cause harm.”

Rhodes’ intent was pretty egregious, too. The robocalls crossed every line possible, including racist attacks on political candidates, an apparent attempt to sway the jury in a domestic terrorism case in Charlottesville, Virginia, the use of threatening language toward a local journalist in Sandpoint, Idaho, and xenophobic and racist messages sent to residents in Brooklyn, Iowa, about the arrest of an illegal alien for the murder of a local college student.

Profiting from robocalling campaigns

The Commission also claimed that Rhodes used the robocalls to promote his own brand, The Road to Power -- which the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called “a white supremacist and anti-Semitic broadcasting outlet.” 

According to the FCC’s order, Rhodes’ efforts paid off, pushing website visits and videos watched to ten times their normal levels during his robo campaign. That level of website traffic coupled with the messages Rhodes was disseminating was concerning to the FCC because it allowed him to monetize that traffic in the future and used it to increase social influence. 

“Although Rhodes claims that he did not target media outlets, he did not contest that he received increased visibility and notoriety from his robocalling campaigns,” the Commission said.

In his response to the FCC’s allegations, Rhodes pulled out every possible argument he could find. He claimed that the FCC couldn’t prove the calls really came from him and argued that the spoofing of unassigned and non-working numbers was an expression of political speech. He even went as far as saying that the calls and their content were protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution.

Neighbor spoofing strikes again

Rhodes employed a well-loved robo technique called “neighbor spoofing,” which allowed him to manipulate caller ID information so that the calls people received appeared to be local numbers.  

The FCC isn’t a fan of neighbor spoofing. It has fought against the ploy with the Truth in Caller ID Act and has been pushing the telephone industry to adopt a robust caller ID authentication system that catches those schemes before they show up on a person’s phone. In fact, the agency detests the technique so much that it previously fined another robocaller $120 million and proposed a $220 million fine against a Texas company for trying the same stunt.

“The law is clear: spoofed caller ID robocalls used with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or cheat recipients is unlawful. And the American people are sick and tired of it. In this instance, not only were the calls unlawful, but the caller took them to new levels of egregiousness,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “With today’s fine, we once again make clear our commitment to aggressively go after those who are unlawfully bombarding the American people with spoofed robocalls.”

It’s a contradiction. Gasoline demand is actually going down because of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Yet the price of gasoline is rapidly snapping back to pre-pandemic levels.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the national average price of regular is $2.37 a gallon, seven cents higher than last Friday. It’s now only 20 cents a gallon less than at this time in 2020.

The average price of premium gas is $2.95 a gallon, seven cents more than last week. The average price of diesel fuel is $2.61 a gallon, three cents higher than a week ago.

In the background, Wall Street traders have bid up the price of oil beyond $50 a barrel. While it’s true the Saudis have agreed to cut production, the big story is the potential end to the pandemic. The thinking is, once enough people are inoculated things will start getting back to normal and demand will rise.

So far, that bet hasn’t panned out. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports demand last week fell to its lowest level since May.

“Gas prices are rising as supply tightens and crude oil gets more expensive. Decreasing demand is outweighed by these other factors at the moment,” said Jeanette Casselano McGee, a AAA spokesperson. “Last week crude oil pushed to the highest price since before the pandemic. If crude prices remain high, Americans can expect to pay more at the pump this month.” 

Some states saw bigger increases than others. Texas saw its statewide average jump 12 cents a gallon in the last week. The average price in Missouri is up 10 cents a gallon. As of this week, no state has an average price below $2 a gallon.

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 ($3.31)

• Hawaii ($3.30)

• Washington ($2.79)

• Nevada ($2.68)

• Oregon ($2.66)

• Pennsylvania ($2.66)

• Alaska ($2.57)

• Illinois ($2.51)

• New Jersey ($2.51)

• New York ($2.44)

The states with the cheapest regular gas

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

• Mississippi ($2.05)

• Louisiana ($2.08)

• Missouri ($2.09)

• Oklahoma ($2.09)

• Texas ($2.10)

• Arkansas ($2.12)

• Alabama ($2.14)

• South Carolina ($2.14)

• Kansas ($2.16)

• Tennessee ($2.18)

Audi is recalling 313 model year 2020 Q3s.

The brake pedal plate can bend or detach under the pressure applied during sudden stopping.

A bent or detached brake pedal plate decreases the contact area for the driver's foot and increases the risk of a crash.

What to do

Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the weld between the brake pedal and the brake pedal plate and -- as necessary -- replace the entire brake pedal free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin January 31, 2021.

Owners may contact Audi customer service at (800) 253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 46i7.