ReportWire

Tag: Consumer

  • Biden could invoke a 1947 law to pause the dockworkers’ strike

    Biden could invoke a 1947 law to pause the dockworkers’ strike

    [ad_1]

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Some manufacturers and retailers are urging President Joe Biden to invoke a 1947 law as a way to suspend a strike by 45,000 dockworkers that has shut down 36 U.S. ports from Maine to Texas.

    At issue is Section 206 of the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, better known as the Taft-Hartley Act. The law authorizes a president to seek a court order for an 80-day cooling-off period for companies and unions to try to resolve their differences.

    Biden has said, though, that he won’t intervene in the strike.

    Taft-Hartley was meant to curb the power of unions

    The law was introduced by two Republicans — Sen. Robert Taft of Ohio and Rep. Fred Hartley Jr. of New Jersey — in the aftermath of World War II. It followed a series of strikes in 1945 and 1946 by workers who demanded better pay and working conditions after the privations of wartime.

    President Harry Truman opposed Taft-Hartley, but his veto was overridden by Congress.

    In addition to authorizing a president to intervene in strikes, the law banned “closed shops,” which require employers to hire only union workers. The ban allowed workers to refuse to join a union.

    Taft-Hartley also barred “secondary boycotts,’’ thereby making it illegal for unions to pressure neutral companies to stop doing business with an employer that was targeted in a strike.

    It also required union leaders to sign affidavits declaring that they did not support the Communist Party.

    Presidents can target a strike that may “imperil the national health and safety”

    The president can appoint a board of inquiry to review and write a report on the labor dispute — and then direct the attorney general to ask a federal court to suspend a strike by workers or a lockout by management.

    If the court issues an injunction, an 80-day cooling-off period would begin. During this period, management and unions must ”make every effort to adjust and settle their differences.’’

    Still, the law cannot actually force union members to accept a contract offer.

    Presidents have invoked Taft-Hartley 37 times in labor disputes

    According to the Congressional Research Service, about half the time that presidents have invoked Section 206 of Taft-Hartley, the parties worked out their differences. But nine times, according to the research service, the workers went ahead with a strike.

    President George W. Bush invoked Taft-Hartley in 2002 after 29 West Coast ports locked out members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in a standoff. (The two sides ended up reaching a contract.)

    Biden has said he won’t use Taft-Hartley to intervene

    Despite lobbying by the National Association of Manufacturers and the National Retail Federation, the president has maintained that he has no plans to try to suspend the dockworkers’ strike against ports on the East and Gulf coasts.

    On Wednesday, before leaving Joint Base Andrews for an air tour of North Carolina to see the devastation from Hurricane Helene, Biden said the port strike was hampering efforts to provide emergency items for the relief effort.

    “This natural disaster is incredibly consequential,” the president said. “The last thing we need on top of that is a man-made disaster — what’s going on at the ports.”

    Biden noted that the companies that control East and Gulf coast ports have made huge profits since the pandemic.

    “It’s time for them to sit at the table and get this strike done,” he said.

    Though many ports are publicly owned, private companies often run operations that load and unload cargo.

    William Brucher, a labor relations expert at Rutgers University, notes that Taft-Hartley injunctions are “widely despised, if not universally despised, by labor unions in the United States.”

    And Vice President Kamala Harris is relying on support from organized labor in her presidential campaign against Donald Trump.

    If the longshoremen’s strike drags on long enough and causes shortages that antagonize American consumers, pressure could grow on Biden to change course and intervene. But experts like Brucher suggest that most voters have already made up their minds and that the election outcome is “really more about turnout” now.

    Which means, Brucher said, that “Democrats really can’t afford to alienate organized labor.”

    ____

    AP Writer Colleen Long at Joint Base Andrews and AP Business Writers Wyatte Grantham-Philips in New York and Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this report.

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Single-family landlord Invitation Homes misled consumers over cost of a home, the FTC alleges

    Single-family landlord Invitation Homes misled consumers over cost of a home, the FTC alleges

    [ad_1]

    Invitation Homes, the nation’s largest single-family landlord, has agreed to pay $48 million to settle a handful of allegations, including that it illegally charged undisclosed junk fees, withheld tenant security deposits and engaged in unfair eviction practices.

    The settlement was announced Tuesday by the Federal Trade Commission. Among the main allegations made by the FTC was Invitation Homes deceived tenants over the total cost of renting one of its homes.

    The company, which owns or manages more than 100,000 homes nationwide, including more than 11,000 in California, did not include mandatory “junk” fees when advertising its rental rates, according to the FTC.

    These fees — for things like smart home technology and utility management — at times raised the cost of rent by more than $1,700 a year and were only disclosed when consumers went to sign their lease, the FTC alleged.

    By that time, the agency said consumers were in a bind because they had already paid a nonrefundable application fee of up to $55. They may have also forked over $500 to reserve a specific home, which they would only get back if they signed the lease.

    Sometimes, consumers weren’t made aware of the junk fees until after they signed the lease and moved in, authorities said.

    In addition to junk fees, the FTC alleged Invitation Homes rented out homes that were often in disrepair and systematically withheld security deposits for items that were not the tenant’s responsibility.

    Invitation Homes also engaged in several unfair eviction practices, the agency said. Among them, the company told struggling tenants during the pandemic that their only options were to pay, move out or face eviction and failed to inform them of federal eviction protections available at the time, the FTC alleged.

    “No American should pay more for rent or be kicked out of their home because of illegal tactics by corporate landlords,” Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina M. Khan said in a statement. “The FTC will continue to use all our tools to protect renters from unlawful business practices.”

    In a news release, Invitation Homes said it made no admission of wrongdoing as part of the settlement and described its disclosures and practices as “industry leading.”

    “Today’s agreement brings the FTC’s three-year investigation to a close and puts this matter behind the Company, which will, as always, move forward with its continuous efforts to better serve its customers and enhance its practices,” Invitation Homes said in a statement.

    The company, which started buying thousands of homes in the wake of the Great Recession, has reached multiple settlements this year.

    In July, it agreed to pay nearly $20 million to resolve allegations it made unpermitted renovations across its portfolio in California. In January, it agreed to pay several million to settle allegations it violated the state’s rent cap law.

    Under the settlement announced Tuesday, which still must be approved by a judge, consumers would receive refunds and Invitation Homes will be required to include all mandatory monthly fees in its advertised rent.

    [ad_2]

    Andrew Khouri

    Source link

  • US Consumer Sentiment Rises Slightly – KXL

    US Consumer Sentiment Rises Slightly – KXL

    [ad_1]

    WASHINGTON (AP) — A surge in optimism by Democrats over the prospects of Vice President Kamala Harris lifted U.S. consumer sentiment slightly this month.

    The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index edged up to 67.8 after coming in at 66.4 in July.

    Americans’ expectations for the future rose, while their assessment of current economic conditions sank slightly.

    Democrats’ sentiment rose, and Republicans’ fell.

    The survey found that 41% of consumers considered Harris the better candidate for the economy, versus the 38% who chose Republican nominee Donald Trump.

    Before President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and gave way to Harris, Trump held an advantage on the issue.

    More about:

    [ad_2]

    Grant McHill

    Source link

  • Boeing accepts a plea deal to avoid a criminal trial over 737 Max crashes, Justice Department says

    Boeing accepts a plea deal to avoid a criminal trial over 737 Max crashes, Justice Department says

    [ad_1]

    Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two deadly crashes of 737 Max jetliners after the government determined the company violated an agreement that had protected it from prosecution for more than three years, the Justice Department said Sunday night.Federal prosecutors gave Boeing the choice this week of entering a guilty plea and paying a fine as part of its sentence or facing a trial on the felony criminal charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States.Prosecutors accused the American aerospace giant of deceiving regulators who approved the airplane and pilot-training requirements for it.The plea deal, which still must receive the approval of a federal judge to take effect, calls for Boeing to pay an additional $243.6 million fine. That was the same amount it paid under the 2021 settlement that the Justice Department said the company breached. An independent monitor would be named to oversee Boeing’s safety and quality procedures for three years.The plea deal covers only wrongdoing by Boeing before the crashes, which killed all 346 passengers and crew members aboard two new Max jets. It does not give Boeing immunity for other incidents, including a panel that blew off a Max jetliner during an Alaska Airlines flight in January, a Justice Department official said.The deal also does not cover any current or former Boeing officials, only the corporation.Federal prosecutors alleged Boeing committed conspiracy to defraud the government by misleading regulators about a flight-control system that was implicated in the crashes, which took place in Indonesia in October 2018 and in Ethiopia less five months later.As part of the January 2021 settlement, the Justice Department said it would not prosecute Boeing on the charge if the company complied with certain conditions for three years. Prosecutors last month alleged Boeing had breached the terms of that agreement.The company’s guilty plea will be entered in U.S. District Court in Texas. The judge overseeing the case, who has criticized what he called “Boeing’s egregious criminal conduct,” could accept the plea and the sentence that prosecutors offered with it or he could reject the agreement, likely leading to new negotiations between the Justice Department and Boeing.Relatives of the people who died in the crashes were briefed on the plea offer a week ago and at the time said they would ask the judge to reject it.U.S. agencies can use a criminal conviction as grounds to exclude companies from doing business with the government for a set amount of time. Boeing is an important contractor of the Defense Department and NASA.

    Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two deadly crashes of 737 Max jetliners after the government determined the company violated an agreement that had protected it from prosecution for more than three years, the Justice Department said Sunday night.

    Federal prosecutors gave Boeing the choice this week of entering a guilty plea and paying a fine as part of its sentence or facing a trial on the felony criminal charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States.

    Prosecutors accused the American aerospace giant of deceiving regulators who approved the airplane and pilot-training requirements for it.

    The plea deal, which still must receive the approval of a federal judge to take effect, calls for Boeing to pay an additional $243.6 million fine. That was the same amount it paid under the 2021 settlement that the Justice Department said the company breached. An independent monitor would be named to oversee Boeing’s safety and quality procedures for three years.

    The plea deal covers only wrongdoing by Boeing before the crashes, which killed all 346 passengers and crew members aboard two new Max jets. It does not give Boeing immunity for other incidents, including a panel that blew off a Max jetliner during an Alaska Airlines flight in January, a Justice Department official said.

    The deal also does not cover any current or former Boeing officials, only the corporation.

    Federal prosecutors alleged Boeing committed conspiracy to defraud the government by misleading regulators about a flight-control system that was implicated in the crashes, which took place in Indonesia in October 2018 and in Ethiopia less five months later.

    As part of the January 2021 settlement, the Justice Department said it would not prosecute Boeing on the charge if the company complied with certain conditions for three years. Prosecutors last month alleged Boeing had breached the terms of that agreement.

    The company’s guilty plea will be entered in U.S. District Court in Texas. The judge overseeing the case, who has criticized what he called “Boeing’s egregious criminal conduct,” could accept the plea and the sentence that prosecutors offered with it or he could reject the agreement, likely leading to new negotiations between the Justice Department and Boeing.

    Relatives of the people who died in the crashes were briefed on the plea offer a week ago and at the time said they would ask the judge to reject it.

    U.S. agencies can use a criminal conviction as grounds to exclude companies from doing business with the government for a set amount of time. Boeing is an important contractor of the Defense Department and NASA.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Health officials warn Californians of risks of fake Botox. Here’s what to look for

    Health officials warn Californians of risks of fake Botox. Here’s what to look for

    [ad_1]

    Fake versions of Botox have popped up in California, raising alarm among public health officials who warn that counterfeit versions of the injections can lead to symptoms such as slurred speech and breathing problems.

    “Counterfeit or incorrectly administered Botox, even in small amounts, can result in serious health problems and even death,” Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, director of the California Department of Public Health, warned in a statement Wednesday.

    Botox, or botulinum toxin, is used cosmetically to temporarily smooth fine lines on the face. It has also been employed to treat medical conditions such as muscle spasms. The product is derived from a toxin produced by bacteria.

    Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 22 people from 11 states had reported harmful reactions such as weakness and blurry vision after getting injections, landing some of them in the hospital. They had gotten their injections from unlicensed or untrained people or outside of healthcare settings, such as in a home or spa, according to the federal agency.

    So far, there is no indication that such problems were linked to the genuine Botox product approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, health officials said. Instead, regulators have found that some patients received counterfeit Botox products or ones from unverified sources. Investigations are underway.

    “We’re not even sure what it really is,” but it’s not Botox, said Dr. Adam Friedman, chair of dermatology at George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

    And “when you have an injectable agent that is not what it claims to be, has no quality assurance, no oversight … there could be a whole bunch of different things that come along for the ride,” including bacteria or allergens.

    Because the health effects could be delayed, “I don’t think we’ve actually scratched the surface yet” of possible consequences from injecting an unknown substance into the body, Friedman said.

    The California Department of Public Health said that since a multistate investigation launched in November, it had received two reports of harmful reactions to counterfeit or mishandled botulinum toxin, which were included in the total figure reported nationally by the CDC.

    Under California law, Botox can be injected only by a physician, or by a registered nurse or physician assistant working under the supervision of a doctor. But state law “does not restrict where Botox treatments may be performed,” according to the Medical Board of California. In a statement, Aragón urged people to get Botox injections only from “licensed and trained professionals in healthcare settings.”

    Public health officials also advised consumers to check with healthcare providers that they were getting Botox from “an authorized source” and to ask if they were licensed and trained to administer the injections.

    “If in doubt, do not get the injection,” the public health department urged.

    Aragón also stressed that Botox should never be purchased online or through “unlicensed individuals.” Dr. Debra Johnson, former president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, said that online sellers abroad have been creating “pirated Botox,” putting it in similar packaging, and then selling it to anyone who will pay.

    Physicians have been getting emails and faxes saying, “‘We’ve got Botox for cheaper, we’ve got filler for cheaper’ — and it’s all these unregulated places that don’t have any FDA oversight,” Johnson said. Responsible doctors know that’s illegal, she said, but “I’m sure there’s some people who would hop at the chance.”

    Botox is manufactured by AbbVie Inc. The California Department of Public Health said that outer cartons of the genuine product include product descriptions for either “BOTOX® COSMETIC / onabotulinumtoxinA / for Injection” or “OnabotulinumtoxinA / BOTOX® / for injection” and list the manufacturer as either “Allergan Aesthetics / An AbbVie Company” or “abbvie.” They also list the active ingredient as “OnabotulinumtoxinA.”

    Fake products might show the active ingredient as “Botulinum Toxin Type A,” include languages other than English, or indicate 150-unit doses, according to the California Department of Public Health. (AbbVie manufactures real Botox products in 50-, 100- and 200-unit dose forms, federal officials said.) Another tipoff to a fake product is the lot number “C3709C3” on packaging or vials, regulators have advised.

    Thankfully, “there’s some really key, distinct features on this fake Botox that distinguish it from the real thing, which has not been contaminated,” Friedman said. If a consumer is concerned, “there’s nothing wrong with saying, ‘Hey, can I check out the box?’”

    In general, if “something seems to be too good to be true” or “it seems like a bargain when it comes to your health, those should be signals to run,” he said.

    Anyone suffering symptoms from counterfeit Botox — which are similar to the effects of botulism poisoning from improperly canned foods — should contact a medical professional or go immediately to an emergency room, CDPH said. Symptoms can include drooping eyelids, trouble swallowing, fatigue, weakness and difficulty breathing.

    Fake Botox products can be reported to the FDA through its website or by calling (800) 551-3989. In California, people can also tip off the California Department of Public Health by submitting a consumer complaint.

    [ad_2]

    Emily Alpert Reyes

    Source link

  • More cows are being tested and tracked for bird flu. Here’s what that means

    More cows are being tested and tracked for bird flu. Here’s what that means

    [ad_1]

    U.S. health and agriculture officials are ramping up testing and tracking of bird flu in dairy cows in an urgent effort to understand — and stop — the growing outbreak.So far, the risk to humans remains low, officials said, but scientists are wary that the virus could change to spread more easily among people.The virus, known as Type A H5N1, has been detected in nearly three dozen dairy herds in eight states. Inactive viral remnants have been found in grocery store milk. Tests also show the virus is spreading between cows, including those that don’t show symptoms, and between cows and birds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Starting Monday, hundreds of thousands of lactating dairy cows in the U.S. will have to be tested — with negative results — before they can be moved between states, under terms of a new federal order.Here’s what you need to know about the ongoing bird flu investigation:WHY IS THIS OUTBREAK SO UNUSUAL?This strain of what’s known as highly pathogenic avian influenza has been circulating in wild birds for decades. In recent years, it has been detected in scores of mammals around the world. Most have been wild animals, such as foxes and bears, that ate sick or dying birds. But it’s also appeared in farmed minks. It’s shown up in aquatic mammals, such as harbor seals and porpoises, too. The virus was even found in a polar bear in northern Alaska.The virus was discovered in ruminants — goats and then dairy cows — in the U.S. this spring, surprising many scientists who have studied it for years.“When we think of influenza A, cows are not typically in that conversation,” said Richard Webby, an influenza expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.Flu viruses are notorious for adapting to spread among new species, so detection in dairy cows raises concerns it could spread to people, Webby said.HOW LONG HAS BIRD FLU BEEN SPREADING IN COWS?Scientists confirmed the virus in cows in March after weeks of reports from dairy farms that the animals were falling ill. Symptoms included lethargy, sharply reduced milk supply and changes to the milk, which became thick and yellow.Finding remnants of the virus in milk on the market “suggests that this has been going on longer, and is more widespread, than we have previously recognized,” said Matthew Aliota, a veterinary medicine researcher at the University of Minnesota.Under pressure from scientists, USDA officials released new genetic data about the outbreak this week.The data omitted some information about when and where samples were collected, but showed that the virus likely was spread by birds to cattle late last year, said Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist with the University of Arizona.Since then, it has spread among cattle and among farms, likely through contact with physical objects such as workers’ shoes, trucks or milking machines, Worobey said.And then the cows spread the virus back to birds, he said.“The genetic evidence is as clear as could be,” Worobey said. “Birds that are sampled on these farms have viruses with clear mammalian adaptations.”WHAT DO SCIENTISTS SAY ABOUT EFFORTS TO TRACK THE OUTBREAK?Several experts said the USDA’s plans to require testing in cows are a good start.“We need to be able to do greater surveillance so that we know what’s going on,” said Thomas Friedrich, a virology professor at the University of Wisconsin’s veterinary school.Worobey said the ideal would be to screen every herd. Besides looking for active infections, agriculture officials also should be looking at whether cows have antibodies to the virus, indicating past infections, he said.”That is a really accessible and quick way to find out how widespread this is,” he said.More testing of workers exposed to infected animals is also crucial, experts said. Some farm owners and some individual workers have been reluctant to work with public health officials during the outbreak, experts have said.“Increased surveillance is essentially an early warning system,” Aliota said. “It helps to characterize the scope of the problem, but also to head off potentially adverse consequences.”HOW BIG A RISK DOES BIRD FLU POSE FOR PEOPLE?Scientists are working to analyze more samples of retail milk to confirm that pasteurization, or heat-treating, kills the H5N1 virus, said Dr. Don Prater, acting director of the FDA’s food safety center. Those results are expected soon.While the general public doesn’t need to worry about drinking pasteurized milk, experts said they should avoid raw or unpasteurized milk.Also, dairy farm workers should consider extra precautions, such as masking, hand washing and changing work clothes, Aliota said.So far, 23 people have been tested for the virus during the outbreak in dairy cows, with one person testing positive for a mild eye infection, CDC officials said. At least 44 people who were exposed to infected animals in the current outbreak are being monitored for symptoms.WHAT ARE SCIENTISTS’ CONCERNS FOR THE FUTURE?David O’Connor, a virology expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, likened recent bird flu developments to a tornado watch versus a warning.“There are some of the ingredients that would be necessary for there to be a threat, but we’re not there,” he said. As with a tornado watch, “you wouldn’t change anything about how you live your daily life, but you would maybe just have a bit of increased awareness that something is happening.”Worobey said this is the kind of outbreak “that we were hoping, after COVID, would not go unnoticed. But it has.”He said ambitious screening is needed “to detect things like this very quickly, and potentially nip them in the bud.”

    U.S. health and agriculture officials are ramping up testing and tracking of bird flu in dairy cows in an urgent effort to understand — and stop — the growing outbreak.

    So far, the risk to humans remains low, officials said, but scientists are wary that the virus could change to spread more easily among people.

    The virus, known as Type A H5N1, has been detected in nearly three dozen dairy herds in eight states. Inactive viral remnants have been found in grocery store milk. Tests also show the virus is spreading between cows, including those that don’t show symptoms, and between cows and birds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

    Starting Monday, hundreds of thousands of lactating dairy cows in the U.S. will have to be tested — with negative results — before they can be moved between states, under terms of a new federal order.

    Here’s what you need to know about the ongoing bird flu investigation:

    WHY IS THIS OUTBREAK SO UNUSUAL?

    This strain of what’s known as highly pathogenic avian influenza has been circulating in wild birds for decades. In recent years, it has been detected in scores of mammals around the world. Most have been wild animals, such as foxes and bears, that ate sick or dying birds. But it’s also appeared in farmed minks. It’s shown up in aquatic mammals, such as harbor seals and porpoises, too. The virus was even found in a polar bear in northern Alaska.

    The virus was discovered in ruminants — goats and then dairy cows — in the U.S. this spring, surprising many scientists who have studied it for years.

    “When we think of influenza A, cows are not typically in that conversation,” said Richard Webby, an influenza expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

    Flu viruses are notorious for adapting to spread among new species, so detection in dairy cows raises concerns it could spread to people, Webby said.

    HOW LONG HAS BIRD FLU BEEN SPREADING IN COWS?

    Scientists confirmed the virus in cows in March after weeks of reports from dairy farms that the animals were falling ill. Symptoms included lethargy, sharply reduced milk supply and changes to the milk, which became thick and yellow.

    Finding remnants of the virus in milk on the market “suggests that this has been going on longer, and is more widespread, than we have previously recognized,” said Matthew Aliota, a veterinary medicine researcher at the University of Minnesota.

    Under pressure from scientists, USDA officials released new genetic data about the outbreak this week.

    The data omitted some information about when and where samples were collected, but showed that the virus likely was spread by birds to cattle late last year, said Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist with the University of Arizona.

    Since then, it has spread among cattle and among farms, likely through contact with physical objects such as workers’ shoes, trucks or milking machines, Worobey said.

    And then the cows spread the virus back to birds, he said.

    “The genetic evidence is as clear as could be,” Worobey said. “Birds that are sampled on these farms have viruses with clear mammalian adaptations.”

    WHAT DO SCIENTISTS SAY ABOUT EFFORTS TO TRACK THE OUTBREAK?

    Several experts said the USDA’s plans to require testing in cows are a good start.

    “We need to be able to do greater surveillance so that we know what’s going on,” said Thomas Friedrich, a virology professor at the University of Wisconsin’s veterinary school.

    Worobey said the ideal would be to screen every herd. Besides looking for active infections, agriculture officials also should be looking at whether cows have antibodies to the virus, indicating past infections, he said.

    “That is a really accessible and quick way to find out how widespread this is,” he said.

    More testing of workers exposed to infected animals is also crucial, experts said. Some farm owners and some individual workers have been reluctant to work with public health officials during the outbreak, experts have said.

    “Increased surveillance is essentially an early warning system,” Aliota said. “It helps to characterize the scope of the problem, but also to head off potentially adverse consequences.”

    HOW BIG A RISK DOES BIRD FLU POSE FOR PEOPLE?

    Scientists are working to analyze more samples of retail milk to confirm that pasteurization, or heat-treating, kills the H5N1 virus, said Dr. Don Prater, acting director of the FDA’s food safety center. Those results are expected soon.

    While the general public doesn’t need to worry about drinking pasteurized milk, experts said they should avoid raw or unpasteurized milk.

    Also, dairy farm workers should consider extra precautions, such as masking, hand washing and changing work clothes, Aliota said.

    So far, 23 people have been tested for the virus during the outbreak in dairy cows, with one person testing positive for a mild eye infection, CDC officials said. At least 44 people who were exposed to infected animals in the current outbreak are being monitored for symptoms.

    WHAT ARE SCIENTISTS’ CONCERNS FOR THE FUTURE?

    David O’Connor, a virology expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, likened recent bird flu developments to a tornado watch versus a warning.

    “There are some of the ingredients that would be necessary for there to be a threat, but we’re not there,” he said. As with a tornado watch, “you wouldn’t change anything about how you live your daily life, but you would maybe just have a bit of increased awareness that something is happening.”

    Worobey said this is the kind of outbreak “that we were hoping, after COVID, would not go unnoticed. But it has.”

    He said ambitious screening is needed “to detect things like this very quickly, and potentially nip them in the bud.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Walmart settlement: Retailer could owe you up to $500 – how to file a claim

    Walmart settlement: Retailer could owe you up to $500 – how to file a claim

    [ad_1]

    article

    FILE – Groceries sit inside a shopping cart at a Walmart Inc. store in Burbank, California, on Nov. 19, 2018. Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

    Walmart shoppers could receive some cash as part of a class-action lawsuit settlement over certain sold-by-weight food items and bagged citrus fruits.

    Customers who purchased these items between Oct. 19, 2018, and Jan. 19, 2024, could be eligible for part of the settlement. 

    Here’s what to know: 

    Walmart weighted groceries settlement

    The class-action lawsuit involves Walmart customers who bought certain sold-by-weight meat, poultry, pork, and seafood products – called “weighted goods” – and certain organic oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and navel oranges sold in bulk in mesh or plastic bags – referred to as “Bagged Citrus.” 

    It alleges that customers paid more than the lowest in-store advertised price for those products, according to the settlement website.

    For its part, Walmart denies the allegations.

    “We will continue providing our customers everyday low prices to help them save money on the products they want and need,” a Walmart spokesperson told FOX Television Stations. “We still deny the allegations, however we believe a settlement is in the best interest of both parties.”

    How much money could you receive? 

    • Customers who don’t have receipts or proof of purchase but attest to buying up to 50 weighted goods and/or bagged citrus at Walmart during the settlement period can get $10. 
    • Customers without receipts but attest to buying between 51 and 75 weighted goods and/or bagged citrus at Walmart during the settlement period can get $15. 
    • Customers without receipts but attest to buying between 76 and 100 weighted goods and/or bagged citrus at Walmart during the settlement period can get $20. 
    • Customers who don’t have receipts or proof of purchase but attest to buying 101 or more weighted goods and/or bagged citrus at Walmart during the settlement period can get $25. 
    • Those with receipts or proof of purchase can get 2% of the total costs of the weighted good and bagged citrus goods they brought from Walmart for up to $500, according to the settlement website.

    Customers may be able to get copies of their receipts on Walmart’s website. 

    AMC to sell its movie theater popcorn at Walmart

    AMC Entertainment launches microwave and ready-to-eat popcorn exclusively at Walmart. (Courtesy of AMC Theatres)

    How to file a claim

    Those who are eligible can submit a claim form here. Claims have to be submitted online or postmarked no later than June 5, 2024. 

    This story was reported from Cincinnati.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Nearly deaf CA woman loses $10,000 to scam typed on her CapTel phone

    Nearly deaf CA woman loses $10,000 to scam typed on her CapTel phone

    [ad_1]

    REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KGO) — Telephone captioning services enable millions of hearing-impaired people to talk by phone — a much-needed lifeline to the outside world. But it’s also a direct line for phone scammers to reach the hearing impaired.

    Federal law requires captioning operators to type every single word a caller says — even if it’s a scammer swindling a disabled person. One Bay Area family found out their nearly deaf mom followed a scammer’s instructions — typed verbatim by CapTel operators – and lost thousands in a terrifying scam.

    “Without CapTel, she never would have been able to hear the caller. She never would have understood them and she never would have been scammed,” said the woman’s daughter, Donna Badgett of Redwood City..

    Badgett is still trying to understand how a telephone captioning service, meant to help her hearing-impaired mom, also helped somebody scam her.

    “I feel horrible because her hearing has been bad, getting progressively worse… so I bought it for her for Christmas thinking I was doing her a favor…” Badgett said,.

    Her 83-year-old mother, Judith, got the call one morning on her CapTel phone: her grandson was in jail. Was she posting bail?

    Judith had heard about “grandma scams” but words on the screen made it seem real.

    “Like I said, she wouldn’t have been frauded without it,” Badgett said.

    The caller claimed to be a lawyer trying to get DUI charges reduced for “her relative.” .

    The CapTel operator silently typed every word the scammer said.

    “If you can post bail quickly, I can make sure it’s a misdemeanor, not a felony, but you need to act quickly… where’s your nearest bank… he looked it up, ‘Oh they open at 10 o’clock,’” said Badgett, recalling the captioning logs.

    Judith asked about her grandson.

    The operator typed the reply: “He’s a bit embarrassed and wants to keep this between you guys, he did suffer minor injuries. The airbag broke his nose. They gave him about 5 stitches.”

    The CapTel operator typed out the scammer’s instructions: “Get a 9 by 12 manila envelope. Purchase it on the way to the bank, you’re gonna put the envelope from the bank in the middle of two magazines, and then you’re gonna place it in the manila envelope like you’re making a sandwich.”

    A courier would pick it up. He said, “The driver doesn’t know anything about the case. He’s like an Uber driver, leave me on the line and head outside, ask his name, give him the package.”

    “So my mom put the phone down, went outside, delivered the money. He called back an hour and a half later… ‘I have bad news. The woman that was in the car with him was pregnant. She lost her baby,’” Badgett said..

    The con man wanted more money from Judith, supposedly to pay the woman’s medical bills, and damages for losing her baby.

    The CapTel operator typed his every command. “Go back to the bank, get the cash, put it in the magazines.”

    Later the family got the call logs and could see every word the scammer said over about a dozen calls — and the pressure he put on their elderly mom.

    “I read a couple (of the logs) the first time and I couldn’t do it any more. It was so disheartening,” said Badgett.

    Badgett was furious that the CapTel operators didn’t try to stop the scam and, she says, effectively assisted in a crime.

    “I mean, they are transcribing fraudulent calls. They enabled her to get scammed,” said Badgett.

    But the CapTel company, Hamilton Relay Services, says federal law makes it illegal for transcribers to intervene in any call — even if it is a scam.

    The operators must serve as “invisible conduits… without censoring, altering or interfering in any way with personal and private communications.”

    Federal Communications Commission rules and the Americans With Disabilities Act require that captioning services provide the same rights of privacy afforded to hearing phone users, who expect no one is listening in on their calls.

    “I said, ‘Couldn’t you even say, you know, please note we think this is a scam?’” said Badgett, wiping tears.

    Badgett can’t believe it was illegal for the company to notify her that her mom was being swindled — or even to stop typing the scammer’s instructions.

    “I think things have to change. The FCC has to make these changes… have an emergency contact on the account, or alert the local police or local bank, right? It’s just so disheartening,” said Badgett.

    Online forums among caption operators show some disagreement about their role. Should they have discretion to intervene in troubling calls? Where would they draw the line? What if a caller was threatening physical harm? Right now the law says they may not step out of their invisible role.

    If you’ve served as a transcriber for the hearing-impaired — or been a victim of a scam perpetrated over a captioning service phone, we’d like to hear from you.

    Here’s a full statement from Hamilton Relay Services:

    Hamilton is very sympathetic to the situation you have shared. We work diligently to enable clear communications for all our users. Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have correctly determined that this requires all calls to be relayed completely, accurately, and in compliance with all federal regulations – without a third party like us censoring, altering, or interfering in any way with personal and private communications.

    We think it is important to understand how the Telecommunications Relay Service functions and the restrictions placed on it by Congress when it enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The ADA ensures that individuals who are deaf, deaf-blind, or hard of hearing are able to communicate in a manner that is “functionally equivalent” with a hearing individual. These important services from Hamilton and other Relay providers help bring independence to users in a way that was impossible before the creation of Relay.

    Section 225 of the Federal Communications Act, which was adopted as part of the ADA, prohibits Relay operators (also known as Communications Assistants, or CAs) from disclosing the content of any relayed conversation and from keeping records of the content of any such conversation beyond the duration of the call. It is because of this limited role of the CA that the FCC has frequently referred to Relay as being equivalent to receiving a dial tone.

    For this reason, the FCC, which regulates Hamilton and other Relay providers, considers Relay to be a “transparent conduit” for communications. (FCC 04-137, para. 154). The FCC has recognized that permitting CAs to step out of their role as invisible conduits in a call would create tension with the functional equivalency principle.

    In addition, under Section 64.604 of the FCC’s rules, Hamilton is required to transmit all Relay calls completely and accurately, verbatim, and is prohibited from altering or recording any Relay call. Because of this, Hamilton’s captioned telephone platform has been designed so that a CA cannot speak to either party, and can only hear the party being captioned. Hamilton and other providers are also authorized to provide Captioned Telephone Service using Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) without the presence of a CA. Similar to a CA, the ASR platform is not permitted to intervene in a call.

    Like other telephone carriers (for both hearing and non-hearing individuals), when Hamilton is presented with a valid subpoena of records from law enforcement, Hamilton willingly complies, and would do so in this instance if approached by law enforcement about this matter. But federal law does not authorize Hamilton to act in a law enforcement role by intervening during a call.

    Again, we sympathize with the complainant’s situation, but we believe it is a matter for law enforcement to handle given the restrictions within which Hamilton operates under federal law.

    Take a look at more stories and videos by 7 On Your Side.

    7OYS’s consumer hotline is a free consumer mediation service for those in the San Francisco Bay Area. We assist individuals with consumer-related issues; we cannot assist on cases between businesses, or cases involving family law, criminal matters, landlord/tenant disputes, labor issues, or medical issues. Please review our FAQ here. As a part of our process in assisting you, it is necessary that we contact the company / agency you are writing about. If you do not wish us to contact them, please let us know right away, as it will affect our ability to work on your case. Due to the high volume of emails we receive, please allow 3-5 business days for a response.

    You may also email 7OYS@KGO-TV.COM.

    Please note the address uses the letter “O”, not zero. Be sure to include your full name, email, street address, and phone number.

    If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

    Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.

    [ad_2]

    Stephanie Sierra

    Source link

  • Opinion: Heat pumps cut costs and pollution. So why isn’t it easier to install one in California?

    Opinion: Heat pumps cut costs and pollution. So why isn’t it easier to install one in California?

    [ad_1]

    The nation’s electric utilities have voiced overwhelming support for reducing carbon emissions. Eighty percent of U.S. electricity customers are served by a utility with a 100% carbon-reduction target, according to the Smart Electric Power Alliance, and utility executives have touted their sustainability plans at the U.N. Climate Conference, Davos and beyond.

    So why is it so hard to get help switching to a climate-friendly heat pump?

    Marvels of modern engineering, heat pumps provide heating and cooling by transferring warm or cold air into or out of a home, eliminating the need to generate heat. They have been shown to substantially slash consumer heating costs and cut greenhouse gas emissions up to 50%.

    Like so many other Americans who helped fuel a residential construction boom following the onset of the pandemic, I recently embarked on a wholesale remodel of my home in the Bay Area. Unlike most of my fellow remodelers, I make my living analyzing trends in customer experience with the nation’s electric, gas and water utilities. As an energy nerd, I saw the project as a chance to delve into the various incentives that the utilities have been promoting to facilitate my conversion from a gas-fired furnace to an electric heat pump.

    What I found was a tangle of red tape, well-meaning but tragically ill-informed customer service representatives, and hours upon hours of filing forms, chasing down obscure information and questioning contractors — all in a quixotic quest to claim my local, state and federal rebates.

    Heat pumps loom large as a component of electric utility sustainability initiatives. The Biden administration recently announced that $63 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding would be used to spur domestic manufacturing of heat pumps, and local, state and federal incentives have been deployed in most jurisdictions nationwide to encourage consumers to make the switch.

    At the federal level, consumers are eligible for a tax credit that covers 30% of the cost of buying and installing a heat pump, up to a maximum of $2,000 per year. The TECH Clean California program offers incentives to contractors to install heat pumps, and the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power and other utilities offer rebates and other benefits. In Marin County, where I live, state, county and local incentives promised to bring the total rebate on my project to almost $5,000.

    That prospect, along with the long-term value of increased efficiency, was enough to persuade me to take the plunge on a system that was a bit more expensive than a comparable gas furnace. Moreover, my extensive research on the subject was enough to overcome widespread misconceptions about the technology and its ability to comfortably heat and cool my home.

    The good news is that my heat pump works wonderfully! It’s so good that I’ve started recommending one to my friends and neighbors. It isn’t loud or dry like traditional heat; it’s even and smooth. The system allowed much more flexibility in our construction and design. And, best of all, I now have central cooling for the first time.

    Unfortunately, I’ve also put hours of work into chasing rebates I still haven’t received.

    Ironically, the easiest part of the process was applying for a federal rebate through the Internal Revenue Service. When the IRS sets the benchmark for customer service, you know you have a problem.

    Among the challenges I faced were an hour-plus conversation with a friendly Pacific Gas & Electric Co. representative who knew absolutely nothing about heat pump programs; an apologetic county official who informed me that I would need to fill out a commercial form even though my project was residential because “that’s the way the paperwork is written”; and even a request to provide detailed photos of my old gas furnace — the one that had already been removed — to prove I had made the switch.

    Fortunately, because I was documenting the process partly for my own education, I had those photos and welcomed the opportunity to find all the hurdles consumers face. But will typical consumers — those who don’t spend their workdays analyzing the minutiae of utility customer experience — even bother to deal with this craziness? Probably not.

    Perhaps that has something to do with the widespread customer apathy toward electric utility sustainability efforts. J.D. Power’s most recent study of this topic found that just 19% of customers were even aware of their utility’s carbon reduction initiatives.

    We’re living in an era of amazing technological innovation, and we have public policies designed to catalyze consumer adoption of these breakthroughs. But if the same old bureaucratic hurdles stand in the way of access to those programs, no one wins.

    There is a huge opportunity here for innovative utilities to take the lead on improving not only our policies but also the mechanisms that make them work. As a utilities industry professional, I’m optimistic that our leaders will take up this cause. As a consumer, I just hope I eventually get my rebate.

    Andrew Heath is the vice president of utilities intelligence at J.D. Power.

    [ad_2]

    Andrew Heath

    Source link

  • L.A. County settles PACE loan lawsuits; affected homeowners to receive millions

    L.A. County settles PACE loan lawsuits; affected homeowners to receive millions

    [ad_1]

    Los Angeles County has agreed to a $12-million settlement to resolve allegations that its home improvement lending program wrecked the finances of many borrowers and left them vulnerable to foreclosure.

    The settlement, granted preliminary approval Monday by an L.A. County Superior Court judge, comes six years after some homeowners sued the county in twin suits alleging that local officials knew, or should have known, the program would harm vulnerable homeowners and then looked the other way as problems piled up.

    The county did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement and continued to deny the allegations. It said it settled to avoid further litigation costs.

    “Without this, I think people would stand to get absolutely nothing,” said Stephanie Carroll, an attorney with Public Counsel, which along with Bet Tzedek and Hogan Lovells represented homeowners in the two lawsuits. “Now they stand to get some compensation for what happened to them.”

    Launched in 2015, the county’s Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, program had the stated goal of enabling homeowners to finance energy- and water-efficient home improvements, including solar panels and low-flow toilets.

    The program, a public-private partnership, was overseen by the county but largely operated and funded by private finance companies, which in turn relied on home improvement contractors to sign up borrowers.

    Other PACE programs have been set up across the country. The loans require government approval because they are repaid as a line item on a homeowner’s property tax bill.

    PACE programs, including L.A. County’s, have been dogged by allegations that consumers — particularly elderly and non-English-speaking homeowners — didn’t understand what they were getting into and couldn’t afford their loans, which, if unpaid, could lead to foreclosure.

    Initially, lenders handed out loans based on the amount of equity a homeowner had in their property and didn’t consider the borrower‘s income to determine if they could repay the loan.

    Contractors who signed borrowers up for the loans have been accused of misleading consumers on how they would work.

    It wasn’t until 2018, following passage of state reform legislation, that lenders in California had to conduct an ability-to-repay analysis based on income.

    Still, complaints from homeowners continued, including that home improvement contractors charged inflated costs and forged their signatures to get the loans processed.

    In 2020, L.A. County shut down its program in part, it said, because it could not be sure there were sufficient protections for consumers.

    PACE companies say the vast majority of their customers come away happy and that foreclosures are rare. Some firms have blamed new California consumer protection rules for knocking out too many qualified candidates.

    The settlement, preliminarily approved Monday, resolves two lawsuits filed against the county and two of its private lender partners, Renew Financial and Renovate America. The suits allege that the parties committed financial elder abuse and that the private lenders encouraged predatory lending by not considering a consumer’s ability to repay while telling contractors how much of a loan a consumer qualified for based on their home equity.

    Like the county, Renew Financial continued to deny allegations as part of the settlement. Renovate America has since gone out of business, but previously said it found “no merit” in the allegations.

    Under the terms of the settlement, the county will pay $9 million, while Renew Financial will pay $3 million. The amount for attorney and administrative fees will be capped at $2 million, with the rest going to homeowners.

    Consumers can receive money if they took out a Renew Financial or Renovate America loan through the county program from March 1, 2015, to March 31, 2018.

    The county partnered with a third lender as part of the program, PACE Funding Group, which was not a party to the suits and homeowners with those loans are not entitled to relief.

    Homeowners who are eligible will receive extra compensation if their PACE loans caused very large debt burdens. In addition, those with big debt burdens who at the time of origination were 65 and older or had limited English proficiency will receive even more money.

    “For those people who particularly were kind of victimized … I think it will be very significant,” said Michael Maddigan, an attorney with Hogan Lovells.

    Though L.A. County no longer offers a PACE program, PACE loans remain available to many county residents because their cities —including Los Angeles — allow PACE financing through statewide programs.

    Homeowners who took out loans through those programs are not part of the settlement and not entitled to relief — even if their loan came from Renew Financial or Renovate America.

    Eligible homeowners will receive written notification of the settlement by mail.

    L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis said that the county remains committed to servicing PACE loans taken out under its program before it closed, as well as improving protections for those consumers.

    “The settlement demonstrates that commitment and our support for homeowners who sought to improve the energy and water efficiency of their homes under the program,” Solis said in a statement.

    For Zenia Ocana, the prospect of help is welcome news.

    In 2016, Ocana and her husband Juan decided to get solar panels on their North Hollywood home and ended up with a Renew Financial loan through the county’s program that left them with no residual income to live on, according to a complaint in one of the settling suits.

    In an interview, Ocana, 54, said the contractor who signed them up for the loan told them the solar panels would be paid for by the government and cost her family nothing.

    The Ocanas received no documents in Spanish from Renew Financial even though they don’t understand complex documents in English and were charged nearly three times the normal rate for solar panels, the lawsuit alleged.

    To afford the nearly $4,500 in annual loan payments, Ocana said she and her husband have cut back on food, relied on help from family and delayed other bills.

    The settlement, Ocana said, provides her hope that “we can be free of this nightmare.”

    [ad_2]

    Andrew Khouri

    Source link

  • Diddy’s $40M Los Angeles house has grotto, underwater tunnel and more: Reports

    Diddy’s $40M Los Angeles house has grotto, underwater tunnel and more: Reports

    [ad_1]

    Diddy’s LA home raided by Homeland Security

    The Los Angeles home of Sean “Diddy” Combs was raided by Homeland Security in connection with a sex trafficking investigation, officials said.

    Music producer and rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs purchased his swanky $40 million Los Angeles estate in 2014. 

    Located in the lavish neighborhood of Holmby Hills, the home measures 17,000 square feet and has a 3,000 square-foot guesthouse, according to TMZ. 

    The European-style villa has a 35-seat theater, a gym, a wine room and even has an underwater swimming tunnel which connects to a grotto, the Los Angeles Times reported. 

    The mansion is fairly new; built in 2014, it comes with eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. There’s also a separate spa house which comes with a steam room, massage room and a beauty salon, TMZ reported. 

    FILE – Aerials of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ LA home during raid on March 25, 2024.  (KTTV)

    On Monday, Homeland Security raided Combs’ home in connection with a federal sex trafficking case, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. 

    RELATED: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has had history of legal troubles 

    Investigators also raided Combs’ Miami home on Star Island, which he purchased in 2021. 

    This story was reported from Los Angeles. 

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Here’s why paid loyalty programs are all the rage at stores and restaurants

    Here’s why paid loyalty programs are all the rage at stores and restaurants

    [ad_1]

    What causes inflation?

    There are three factors that could lead to inflation which include demand-pull inflation, cost-push inflation and built-in inflation.

    LOS ANGELES – In an era where the high cost of living makes it harder for Americans to justify spending on unnecessary wants, various companies are banking on loyalty programs to keep customers in.

    Paid loyalty programs are the latest trend emerging out of the restaurant and retail industries in which businesses want reliable sales in an unreliable economy. 

    This involves offering enticing perks to consumers who purchase memberships like free delivery or first dibs on exclusive new products when they are released. 

    An example is Target, which has set its sights on tackling its most significant competitor, Amazon. 

    The company announced last week that paid loyalty members for Target spend $49 a year between April 7 and May 18 and $99 annually after that, so they can secure free two-day shipping and free deliveries of orders over $35 in as little as an hour.

    At a restaurant chain like Chuck E. Cheese, customers can choose between Gold tier and Bronze memberships, which provide food and beverage discounts and chances to win more tickets at their locations. 

    Loyalty programs make businesses more money

    Target executives said the 100 million-plus customers enrolled in the company’s free Target Circle loyalty plan already spend five times more than non-members. CEO Brian Cornell told The Associated Press that the hope is that the new paid membership “builds more relevance, more stickiness.”

    To combat churn rates, businesses often consider implementing fee-based loyalty programs for revenue growth. A 2020 McKinsey survey revealed that paid loyalty program members were 60% more likely to increase spending on the brand, compared to a 30% increase for free loyalty programs.

    The startup e-commerce site Hive Brands, launched in 2020, aims to be the leading online marketplace for eco-friendly products. In January, it introduced a $60-per-year loyalty program to address infrequent shopper returns.

    Members receive expedited shipping, a $120 credit for recurring deliveries, and priority treatment for inquiries or orders.

    “Customer care is paramount for us,” stated Hive co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Katie Tyson. “While we maintain democratic customer service standards across the board, our members will enjoy exclusive benefits unavailable to non-members.”

    Can loyalty programs backfire? 

    Walmart was the recent subject of complaints on social media from customers who noticed some self-checkout kiosks reserved for Walmart+ members, who pay $98 per year for free next-day and two-day shipping on many online orders.

    RELATED: Walmart, Target limiting self-checkouts in some stores. Will others follow suit?

    Walmart spokesperson Kelsey Bohl said that during times of limited self-checkout access, some stores were designating select self-serve registers for Walmart+ members using the retailer’s Scan and Go app and for independent contractors who make deliveries and returns for the chain and other stores.

    “The decision is intended to better manage checkout availability,” she noted in an emailed statement to The Associated Press.

    The Associated Press contributed to this story. 

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Realtors agree to change commission rules in a deal that could reduce costs for consumers

    Realtors agree to change commission rules in a deal that could reduce costs for consumers

    [ad_1]

    The National Assn. of Realtors on Friday said it will make changes to its commission rules to settle national allegations the requirements stifled competition, a move that may reduce costs for at least some consumers.

    The settlement, which still must receive court approval, could mark a major change in the housing market.

    Today, sellers typically pay a 5% to 6% commission when they sell their homes, with half of that going to the listing agent’s brokerage and half to the buyer agent’s brokerage, and critics of that model say the settlement could upend that practice.

    “This settlement over time will benefit home sellers and buyers greatly, eventually lowering agent commissions by tens of billions of dollars a year and helping align agent compensation and services rendered,” Stephen Brobeck, a senior fellow with the Consumer Federation of America, said in a statement.

    Under an existing Realtor rule, listing agents must make an offer of compensation to the buyer’s broker in order to list homes on NAR-affiliated multiple listing services, or the MLS.

    Though NAR says this offer can be zero dollars, the requirement to post an offer — known in the industry as “cooperative compensation” — has reduced competition and kept commission rates artificially high, according to lawsuits filed against the Realtors. The rule has also caused buyers’ agents to “steer” their clients to homes that offer higher commission rates, the lawsuits allege.

    In a news release, the national trade group said it continues to deny any wrongdoing as it relates to its current commission rule, but to settle the allegations, it will pay $418 million and prohibit offers of compensation to buyers’ brokers on affiliated multiple listing services, which also populate listings on sites such as Zillow and Redfin.

    “NAR has worked hard for years to resolve this litigation in a manner that benefits our members and American consumers,” Nykia Wright, interim chief executive of NAR, said in a statement. “It has always been our goal to preserve consumer choice and protect our members to the greatest extent possible. This settlement achieves both of those goals.”

    Home sellers could still offer to pay buyers’ broker commissions under the settlement if they communicated it outside the MLS, according to the National Assn. of Realtors.

    But not setting the rules of the game at the outset will inject more competition into the process and open up new ways of payment that should lower costs, according to Robert A. Braun, a partner with Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, which is representing home sellers in two of the settling cases.

    Braun said sellers may still choose to pay buyers’ agents something, or buyers may pay their agents directly after negotiating a fee. They may also choose to go without an agent altogether.

    Another option? A buyer agrees to pay a certain price — say $800,000 — only on the condition that the seller then pays the buyer’s agent $24,000, or 3%. “You got a free market,” Braun said.

    Commission rates are a small proportion of a sales price, but they add up. For a home sold at the average Southern California price of $842,997, 6% is $50,580.

    If such changes drive down commissions overall, it could have a big effect on real estate agents who are paid a proportion of the commission sent to their brokerage.

    Higher mortgage rates sent home sales tumbling, reducing pay for agents who are compensated based on the number and price of the deals they transact.

    In California alone, NAR lost 9,723 members from December 2023 to January 2024 — a 4.75% decline.

    Not all agents are worried.

    Michael Khorshidi works mostly with buyers, but sees the new requirements as an opportunity to show the value he brings to clients. Agents who aren’t able to demonstrate their worth will be the ones who lose work, he said.

    “We’re always transitioning,” Khorshidi said. “This is just the latest transition.”

    If the settlement ends up creating a system in which buyers pay their agents directly, it could saddle them with new costs.

    However, Braun argued that buyers would ultimately see reduced costs as well because under the current system, buyer agent commissions get passed along to buyers in the form of higher home prices.

    That doesn’t mean sellers make a conscious decision to set their home prices higher because they need to pay a buyer’s agent. Rather, Braun said it means fewer homes make financial sense to sell because some homeowners don’t have enough equity to pay two commissions.

    If buyers paid their own agent, more homeowners could afford to sell, increasing supply and helping put downward pressure on price, Braun said.

    “Going forward, there is a significant likelihood home prices will be lower than they otherwise would be,” he said.

    Michael Copeland, a real estate agent in Palm Springs, doesn’t think the agreement will alter the market too dramatically.

    To bring in buyers, sellers may still be incentivized to cover both commissions — just as they do today.

    [ad_2]

    Andrew Khouri, Jack Flemming

    Source link

  • Pain at the Pump: Gas prices on the rise ahead of the spring & summer season

    Pain at the Pump: Gas prices on the rise ahead of the spring & summer season

    [ad_1]

    Gas prices rising

    If it feels like you are paying more at the pump these days, you are. The average price in the Seattle area is sitting at around $4.29 per gallon, and it’s climbing heading into spring.

    SEATTLE – If it feels like you are paying more at the pump these days, you are. The average price in the Seattle area is sitting at around $4.29 per gallon, and it’s climbing heading into spring. 

    For the next six to eight weeks, experts say prices will continue to rise.  It’s all part of a normal spring and summer cycle, but it is still challenging for drivers who are trying to stick to their budgets. 

    “I think consumers are concerned about how they are driving their cars,” said Deanene Slater, a Seattle driver. “It’s definitely something to consider in the budget. I luckily don’t drive a whole lot, but it is at least $60 or so to fill up my car.” 

    After a fall and winter dip, prices are picking up heading into spring, causing Slater to consider a more fuel-efficient vehicle. 

    “This one is going to probably turn into a hybrid at some point,” said Slater. 

    Gas Buddy reports that the average regular gas price in the Seattle area is about $4.29 to 4.30 a gallon after jumping .04 cents in the past week.  

    “This is the time of year when we tend to see gas prices starting to go up,” said Patrick De Haan, Head of Petroleum Analysis at Gas Buddy.

    De Haan says the national average jumped about 17 cents over where it was about a month ago.  

    “Gas prices could still go up another 25 to 50 cents over the next couple of months,” said De Haan. 

    He says prices typically increase this time of year because more Americans typically start filling up as spring approaches and refineries start seasonal maintenance before the summer driving season.  

    “That refinery maintenance also means less gasoline being produced as that work is carried out. We are also beginning the transition back to more expensive blends of summer gasoline that are required in the warmest summer months. You put three of those together, and it’s a recipe for rising prices,” said De Haan. 

    “I try to, I guess, eat out less, so I know I have enough money for gas,” said Misha Miropolskiy. 

    Drivers say with more pain at the pump over the next few months, budgeting will be key.   

    “I noticed that some places like Costco are cheaper, so I try to get my gas there as much as possible,” said Miropolskiy. 

    Overall, De Haan believes it’s going to be a similar year to last year, barring any refinery problems. On the positive side, De Haan says while Seattle gas prices are rising, they are still about .08 cents cheaper than they were about a month ago. 

    [ad_2]

    Jennifer.Dowling@fox.com (Jennifer Dowling)

    Source link

  • AT&T says the outage to its US cellphone network not a cyberattack

    AT&T says the outage to its US cellphone network not a cyberattack

    [ad_1]

    AT&T said the hourslong outage to its U.S. cellphone network Thursday appeared to be the result of a technical error, not a malicious attack.

    The outage knocked out cellphone service for thousands of its users across the U.S. starting early Thursday before it was restored.

    What You Need To Know

    • AT&T said the hourslong outage to its U.S. cellphone network Thursday appeared to be the result of a technical error, not a malicious attack

    • The outage knocked out cellphone service for thousands of its users across the U.S. starting early Thursday before it was restored

    • AT&T blamed the incident on an error in coding, without elaborating

    • Cricket Wireless, which is owned by AT&T, had more than 9,000 outages at one point

    AT&T blamed the incident on an error in coding, without elaborating.

    “Based on our initial review, we believe that today’s outage was caused by the application and execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network, not a cyber attack,” the Dallas-based company said.

    Outage tracker Downdetector noted that outages, which began at about 3:30 a.m. ET, peaked at around 73,000 reported incidents. AT&T had more than 58,000 outages around noon ET, in locations including Houston, Atlanta and Chicago. The carrier is the country’s largest, with more than 240 million subscribers.

    By 9 p.m. ET, the reports on AT&T’s network were fewer than 1,000.

    Cricket Wireless, which is owned by AT&T, had more than 9,000 outages at one point but the reports had also tailed off later in the afternoon. Users of other carriers, including Verizon and T-Mobile, also reported issues but those companies said their networks were operating normally and the problems were likely stemming from customers trying to connect to AT&T users.

    During the outage, some iPhone users saw SOS messages displayed in the status bar on their cellphones. The message indicates that the device is having trouble connecting to their cellular provider’s network, but it can make emergency calls through other carrier networks, according to Apple Support.

    The Federal Communications Commission contacted AT&T about the outage and the Department of Homeland Security and FBI were also looking into it, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

    The FBI acknowledged it had been in touch with AT&T. “Should we learn of any malicious activity we will respond accordingly,” the agency said.

    The outage also raised concerns on Capitol Hill.

    “We are working to assess today’s disruption in order to gain a complete understanding of what went wrong and what can be done to prevent future incidents like this from occurring,” said a statement issued by Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Washington Republican who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Ohio Republican Bob Latta, chair of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee.

    [ad_2]

    Associated Press

    Source link

  • Orange County may take on millions in medical debt. Here is how it would work

    Orange County may take on millions in medical debt. Here is how it would work

    [ad_1]

    ORLANDO, Fla. – Hundreds of millions of dollars in medical debt could be absorbed as Orange County leaders consider how to spend leftover federal aid from the American Rescue Plan.

    On Tuesday, county commissioners agreed to use $4.5 million from the county’s share of the money for medical debt relief. The county would buy up residents’ medical debt and absorb it.

    The county is looking to work with the nonprofit RIP Medical Debt. The group said $4.5 million is enough to take on about $450 million in debt, reportedly helping thousands of county residents.

    The nonprofit buys medical debt in large bundles at a fraction of the original cost. The group says $1 is equal to $100 in medical debt.

    [EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]

    To qualify for having medical debt erased through the nonprofit, residents have to earn less than four times the federal poverty level (around $31,000 for a family of four) or have debt that is 5% or more of their annual income.

    To get the debt forgiven, the county and RIP Medical Debt would work to get medical providers to take part in the program and sell the debt at a discounted rate. The medical providers have to want to sell the debt though, according to Warren Lakhan with Orange County.

    There’s no application. If a person meets the criteria, they will be identified and receive a letter in the mail saying their debt is “canceled,” Lakhan said.

    “Whatever that debt is, regardless of who has the debt,” Lakhan told the commission Tuesday. “If somebody has $100,000 worth of debt, if somebody has $50 worth of debt, it’ll be canceled.”

    Past-due medical bills can adversely affect a person’s credit, and thus jeopardize their abilities to get loans, or even renting an apartment or getting a job. According to a recent analysis of Census data by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 1.5 million Florida adults report having medical debt in a given year.

    Recipients who have their debt relieved face no adverse consequences, according to RIP Medical Debt, because the relief is considered a gift, and an act of generosity.

    Orange County would join other governments around the country including New York City, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and New Orleans. Connecticut recently became the first state in the country to erase medical debt.

    The county has $23 million in leftover American Rescue Plan funding it is shifting. Money will go to affordable housing, mental health, homeless programs, Second Harvest Food Bank, Career Source and to help fund three fire stations.

    Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily:

    Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.

    [ad_2]

    Christie Zizo

    Source link

  • Intel, Tesla, Apple, Iovance, NetEase, Coherus BioSciences, and More Stock Market Movers

    Intel, Tesla, Apple, Iovance, NetEase, Coherus BioSciences, and More Stock Market Movers

    [ad_1]

    Updated Dec 27, 2023, 7:34 am EST / Original Dec 27, 2023, 4:26 am EST

    Stock futures traded slightly lower Wednesday after the S&P 500 finished higher Tuesday and just 0.45% below its record close of 4,796.56 hit Jan. 3, 2022. The broad market index has risen 24% this year and has gained 4.5% this month as traders bet the Federal Reserve will begin cutting interest rates as soon as March.

    Continue reading this article with a Barron’s subscription.

    View Options

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Alphabet, Heico, Bluebird Bio, Plug Power, UBS, FedEx, and More Stock Market Movers

    Alphabet, Heico, Bluebird Bio, Plug Power, UBS, FedEx, and More Stock Market Movers

    [ad_1]

    Dec 19, 2023, 4:31 am EST

    Stock futures traded flat Tuesday, a day after the S&P 500 finished up 0.5% and moved closer to its all-time. The broad market index stands just 1.2% below its record of 4,796.56 reached in early January 2022.

    Continue reading this article with a Barron’s subscription.

    View Options

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Skincare is topping holiday wish lists for tweens and teens | Globalnews.ca

    Skincare is topping holiday wish lists for tweens and teens | Globalnews.ca

    [ad_1]

    Topping kids’ wish lists and driving sales this holiday season is something that you might not expect to see wrapped under the Christmas tree for young people, but for parents of tweens and teens, it will come as no surprise that pricey skincare products are in big demand.

    Toronto mother Carolina Rzeznikiewiz has a seven-year-old son and 10-year-old and 13-year-old daughters. Factoring high on the girls’ list are “skincare and cosmetics from Sephora.”

    “I’m not talking drugstore stuff. I’m talking expensive fancy cosmetics that they want to get their hands on for some reason,” she said.

    Rzeznikiewiz refused to purchase the items for the girls herself, but they have received plenty of the products from friends and family on other special occasions.

    Eldest daughter Liv showed a pile of products, including name brands Laneige and Dior, which she said she treasures.

    Story continues below advertisement

    “They are watching TikTok. They’re consuming that as their main sort of source of media, the same way we used to read Seventeen Magazine. … So they are absolutely fascinated by what they watch, by the make-up tutorials,”  Rzeznikiewiz said.


    Get the latest National news.

    Sent to your email, every day.

    Her daughters aren’t the only ones.

    “Kids are going online and they’re seeing what other people are doing and wearing and buying, and they are being influenced by influencers to buy certain products and so kids are starting at a younger age,” said Dr. Cheryl Rosen, head of dermatology at Toronto Western Hospital.

    Rosen said there is only one thing kids should be applying to their skin and that is sunscreen.

    “It’s exposure to the sun that leads to changes in the skin that lead to wrinkles, … so the main thing that they should be using is a sunscreen as their moisturizer even,” she said.

    Rosen said there is no physical harm in wearing makeup or using certain skincare products but there may be damage to a child’s self-esteem.

    “It’s harming the way you view yourself compared to the rest of the world. One of the things that worries me the most is the filters on social media where you can change your appearance and change how you look, change the shape of your face. I find that very worrying,” she said.

    Trending Now

    Story continues below advertisement

    Parents are being cautioned to choose products that are age-appropriate and gentle for younger skin and to encourage teenagers to start good skincare routines that will carry into adulthood.

    “Cleanser, toner and then your basic moisturizer, and that kind of routine will start to show you what things you need,” said Toronto-based professional makeup artist Cherie Snow.

    Rather than the expensive items and fancy stores, Snow said parents and kids should visit their local pharmacy.

    “The best place to go is the consumer brand, because you have so many options. They’re so affordable and you don’t have to get caught up into all these expensive products,” she said.

    Snow did point out that there are brands that are expanding their lines to cater to the new generation of skin-care enthusiasts.

    While Rzeznikiewiz will not be buying in, she does talk openly, candidly and often with her girls about today’s beauty standards and what is appropriate for kids their ages.

    “We talk about this very filter driven culture where absolutely everything they watch, or at least most of it, has been filtered by A.I. The faces we’re watching on social media are not real faces. And that is a conversation that we have with the girls all the time,” she said.

    &copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

    [ad_2]

    Caryn Lieberman

    Source link