Mass. group pushing nuclear power ballot question

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — A group of local residents say they've collected enough signatures to place a public policy question on the November ballot in the Cape and Islands senate district related to the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station.

The group Cape Downwinders says they plan to deliver more than the required 1,200 certified voter signatures to state Secretary William Galvin's office on Monday.

The question would ask local voters if the state senator from the district should be instructed to vote to expand the radiological Plume Exposure Emergency Planning Zone around the station located in Plymouth to include all of Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket counties.

The group said legislation to expand the emergency planning zone has been introduced at the Statehouse since 1988 but has never passed both the House and the Senate in the same legislative session.

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Nuclear plant looks to end emergency planning role

MONTPELIER, Vt. — The soon-to-close Vermont Yankee nuclear plant wants to stop more than $2 million in annual payments for emergency planning in the region, but a watchdog group opposes that, saying nuclear waste on-site will create continuing risks.

Plant officials have told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that the radioactive spent fuel will have cooled enough by mid-2016 that they should then be able to stop paying to maintain the 10-mile emergency evacuation zone around the plant.

The plant is closing at the end of this year.

The zone extends out from the reactor in Vernon in Vermont's southeast corner to six Vermont towns and parts of neighboring New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

The plant maintains emergency sirens in each town, provides each household with a tone-alert radio, distributes an annual calendar with emergency information and supports regular drills by emergency personnel.

The risks of storing spent nuclear fuel in storage pools at plant sites have been hotly debated in recent years, with some state regulators and nuclear critics saying the fuel is safer in the concrete and steel storage casks that many plants have been using in recent decades because they've been running out of room in their pools.

Five U.S. senators wrote to the NRC in May to urge it to expedite movement of the spent fuel from fuel pools to dry casks. They said studies have concluded that "draining a spent nuclear fuel pool can lead to fires, large radioactive releases and widespread contamination" and that research has found spent fuel pools "could not be dismissed as potential targets for terrorist attacks."

Erica Bornemann, a Vermont Emergency Management official overseeing disaster planning around Vermont Yankee, said the next full-scale drill next year will focus on the potential for a catastrophe resulting from "a hostile act."

Short of that, Raymond Shadis of the nuclear watchdog group New England Coalition pointed to an NRC document describing the possibility of an accident during the process of unloading the spent fuel pool. The casks are brought into the pool as they are loaded. The NRC document raised the possibility that one of the 110-ton casks could be dropped.

Vermont Yankee has said it expects there to be some fuel remaining in the pool until 2021, when the last of it will have been moved into dry casks.

Bornemann argued that until the spent fuel pool is emptied, there should be some level of enhanced emergency response capability around the nuclear plant.

Just weeks after the senators wrote their letter, the NRC rejected calls for speeding up the transfer of spent fuel from pools to dry casks, saying too little was to be gained from a safety perspective to warrant such a ruling.

Christopher Recchia, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Public Service, said Vermont and neighboring states are pressing the NRC not to let Vermont Yankee drop the emergency response efforts. But he acknowledged that, given the NRC's position that spent fuel pools provide safe storage for the nuclear waste, the states' chances of prevailing may be slim.

On Friday, NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said the agency was reviewing Vermont Yankee's request to end its support for emergency planning. He said the agency had never rejected such a request from a plant undergoing decommissioning.

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5 things to know about Ebola outbreak in W. Africa

Two Americans who had been working to treat Ebola patients in Africa have been stricken by the disease. Officials say they will be taken to Atlanta's Emory University Hospital in a tightly sealed isolation unit. The first is expected to arrive Saturday, and the other a few days later, according to hospital officials.

Here are five things to know about Ebola and how it is spread:

1. THE WEST AFRICA EBOLA OUTBREAK IS NOW THE LARGEST IN HISTORY. The current outbreak in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone has sickened more than 1,300 people and killed more than 700 this year.

2. BUT SOME PEOPLE HAVE SURVIVED EBOLA. While the fatality rate for Ebola can be as high as 90 percent, health officials in the three countries say people have recovered from the virus and the current death rate is about 70 percent. Those who fared best sought immediate medical attention and got supportive care to prevent dehydration even though there is no specific treatment for Ebola itself.

3. EBOLA CAN LOOK A LOT LIKE OTHER DISEASES. The early symptoms of an Ebola infection include fever, headache, muscle aches and sore throat, according to the World Health Organization. It can be difficult to distinguish between Ebola and the symptoms of malaria, typhoid fever or cholera. Only in later stages do people with Ebola begin bleeding both internally and externally, often through the nose and ears.

4. EBOLA IS ONLY SPREAD THROUGH BODILY FLUIDS. The Ebola virus is not airborne, so people would have to come into contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. These include blood, sweat, vomit, feces, urine, saliva or semen — making transmission through casual contact in a public setting unlikely.

5. FEAR AND MISINFORMATION THOUGH IS MAKING THINGS WORSE. In each of the affected countries, health workers and clinics have come under attack from panicked residents who mistakenly blame foreign doctors and nurses for bringing the virus to remote communities. Family members also have removed sick Ebola patients from hospitals, including one woman in Sierra Leone's capital who later died. Police had to use tear gas to disperse others who attacked a hospital in the country.

___

Online:

http://www.who.int

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Larry King and Piers Morgan trade jabs

NEW YORK — Clearly, former CNN prime-time stars Larry King and Piers Morgan aren't big fans of each other.

After King derided Morgan's interview skills and called him pompous, Morgan responded on Twitter on Friday that King was a "graceless, petty little man." Morgan's 9 p.m. CNN show was canceled this year. He had replaced King in that time slot in 2011.

King, in an interview with WGRF in Buffalo, says he had trouble watching his successor because the interviews were all about him.

Morgan, in turn, criticized King's ratings, posting a clip where King famously misidentified addressed Ringo Starr as "George," and writing, "Get over it, you daft old goat."

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US doctor with Ebola 1st en route to Atlanta

NEW YORK — An American doctor infected with the Ebola virus is the first being flown to the U.S. for treatment and expected to arrive Saturday in Atlanta, a missionary group said.

Two seriously ill American aid workers will be treated at Atlanta's Emory University Hospital. Samaritan's Purse missionary group spokesman Todd Shearer tells The Associated Press that a plane carrying Dr. Kent Brantly has left West Africa. Brantly works for the group that is paying for the trip.

The private jet outfitted with a special, portable tent designed for transporting patients with highly infectious diseases was due to arrive at Dobbins Air Force Base in Marietta, Georgia, just outside Atlanta.

From there, the doctor will be whisked into one of the most sophisticated hospital isolation units in the country at the hospital about 15 miles away. The second patient will follow a few days later, the hospital has said.

Outside Emory, a gaggle of about 20 members of the media had gathered to chronicle the arrival. There was no noticeable police presence and all roads were open. It will be the first time anyone infected with the disease is brought into the country. U.S. officials are confident the patients can be treated without putting the public in any danger.

The specialized unit at Emory University Hospital was opened a dozen years ago to care for federal health workers exposed to some of the world's most dangerous germs. Health experts say a specialized isolation unit, though, is not needed for treating an Ebola patient. The virus does not spread through the air, so standard, rigorous infection control measures should work at any hospital.

Now it's being pressed into service for the two seriously ill Americans who worked at a hospital in Liberia, one of the three West Africa countries hit by the largest Ebola outbreak in history.

The Emory hospital unit is located just down a hill from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is one of about four such units around the country for testing and treating people infected with dangerous, infectious germs.

The unit has its own laboratory equipment so samples don't have to be sent to the main hospital lab. Located on the ground floor, it's carefully separated from other patient areas, said Dr. Eileen Farnon, a Temple University doctor who formerly worked at the CDC and led teams investigating past Ebola outbreaks in Africa.

The two Americans — Brantly and Nancy Writebol — worked for U.S. aid groups Samaritan's Purse and SIM at a Liberian hospital that treated Ebola patients. Late last week, the North Carolina-based Samaritan's Purse said Brantly, 33, had been diagnosed with Ebola. Then, Writebol's infection was disclosed.

The government is working to ensure that any Ebola-related evacuations "are carried out safely, thereby protecting the patient and the American public," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement released Friday.

Ebola is considered one of the world's deadliest diseases. The current outbreak in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone has sickened more than 1,300 people and killed more than 700 this year.

The virus is spread through direct contact with blood, urine, saliva and other bodily fluids from an infected person. It is not spread through the air so it is not as infectious as a germ like the flu.

The Americans will travel on a Gulfstream jet fitted with a collapsible, clear tent built to transfer CDC employees exposed to contagious diseases. The CDC said the private jet can only accommodate one patient at a time.

An Emory emergency medical team in Liberia has evaluated the two aid workers, and deemed both stable enough for the trip to Atlanta, said Emory's Dr. Bruce Ribner.

"If there's any modern therapy that can be done," such as better monitoring of fluids, electrolytes and vital signs, workers will be able to do it better in this safe environment, said Dr. Philip Brachman, an Emory University public health specialist who for many years headed the CDC's disease detectives program.

"That's all we can do for such a patient. We can make them feel comfortable" and let the body try to beat back the virus, he said.

There's no specific treatment for Ebola so doctors try to ease the symptoms, which include fever, headache, vomiting and diarrhea. Some cases suffer severe bleeding.

Emory's Ribner, one of the doctors who will be seeing the Ebola patients, stressed that safety precautions will be taken by staff.

"I have no concerns about even my personal health or the health of the other health care workers who will be working in that area," Ribner said.

___

Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione in Milwaukee, National Security Writer Robert Burns in Washington and video journalist Johnny Clark and writer Ray Henry in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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GM boosted June sales with discounts to dealers

As General Motors tackles a safety crisis, a look its numbers from June show just how intent the company is on keeping new-car sales on the rise during a record spate of safety recalls.

The Detroit automaker has recalled nearly 30 million cars and trucks this year, including some models that had barely rolled off the assembly line. Yet sales have been resilient, up 3.5 percent through the first seven months of the year.

In mid-June, however, the automaker was headed for a year-over-year monthly sales decline, according to data compiled by automotive research firms. Then, on June 20, GM asked dealers to buy more cars, and it threw in another $1,000 in discounts per vehicle, five dealership representatives told The Associated Press. The company finished the month with a 1 percent gain.

The dealers said they were asked to buy the cars for a rental program, one that provides loaner cars for people whose vehicles are being serviced. When they buy the cars for the program, GM counts them as a retail sale. It's a longstanding practice used by nearly all automakers to boost sales results.

At GM, though, the incentive was unusually generous and came as GM executives try to steer the company through the worst safety crisis in its history, including the recall of 2.6 million small cars with defective ignition switches tied to at least 13 deaths. The company has allayed investor fears by saying that recalls have actually helped sales by bringing in customers who see vastly improved new models.

"Clearly the timing seems a little suspicious," said Jesse Toprak, senior analyst for the Cars.com website who predicted on June 22 that GM sales would be down 7 percent for the month, compared with a 2 percent decline for the rest of the industry. "Retail numbers at that point did not show any kind of strength." The industry eked out a 1.2 percent gain for the month.

GM didn't need the added incentives in July. The company on Friday reported a 9.4 percent sales increase for the month.

GM spokesman Jim Cain confirmed that offers were made to dealers in June, but wouldn't give details. He said GM needed to make more models available as loaners for those whose cars are being recalled. As part of its small-car ignition switch recall, GM is offering free loaners to owners. But dealers have run short of cars for the program and have been forced to rely on rental car companies, which can loan out cars from competing brands.

GM has issued more than 83,000 loaner cars since the recalls started in February. But CEO Mary Barra said last week that it had fixed about 550,000 of the small cars, so the need for loaners was waning.

The automaker won't say how many vehicles were purchased by dealers in June. After about two months, the loaners are resold as used cars because of the miles on them, but buyers get low-interest financing and other incentives offered to new-car buyers, said the dealers, most of whom asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals from the company.

"There was a heavy push on an incentive program that increased sales," one dealer said. "If they don't have the volume they want, they'll come out to the dealers."

GM's U.S. sales rose 2.5 percent in the first half of the year, lagging the overall market's 4.3 percent gain.

Some dealers downplayed the importance of the discounts. Mike Maroone, chief operating officer of AutoNation Inc., the country's largest dealership chain, said AutoNation bought a small number of discounted vehicles for its loaner fleet. But he didn't think the sales had a large impact on GM's numbers.

"I don't think it's as big a deal as it may sound," he said.

Maroone and other dealers said other automakers also offer similar late-month discounts in order to juice sales and improve monthly numbers. Some make the offers every few months.

Some dealers worry that if GM continues to make similar end-of-the-month offers, the influx of used cars into the market will hurt resale values and new-car sales.

GM's Cain said that even without the sales to dealers, GM would have beaten analysts' sales expectations in June. Before the month ended, many analysts predicted GM sales would fall at least 6 percent. The loaner program, he said, has helped boost GM's reputation for customer service.

"That has been very important during the recalls that we have had, to be able to put customers into new GM vehicles and not have to force people into a Ford Focus," Cain said.

Industry are expected to improve in July. Edmunds.com expects an 11.1 percent jump in total U.S. auto sales. When all the numbers are in late Friday, it may wind up being the industry's best July in eight years, Edmunds predicted.

GM's stock price has dropped nearly 16 percent since the start of the year. It had been trading around $37 recently, but began falling last week as GM announced that recall costs had dramatically cut into earnings. The shares closed Thursday at $33.82.

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US employers add 209K jobs, rate rises to 6.2 pct.

WASHINGTON — U.S. employers extended their solid hiring into July by adding 209,000 jobs. It was the sixth straight month of job growth above 200,000, evidence that businesses are gradually shedding the caution that had marked the 5-year-old recovery.

July's gain was less than in the previous three months, though, and probably wasn't strong enough to intensify fears that the Federal Reserve will soon raise interest rates to curb inflation.

But the Labor Department's monthly jobs report Friday pointed to an economy that has bounced back with force after a grim start to the year and is expected to sustain its strength into 2015. Along with the consistent job growth, consumer spending is rising, manufacturing is strengthening and auto sales are up.

The unemployment rate ticked up in July to 6.2 percent from 6.1 percent as more Americans started looking for work. Most didn't find jobs, but the increase suggests that they're more optimistic about their prospects. The jobless aren't counted as unemployed unless they're actively seeking work.

Average job gains over the past six months reached 244,000 in July, the best such monthly average in eight years.

"Job growth slowed in July after heated gains in the past three months," Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, noted in a research note. "But hiring trends remain solid, reflecting a strengthening economy."

Stock market indexes fell modestly in morning trading. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note dipped, suggesting less concern about a Fed rate increase.

The pickup in hiring has yet to translate, however, into larger paychecks for most Americans, a factor that has hobbled the recovery. In July, average hourly earnings ticked up just a penny to $24.45. That's just 2 percent higher than it was 12 months earlier and is slightly below current inflation of 2.1 percent. In a healthy economy, wages before inflation would rise 3.5 percent to 4 percent annually.

The proportion of working-age adults who either have a job or are looking for one rose slightly in July from a 35-year low to 62.9 percent. It was the first increase in four months.

Weak pay gains are restraining the housing market, usually a key driver of growth. A measure of signed contracts to buy homes slipped in June, the National Association of Realtors said this week.

Pay has failed to accelerate in part because many Americans are still uncertain about the economy's long-term health, said Mike Schenk, a senior economist at the Credit Union National Association.

Schenk expects wages to pick up once the unemployment rate falls to around 5.5 percent — a level at which some businesses will have to increase pay to keep workers and some employees will be more confident asking for a raise.

"People are still bruised," Schenk said. "I don't think they feel comfortable, generally speaking, walking in and asking for raises at this point."

Still, Friday's report echoes other data that point to an improving economy. Growth accelerated during the April-June quarter, the government said Wednesday, after contracting sharply in the first three months of the year. Last quarter's rebound assuaged fears that growth was too weak to support this year's rapid hiring.

And on Friday, the government said consumer spending and income picked up in June. A separate report showed that manufacturing expanded in July at the fastest pace in more than three years as new orders surged, production rose and factories ramped up hiring.

Investors remain wary, though, about whether the broad economic improvements will lead the Fed to raise its benchmark short-term rate sooner than expected. Such fears likely contributed to Thursday's 317-point plunge in the Dow Jones industrial average — its worst day since February. Most economists still think the Fed will start raising rates around mid-2015, though some foresee an increase earlier in the year.

In addition to reporting July's solid gain, the government on Friday revised up its estimate of job growth in May and June by a combined 15,000.

Higher-paying jobs showed broad increases in July. Manufacturing added 28,000 jobs, the most in eight months. Construction added 22,000 and financial services 7,000, its fourth straight gain.

In the April-June quarter, the economy expanded at a seasonally adjusted 4 percent annual rate after a steep 2.1 percent contraction in the first quarter that was due largely to a brutal winter. Last quarter, Americans stepped up their spending, particularly on autos, furniture and other big-ticket items. Businesses also spent more on plants, office buildings and equipment.

Americans are also gradually gaining confidence in the economy, which means spending could accelerate in coming months. The Conference Board's consumer confidence index jumped to its highest level in nearly seven years in July.

___

AP Economics Writer Paul Wiseman contributed to this report.

___

Contact Chris Rugaber on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/ChrisRugaber

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States remind Market Basket of workers' rights

BOSTON — Massachusetts and New Hampshire officials are telling the Market Basket supermarket chain they'll be looking out for the legal rights of any workers fired in a protest over the family-owned company's leadership.

Attorneys General Martha Coakley and Joseph Foster also urged the company Thursday to consider its impact on other businesses in the region, where it employs about 25,000 and has 71 stores.

Co-CEOs Felicia Thornton and Jim Gooch said they "hope sincerely" not to fire anyone and they'll follow the law. They said Wednesday workers off the job demanding the return of fired CEO Arthur T. Demoulas must return by Monday.

Demoulas' supporters have held protest rallies and shut down deliveries to stores.

The company's board is evaluating buyout offers, including one from Demoulas. He was fired by the board which is controlled by his cousin.

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Dow has worst drop since February: What happened?

The Dow Jones industrial average plunged 317 points on Thursday, wiping out its gain for the year. It was the biggest drop since February and gave the index a loss for July after five straight months of gains. Here are some questions and answers about the sell-off and what might come next.

Q: Why did the stock market fall?

A: A number of worries have been building for investors in recent weeks and several of them came together on Thursday. That prompted people to dump stocks, breaking several months of calm in the market. A number of large U.S. companies reported poor quarterly results or forecasts, including Whole Foods Market and Exxon Mobil. Tensions are escalating between Russia and the West, threatening Europe's economy and energy needs, and the Federal Reserve is getting closer to ending its powerful economic stimulus program. Also, the market has gone for an unusually long time without a significant pullback.

Q: How bad was it?

A: The Dow, an index of 30 large U.S. stocks, had its worst day in almost six months. The Standard & Poor's 500, a broader measure of the market and the benchmark for many index funds, lost 2 percent, its worst one-day decline since April. The S&P 500 index is still up 4.5 percent for the year and closed at a record high just one week ago. The Dow is slightly negative for the year.

Q: Does this mean the stock rally is over?

A: Not necessarily. Company earnings, one of the most important drivers of stock prices, are still at record levels and are expected to grow by 8.6 percent in the second quarter, according to S&P Capital IQ. That compares to growth of 4.9 percent in the same period a year ago and 3.4 percent growth in the first three months of this year. Also, the market has bounced back from other big drops this year. The S&P 500 slumped 3.6 percent in January but rose steadily for five months after that.

Q: What comes next?

A: The next order of business for investors is the monthly jobs report coming out Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time. Investors will be looking to see if U.S. employers are adding enough jobs to suggest that the economy is picking up momentum. They'll also be looking for signs that wages are growing, which might suggest that the Federal Reserve could move sooner than expected to raise interest rates in order to stave off inflation. Stock investors don't like higher interest rates because it makes it more expensive for companies to borrow money and invest in their business.

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YouTube to stage worldwide live improv comedy event hosted by Epic Rap Battles' Lloyd Ahlquist

Google's YouTube will present its first-ever live interactive comedy improv event, "Off the Top," on Aug. 1 and 2 hosted by EpicLLOYD (Lloyd Ahlquist) of Epic Rap Battles of History.

The event, produced from YouTube Space LA, will comprise three segments: "Pain-prov," involving a torture element; improvised rap battles; and improv games with actors in YouTube studios in London and Tokyo. Users will submit skit suggestions from YouTube, Twitter and Facebook during the live feed and Ahlquist and his team will improvise scenes based on those suggestions.

"Off the Top" will be live-streamed starting at 11:30 a.m. Pacific on Friday, Aug. 1, from EpicLLOYD's channel on YouTube. The footage from the two days of live streaming will be edited into six to eight episodes, which will be posted on YouTube later in August.

L.A.-based improv groups including Upright Citizens Brigade, Second City and the Westside Comedy Theater are participating in the event. Japanese performers are from a group called Pirates of Tokyo Bay, and the British team consists of two improv actors Ahlquist found through auditions, Shaun Lowthian and Lauren Shearing.

Sketches performed in the U.S. will be re-enacted by the other performers oversees in a style that is native to their location. For example, a scene in London could be played in the style of Shakespeare or a scene in Japan could be played in the style of Kabuki.

The show also will feature special guests including Chester See, Timothy DeLaGhetto, Jessi Smiles and Zach Sherwin.

EpicLLOYD is half of the duo behind Epic Rap Battles of History along with Peter Shukoff (Nice Peter), one of the most-subscribed channels on YouTube with 10.7 million followers. ERB is affiliated with Disney's Maker Studios.

(C) 2014 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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Non-compete reform left out of final bill

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Chili Pepper Chad Smith picks up Venice pied-a-terre

• BUYER: Chad Smith
• LOCATION: Venice, CA
• PRICE: $2,755,000
• SIZE: 2,800 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms

YOUR MAMA'S NOTES: Several of the Red Hot Chili Peppers have been in the mood to change up their residential property portfolios lately. Last summer lead singer Anthony Kiedis coughed up $3.65 million for a bolthole just above the Sunset Strip and in early July of this year, bass player Michael "Flea" Balzary slapped a $6.8 million price tag on his historic hillside compound in L.A.'s Los Feliz area. Just a few weeks later drummer Chad Smith quietly shelled out $2,755,000 for a boxy and glassy newly constructed contemporary pied-a-terre on a prime, tree-lined street in still kinda gritty but decidedly chic and trendy Venice, CA,

Digital marketing materials describe the brand-spanking new and approximately 2,800-square-foot dwelling as a "prestigious eco-architectural statement" clad in horizontal white oak planks and set behind a high fence and locked gate. The three bedroom and 3.5 bathroom house has airy, open plan interiors spaces finished with honed concrete floors, modern art-hungry white walls and wide banks of aluminum-framed sliding glass doors and windows

.A double-sided fireplace wrapped in reclaimed wood adds a bit of earthiness to the otherwise clean lined living spaces that benefit hugely from high ceilings -- they're a head-roomy 11-feet everywhere but the dining area where they soar thrilling to 25 feet. A four-stool snack counter at a wide center island divides the dining area from the white-on-white kitchen that's decked as per usual with top-grade stainless steel appliances.

A floating, open-tread staircase makes a straight shot to the second floor where are two guest/family bedrooms each have a private bathroom and. A cable-railed bridge links the stair landing to the street-facing master bedroom that includes a walk-in closet and super-tall aluminum-framed glass doors that open to a small private terrace. The roomy attached master bath has a two-sink floating vanity, soaking tub set in front of a huge single-pane window with sky roof and palm tree view and a separate shower set behind a singe piece of frameless glass.

The high-fenced and tree-shaded front yard is the primary outdoor living and entertainment area and includes a bit of concrete terracing that wraps around the living room and give way to some newly installed sod. Over in the corner second concrete terrace has a built-in fire pit.

The uncommonly talented 50-something year rock-n-roller -- he's produced seven children with four women, including four with his current architect wife, Nancy Mack -- likely purchased the property as an in-town pied-a-terre as he owns a much more substantial spread in the celeb-approved Point Dume area of Malibu that he bought in May 2006 for $8.6 million. The Smith family's much-coveted street is chock-a-block with famous folk including kinky-haired saxophonist Kenny G, Julia Roberts and Danny Moder. Maybe or maybe not consciously uncoupling Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin recently shelled out $14 million for a both beloved and oft-heckled Bart Prince designed residence next door to the Smiths and aging magnificently supermodel Cindy Crawford and her handsome hubby Rande Gerber recently paid six million bucks for a dumpy fixer upper around the corner where they plan to build and sell and eco-minded LEED-certified house.

(C) 2014 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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As US economy accelerates, Fed remains cautious

WASHINGTON — After a grim start to 2014, the U.S. economy has rebounded with vigor and should show renewed strength into next year.

That was the general view of analysts Wednesday after the government estimated that the economy grew at a fast 4 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter. Consumers, businesses and governments combined to fuel the expansion. The government also said growth was more robust last year than previously estimated.

Whether the healthier expansion will lead the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates sooner than expected is unclear. The Fed offered a mixed message on the economy Wednesday: Growth is strengthening, and the unemployment rate is steadily falling. Yet by some measures, it suggested, the job market remains subpar.

A statement the Fed issued after a two-day policy meeting signaled that it wants to see further improvement before it starts raising its key short-term interest rate. It offered no clearer hint of when it will raise that rate.

Instead, the Fed reiterated its plan to keep short-term rates low "for a considerable time" after ends its monthly bond purchases. The Fed said it will slow the pace of its purchases by another $10 billion to $25 billion a month. The purchases, which have been intended to keep long-term borrowing rates low, are set to end in October. Most economists think a rate increase is about a year away.

The economy sprang back to life last quarter after a dismal winter in which it shrank at a sharp 2.1 percent annual rate. The government upgraded that decline from a previous estimate of a 2.9 percent drop. But it was still the biggest contraction since early 2009 in the depths of the Great Recession.

Last quarter's bounce-back reinforced analysts' view that the economy's momentum is extending into the second half of the year, when they forecast annual growth of around 3 percent.

The government also updated its estimates of growth leading into this year. They show the economy expanded in the second half of 2013 at the fastest pace in a decade and more than previously estimated. The revised data also show that the economy grew faster in 2013 than previously estimated, though more slowly in 2011 and 2012 than earlier thought.

The second quarter's growth in the gross domestic product — the total output of goods and services — was the fastest since a 4.5 percent increase in July-September quarter of 2013.

Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said that given last quarter's rebound, he's boosting his estimate for growth this year to 2 percent, up from a previous 1.7 percent forecast. Ashworth said the economy's growth also supported his view that the Fed will be inclined to start raising rates early next year.

Ashworth is among a group of economists who think growing strength in the job market and the economy will prod the Fed to move faster to raise rates to make sure inflation doesn't get out of hand. Other economists have been predicting that the Fed would wait until mid-2015 to start raising rates.

The Fed revised the wording of its previous statement to note that while the unemployment rate has dropped steadily, the job market is still struggling in other ways. It didn't specify what it meant. But Chair Janet Yellen expressed concern to Congress this month about stagnant wage growth, many part-time workers who can't find full-time jobs and the proportion of the unemployed who have been out of work for more than six months.

The GDP report showed that one measure of inflation rose 2 percent last quarter, up from a 1.3 percent rise in the first quarter. The Fed's inflation target is 2 percent, and for two years the GDP measure of inflation has been running below that level. Low inflation has given the Fed leeway to focus on boosting growth to fight high unemployment.

In its statement, the Fed noted that inflation had risen closer to its 2 percent target. The statement said concerns that inflation would run persistently below the Fed's 2 percent target had "diminished somewhat." But it expressed no worries about the slight acceleration in prices.

The economy's sudden contraction in the first quarter coincided with a severe winter that disrupted activity across industries and kept consumers away from shopping malls and auto dealerships. Consumer spending slowed to an annual growth rate of 1.2 percent, the weakest in nearly three years.

Last quarter, consumer spending accelerated to a growth rate of 2.5 percent. Spending on durable goods such as autos surged at a 14 percent annual rate, the biggest quarterly gain since 2009. Analysts said that was an encouraging sign of consumers' growing willingness to buy high-cost items like cars.

"Better job growth, a rising stock market, falling gasoline prices — all those things are starting to resonate on Main Street," said Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group.

Hoffman suggested that five straight months of job gains above 200,000 were buoying both consumer and business confidence. He predicted that the July jobs report, to be released Friday, would show job growth of around 225,000. Hoffman foresees growth of around 3 percent over the next year.

The government's revised estimates going back to 2011 show the economy expanded at an annual rate of 4.5 percent in last year's third quarter, up from a previous 4.1 percent estimate. The growth rate was 3.5 percent in the fourth quarter, up from an earlier 2.6 percent estimate.

For 2013 as a whole, the government said the economy grew 2.2 percent, up from its earlier 1.9 percent estimate.

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US jobless aid applications rise to 302,000

WASHINGTON — More people sought U.S. unemployment benefits last week, but jobless claims remain at pre-recession levels.

Weekly applications for unemployment aid rose 23,000 to a seasonally adjusted 302,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. The prior week's claims were revised down to 279,000, the lowest since May 2000.

The four-week average, a less volatile measure, fell 3,500 to 297,250. That's the lowest average since April 2006, more than a year before the Great Recession began at the end of 2007.

Applications are a proxy for layoffs. When employers keep their workers, it suggests potential income gains, active hiring and confidence that the economy is growing.

"The claims data continue to signal an improving labor market," said Jim O'Sullivan, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, in a client note.

Employers added 288,000 jobs in June, the fifth straight month of job gains above 200,000. That's the first such stretch since 1999, during the height of the dot-com boom. The unemployment rate fell to 6.1 percent, the lowest since September 2008.

Economists forecast that the July employment report being released Friday will show that 225,000 jobs were added, according to a survey by the data firm FactSet. They forecast that the unemployment rate held at 6.1 percent in July.

Payroll provider ADP said Wednesday that private employers added 218,000 jobs in July, down from 281,000 in June.

Steady hiring gains have yet to lift wages by much. Wage growth has slightly outpaced inflation since the recession ended more than five years ago.

But more people with jobs increases the total number of paychecks, which could boost consumer spending and growth.

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Scripps, Journal Communications to combine TV stations, spinoff newspapers

Two more TV station groups are merging in an effort to achieve greater scale and separate broadcast and newspaper holdings.

E.W. Scripps Co. has set a deal with Journal Communications that will create two public companies: one housing their combined broadcast and digital assets, the other housing newspapers including the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Ventura County Star and Knoxville News Sentinel.

The TV station company, based in Cincinnati, will retain the E.W. Scripps moniker while the newspaper company will become Journal Media Group, based in Milwaukee. Scripps shareholders will own majority stakes in both companies, but the deal still marks a symbolic retreat from the newspaper business for Scripps, one of the nation's oldest family newspaper dynasties.

Rich Boehne, chairman-president-CEO of Scripps, will continue to lead the TV company. Scripps' Tim Stautberg will become president-CEO of Journal Media Group.

"In one motion, we're creating an industry-leading local television company and a financially flexible newspaper company with the capacity and vision to help lead the evolution of their respective industries," said Boehne. "Making the combinations even more appealing are the rich histories of these two organizations, both driven by a deep commitment to public service through enterprise journalism. For shareholders, this deal should unlock significant value as both companies gain efficiency, scale and more focus on the industry dynamics unique to these businesses."

Scripps at present owns 21 TV stations in mid- and small-sized markets. Journal has 14 outlets, mostly in smaller markets. The combined TV company will enhance Scripps' position as one of the nation's largest owners of ABC affiliates, among other Big Three network affils.

Journal Media Group will emerge from the transaction with a debt-free balance sheet buoyed by $10 million in cash. That's a stark difference from recent publishing spinoff deals set by Tribune and Time Warner in which publishing units were forced to shoulder significant debt.

If the Scripps-Journal tie-up is approved by shareholders, Scripps shareholders will wind up with 69% of the new Scripps and 59% of Journal Media Group. Scripps' ownership is already dominated by the family trust that has controlled the company, and its Scripps Networks Interactive sibling, for decades.

Scripps shareholders will also receive a special $60 million cash dividend.

(C) 2014 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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US economy grew at strong 4 percent rate in spring

WASHINGTON — After a dismal winter, the U.S. economy sprang back to life in the April-June quarter, growing at a fast 4 percent annual rate on the strength of higher consumer and business spending.

The rebound reported Wednesday by the Commerce Department followed a sharp 2.1 percent annualized drop in economic activity in the January-March quarter. That figure was revised up from a previous estimate of a 2.9 percent drop. But it was still the biggest contraction since early 2009 in the depths of the Great Recession.

Last quarter's bounce-back was broad-based, with consumers, businesses, the housing industry and state and local governments all combining to fuel growth. The robust expansion will reinforce analysts' view that the economy's momentum is extending into the second half of the year, when they forecast an annual growth rate of around 3 percent.

The government on Wednesday also updated its estimates of growth leading into this year. They show the economy expanded in the second half of 2013 at the fastest pace in a decade and more than previously estimated. The revised data also show that the economy grew faster in 2013 than previously estimated, though more slowly in 2011 and 2012 than earlier thought.

The second quarter's 4 percent growth in the gross domestic product — the economy's total output of goods and services — was the best showing since a 4.5 percent increase in July-September quarter of 2013.

At the same time, a higher trade deficit slowed growth as imports outpaced a solid increase in exports.

Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said that given the solid rebound last quarter, he's boosting his estimate for growth this year to a 2 percent annual rate, up from a previous 1.7 percent forecast. Ashworth said the rebound also supported his view that the Federal Reserve, which is ending a two-day meeting Wednesday, will be inclined to start raising interest rates early next year.

Most economists have been predicting that the Fed would wait until mid-2015 to start raising rates.

"At the margin, this GDP report supports our view that an improving economy will persuade the Fed to begin raising rates in March next year," Ashcroft wrote in a research note.

Ashcroft is among a group of economists who think growing strength in the job market and the overall economy will prod the Fed to move faster to raise rates to make sure inflation doesn't get out of hand.

The GDP report showed that one measure of inflation rose 2 percent last quarter, up from a 1.3 percent rise in the first quarter. The Fed's inflation target is 2 percent, and for two years the GDP measure of inflation has been running below that level. Low inflation has given the Fed leeway to focus on boosting growth to fight high unemployment.

The economy's sudden contraction in the first quarter of this year had resulted from several factors. A severe winter disrupted activity across many industries and kept consumers away from shopping malls and auto dealerships. Consumer spending slowed to an annual growth rate of just 1.2 percent, the weakest showing in nearly three years.

Last quarter, consumer spending, powered by pent-up demand, accelerated to a growth rate of 2.5 percent. That was double the pace of the first quarter.

Spending on durable goods such as autos surged at a 14 percent annual rate, the biggest quarterly gain since 2009. Analysts said that was an encouraging sign of consumers' growing willingness to increase purchases of big-ticket items like cars.

Consumer spending is closely watched because it accounts for more than two-thirds of economic activity.

In the April-June quarter, business investment in new equipment jumped at a 7 percent rate after having fallen 1 percent in the first quarter. That setback had reflected the expiration of business tax breaks at the end of 2013. Those tax breaks led companies to boost equipment spending at the end of last year.

Businesses, optimistic about future demand, increased their stockpiling last quarter. The increase in inventories contributed two-fifths of the growth in the quarter after having subtracted 1 percentage point from first-quarter activity.

Housing, which had been falling for two straight quarters, rebounded in the spring, growing at a 7.5 percent annual rate.

Government spending also recovered after two consecutive declines. The strength came from state and local governments, which offset the seventh quarterly decline in federal government spending.

The government's revised estimates of growth going back to 2011 show the economy expanded at an annual rate of 4.5 percent in last year's third quarter, up from a previous 4.1 percent estimate. The growth rate was 3.5 percent in the fourth quarter, up from an earlier 2.6 percent estimate.

For 2013 as a whole, the government said the economy grew 2.2 percent, up from its earlier 1.9 percent estimate. But growth was weaker in 2011 and 2012 than previously estimated. It grew 2.3 percent in 2012, down from 2.8 percent. And growth in 2011 was downgraded to 1.6 percent from 1.8 percent.

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Russia counts cost of new economic sanctions

MOSCOW — Russia blasted the West's new economic sanctions on Wednesday, accusing the U.S. of being "prosecutorial" in its drive to impose penalties on the country's key energy and finance sectors.

The U.S. and European Union on Tuesday announced a raft of new sanctions that would limit the trade of arms and technology that can be used in the oil industry and for military purposes. The EU also put its capital markets off limits for Russian state-owned banks.

The U.S. and EU say Russia is helping the separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine who are accused of downing the Malaysian Airlines jet this month.

Russia's foreign ministry said Washington was "advancing baseless claims." In a statement, it accused the U.S. of conducting itself in a "pretentious, prosecutorial manner."

Experts say the penalties, which had until recently mainly targeted individuals, will have more bite to them this time, rippling through the economy and causing deeper damage.

The biggest immediate impact is likely to come from the financial sanctions. In a first sign of concern, Russia's central bank said Wednesday it would support banks targeted by the penalties.

"State-owned banks are the core of the Russian banking system. Together they count for half of assets, half of credits — they perform a very significant role," said Vladimir Tikhomirov, chief economist at BCS. "Given their current difficulties in raising new debts... that would mean their ability to lend to other banks, smaller banks, is going to be more restricted also."

U.S. officials said Tuesday that roughly 30 percent of Russia's banking sector assets would now be constrained by sanctions. EU officials said Russia's majority state-owned banks last year issued long-term debt worth 7.5 billion euros ($10 billion) on the EU market, as well as 15.8 billion euros in debt on the Russian market.

The measures against Russian banks are meant to inflict just enough pain without causing them to collapse. Only debts with a maturity of over 90 days will be targeted by the measures.

"The aim is not to destroy these banks," said a senior EU official, who was briefing reporters on condition of anonymity prior to the sanctions' official announcement. "We do not want them to get into a liquidity crisis."

But analysts say the sanctions will inflict economic pain, not least because the resulting uncertainty will ensure investors stay clear from the dealings with those banks for fear of running afoul of sanctions.

The EU also moved to prohibit key technology exports that could be used for oil exploration and development in Russia, which relies heavily on Western expertise. EU officials noted that the prohibition would target just one tenth of overall energy tech exports to Russia, and some analysts say that such projects would only be impacted in the next year.

"It's more of a long-term development and to some extent that's symbolic," Chris Weafer, an analyst at the investment firm Macro Advisory, told the AP by phone.

The reaction in the stock markets in Moscow was mixed, as investors had sold off shares in Russian companies for the past two weeks after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed. Reports last week that the new, tougher sanctions were due had also caused markets to tumble for days ahead of their formal announcement Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the MICEX benchmark index was up 2 percent, mainly thanks to a rise in shares in companies that were spared sanctions. Shares in VTB Bank, Russia's second largest and one of the sanctions targets, were down 0.9 percent.

The latest sanctions could accelerate an economic downturn that was already hitting Russia. The International Monetary Fund slashed its growth forecast for this year to nearly zero, from 1.3 percent last year. Meanwhile, the U.S. says investors are expected to pull more than $100 billion out of the country this year.

"Russia's actions in Ukraine and the sanctions that we've already imposed have made a weak Russian economy even weaker," President Barack Obama said Tuesday.

Europe has a far stronger economic relationship with Russia than the U.S. does, and until this week European Union leaders had been reluctant to impose harsh penalties — in part out of fear of harming their own economies.

EU President Herman Van Rompuy and the president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, said the sanctions sent a "strong warning" that Russia's destabilization of Ukraine could not be tolerated.

"When the violence created spirals out of control and leads to the killing of almost 300 innocent civilians in their flight from the Netherlands to Malaysia, the situation requires urgent and determined response," the two top EU officials said in a statement.

The new EU sanctions put the 28-nation bloc on par with earlier sector sanctions announced by the U.S. and in some cases may even exceed the American penalties.

Despite the West's escalation of its actions against Russia, Obama said the U.S. and Europe were not entering a Soviet-era standoff with Russia.

"It's not a new Cold War," he said.

How long the sanctions stay in place is a key factor for how much impact they will have on Russia. EU officials emphasized that while the latest measures have a duration of one year, they could be annulled at any time. That offers an incentive to cancel or scale them back.

Russia has the money to shore up its banks in the short term, meaning the sanctions would have to remain in place for more than just a few months to have a big impact on the economy.

"Banks have accumulated a cushion of hard currency reserves," said Yaroslav Lissovik, head of company research in Russia at Deustche Bank. "Russia also has very low levels of public debt and large fiscal reserves. In our view, this could be employed in the case of difficulties with refinancing.

It remains uncertain whether the tougher penalties will have any impact on Russia's actions in Ukraine — nor was it clear what further actions the U.S. and Europe were willing to take if the situation remains unchanged. In the nearly two weeks since the Malaysia Airlines plane was downed in eastern Ukraine, Russia appears to have deepened its engagement in the conflict, with the U.S. and its allies saying Russia was building up troops and weaponry along its border with Ukraine.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier pressed for a diplomatic effort to calm the situation in Ukraine, saying Wednesday that "sanctions alone are not a policy, so we must continue to seek opportunities to defuse the conflict politically."

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Baetz reported from Brussels. Julie Pace in Washington and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed reporting.

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Hyundai recalls 883K Sonatas to fix gear shifters

DETROIT — Hyundai is recalling its popular Sonata midsize sedan to fix problems with the gear shift levers.

The recall covers 883,000 cars from the 2011 through 2014 model years.

The Korean automaker says the automatic transmission shift cable can separate from the shift lever. If that happens, the lever may not show the correct gear, increasing the risk of a crash.

Also, if the driver stops the car and puts the transmission in "park," the car may still be in gear and could roll away, injuring drivers, passengers or bystanders, Hyundai said in documents posted Wednesday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Other symptoms include an inability to start the car because it can't be shifted into park.

Hyundai has received 1,171 warranty claims about the problem, plus seven other reports with related symptoms. Hyundai says there have been no crashes or injuries caused by the problem. The Sonatas being recalled were made from Dec. 11, 2009 through May 29, 2014.

The Sonata is Hyundai's second-best-selling car in the U.S. so far this year. First is the compact Elantra.

Hyundai will notify owners by letter between now and the end of September. Dealers will inspect the shift cables and repair the connection if needed.

Owners with questions can call Hyundai customer service at (800) 633-5151.

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Major markets little changed after economic news

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks crept higher following news that the economy surged ahead in the spring. Trading was quiet as investors waited for a statement from the Federal Reserve later Wednesday. Most world markets were mixed.

KEEPING SCORE: The Dow Jones industrial average fell 14 points, or 0.1 percent, to 16,898 as of 10:42 a.m. The Standard & Poor's 500 index edged up two points, or 0.1 percent, to 1,972. The Nasdaq gained 20 points, or 0.5 percent, to 4,463.

THE ECONOMY: The Commerce Department said the economy grew at a 4 percent clip in the three months ending in June, helped by rising spending. A recovery in housing and larger outlays by state and local governments drove the gains.

TWEET: Stronger revenue from Twitter sent the company's stock up 21 percent in early trading. The social-networking company reported a quarterly loss late Tuesday but its revenue more than doubled over the year, thanks to new advertising tools and a surge in traffic from soccer fans following the World Cup. Twitter's stock surged $8 to $46.61.

LAYOFFS AND PROFITS: Amgen said Tuesday that it plans to lay off up to 15 percent of its worldwide workforce and close four sites, even as it reported second-quarter results that trounced Wall Street expectations. The drugmaker also raised its forecasts for its 2014 profit and sales. Amgen's stock climbed $6.59, or 5 percent, to $129.90.

BUSY WEEK: It's a busy week for economic news. Federal Reserve officials wrap up a two-day meeting Wednesday afternoon. There's a report on China's manufacturing industry out Thursday, and the U.S. Labor Department releases its monthly jobs report on Friday.

ONE VIEW: "U.S. data will be the main event," says Chris Weston, market strategist at IG in Melbourne. Sanctions against Russia remain a concern. Expectations of more penalties had dampened stocks over the past two weeks. The U.S. and Europe on Tuesday announced tougher sanctions against Russia in response to an attack on a Malaysian airliner over an area of Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

EARNINGS PARADE: Wall Street is in the middle of second-quarter earnings season, when big companies turn in their springtime results and tell investors how they think the rest of the year will shape up. This week, ExxonMobil and Procter & Gamble are among the heavyweights posting earnings.

NOT BAD: So far, the news has been much better than many expected. More than half of the companies in the S&P 500 have turned in results, and roughly seven out of 10 have reported higher profits than analysts projected, according to S&P Capital IQ.

EUROPE: Major markets in Europe barely moved. Germany's DAX inched up 0.1 percent and France's CAC 40 dipped 0.1 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.1 percent.

OTHER MARKETS: The report of stronger U.S. economic growth sent prices falling for Treasurys, driving U.S. government bond yields higher. The yield on the 10-year note jumped to 2.52 percent from 2.46 percent late Tuesday, a big move in the usually placid bond market. Benchmark U.S. crude for September delivery rose 49 cents to $101.53 a barrel.

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AP Business Writer Yuri Kageyama reported from Tokyo.

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Revised data: US grew faster in 2nd half of 2013

WASHINGTON — Fueled by healthier consumer spending, the U.S. economy grew in the second half of last year at the strongest pace in a decade and more than previously estimated, new government data show.

Revised data released Wednesday also suggest a possible factor behind the pickup: Americans saved much more in 2012 than previously thought, leaving more to spend in 2013.

The economy grew at an annual rate of 4.5 percent in last year's third quarter, up from a previous estimate of 4.1 percent. Growth was 3.5 percent in the fourth quarter, up from 2.6 percent. The average 4 percent annual pace was the best six-month showing since 2003.

For 2013 as a whole, the economy expanded 2.2 percent, up from the previous estimate of 1.9 percent.

The government's newly revised figures show that growth was accelerating before harsh weather in the first quarter contributed to a sharp contraction. And growth rebounded to a robust 4 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter, the government said Wednesday. The figures indicate that the 2.1 percent contraction in the first quarter was an aberration. That number was revised higher from a previous reading of a 2.9 percent contraction.

The better growth readings also suggest that this year's healthy hiring trend will continue. Previously, the job gains in the first six months of this year were much stronger than the economic growth figures. Now they are more closely aligned.

Still, growth was weaker in 2011 and 2012 than the government had previously estimated, the revisions show. Overall, the growth trend since the Great Recession was little changed by the government's updates. The new figures show that growth has averaged 2.3 percent at an annual rate from the end of the recession in June 2009 through last year. That's a scant downgrade from the previous estimate of 2.4 percent.

The economy expanded just 2.3 percent in 2012, down from a previous estimate of 2.8 percent. And growth in 2011 was marked down to 1.6 percent from 1.8 percent.

The changes stem from a comprehensive revision the government conducts each year to the nation's gross domestic product data. GDP, the broadest measure of the economy's output of goods and services, includes everything from restaurant meals to television production to steel manufacturing. Most of the changes were made to the previous three years' figures.

The revisions are based on updated data from agencies such as the Census Bureau and the Internal Revenue Service. Many monthly surveys of consumer spending, manufacturing and retail businesses are updated with more comprehensive annual reports.

Newly available tax data showed that Americans earned more than was previously thought in 2012. Personal income, after taxes and adjusted for inflation, grew 3 percent that year, much higher than the previous estimate of 2 percent.

But the bulk of that gain likely went to wealthier Americans. Most of the upward revision resulted from a sharp increase in interest and dividend payments. Business income was also revised higher. Wealthier Americans own the vast majority of stocks and other financial assets.

The higher interest and dividend payments probably included many one-time payments that were made ahead of tax increases that kicked in at the beginning of 2013.

With income much higher, so was savings. The saving rate was revised to 7.2 percent in 2012, up from the previous estimate of 5.6 percent. Americans also saved more in 2011 and 2013. Though more savings can slow growth in the short run, it can lay a foundation for faster growth in the future.

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US concerned by Iranian arrests of journalists

WASHINGTON — The top U.S. nuclear negotiator says she is concerned by reports Iran has arrested four journalists, including three Americans.

Wendy Sherman says Tehran should release them immediately.

Iran confirmed last week it detained the journalists.

The Washington Post said its correspondent, Jason Rezaian, and his wife were detained in the Iranian capital. The newspaper said Rezaian, 38, holds both American and Iranian citizenship.

His wife, Yeganeh Salehi, is an Iranian citizen who has applied for U.S. permanent residency and works as a correspondent for a newspaper based in the United Arab Emirates. The other two American photojournalists have not been identified.

Sherman testified Tuesday on nuclear negotiations with Iran before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

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UPS 2Q profit drops, lowers outlook on spending

ATLANTA — UPS is willing to sacrifice some short-term profits to avoid a repeat of its failure last Christmas to deliver all packages on time.

The big Atlanta-based shipping company said it will spend $175 million on improvements that include beefed-up operations on the day after Thanksgiving, more sorting facilities and sped-up deployment of software designed to help drivers find the quickest route to a destination.

UPS was caught by surprise during last year's holiday season by a big increase in online shopping and a crush of last-minute orders by shoppers who jumped on offers of free shipping. The company hired extra workers to handle the rush, but some gifts still arrived late.

Reflecting the boost to spending, UPS lowered its full-year outlook for adjusted earnings to $4.90 to $5 a share. It previously expected to earn around $5.05 a share. UPS also reported quarterly earnings that fell short of Wall Street estimates, although revenue was greater than expected.

Shares fell $3.12, or 3 percent, to $99.54 in morning trading.

David Abney, the company's chief operation officer and incoming CEO, said UPS is working with suppliers on a joint demand forecast and adding 50 new sorting facilities in existing buildings, increasing capacity by 5 percent. UPS has traditionally operated a limited service on the day after Thanksgiving, a giant shopping day known as Black Friday. This year, it will move to a full schedule. Abney said that will cost UPS more money but the change will pay for itself in the long run.

"It smooths out the Cyber Week demand," Abney said, referring to the influx of packages from online shoppers.

For the second quarter, net income declined to $454 million, or 49 cents per share, from $1.07 billion, or $1.13 per share, in the same quarter a year earlier. UPS took a charge of $665 million for the transfer of post-retirement liabilities for certain Teamster employees to defined contribution health care plans.

Adjusted earnings were $1.21 per share. The average per-share estimate of analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for profit of $1.24.

The company said revenue climbed 5.6 percent to $14.27 billion from $13.51 billion in the same quarter a year ago, and beat Wall Street forecasts. Analysts expected $14.07 billion, according to Zacks.

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Avoiding plane crashes as air traffic doubles

NEW YORK — More travelers are flying than ever before, creating a daunting challenge for airlines: keep passengers safe in an ever more crowded airspace.

Each day, 8.3 million people around the globe — roughly the population of New York City — step aboard an airplane. They almost always land safely.

Some flights, however, are safer than others.

The accident rate in Africa, for instance, is nearly five times that of the worldwide average, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization, part of the United Nations. Such trouble spots also happen to be where air travel is growing the fastest, putting the number of fliers on course to double within the next 15 years.

"In some areas of the world, there's going to be a learning curve," says Patrick Smith, a commercial airline pilot for 24 years and author of "Cockpit Confidential." But that doesn't necessarily mean that the skies are going to become more dangerous. "We've already doubled the volume of airplanes and passengers and what's happened is we've gotten safer."

To meet the influx of passengers, airlines will need to hire and train enough qualified pilots and mechanics. Governments will have to develop and enforce safety regulations. New runways with proper navigation aids will have to be constructed.

Industry experts acknowledge the difficulties, but note that aviation has gone through major growth spurts before and still managed to improve safety along the way.

Last year, 3.1 billion passengers flew, twice the total in 1999. Yet, the chances of dying in a plane crash were much lower.

Since 2000, there were less than three fatalities per 10 million passengers, according to an Associated Press analysis of crash data provided by aviation consultancy Ascend. In the 1990s, there were nearly eight; during the 1980s there were 11; and the 1970s had 26 deaths per 10 million passengers.

The last two weeks have been bad for aviation with the shooting down of a Malaysia Airlines flight followed by separate crashes in Taiwan and Mali. But the rare trio of tragedies represents just a fraction of the 93,500 daily airline flights worldwide.

"Aviation safety is continuing to get better. A sudden spate of accidents doesn't mean that the industry has suddenly become less safe," says Paul Hayes, director of air safety for Ascend.

As global incomes rise, people in Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, India and China want to travel more. Airplane manufacturer Airbus says that while U.S. traffic is growing 2.4 percent a year, emerging countries are seeing 13.2 percent annual growth.

In those countries, flying is often the only option. Cities are remote. Adequate highways or railroads don't always exist. New airlines have popped up, offering affordable flights to satisfy this growing thirst for travel.

These carriers — many unheard of outside their region — are adding new jets at a breakneck pace. In the next six years alone, Indonesia's Lion Air will get 265 new planes and India's IndiGo will receive 125, according to Bank of America.

"If an airline rapidly expands," Hayes says, the challenge of adding new staff and getting them to work together properly "can increase risk."

Plane manufacturer Boeing estimates that within 20 years, the industry will need 498,000 new commercial airline pilots and 556,000 new maintenance technicians. Finding enough skilled workers to meet that demand isn't going to be easy.

Sherry Carbary, vice president of Boeing Flight Services, says there is an "urgent demand for competent aviation personnel."

"This is a global issue, requiring industry-wide collaboration and innovative solutions," she says.

Lee Moak, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, the largest U.S. pilots' union, adds that strong oversight by governments and trade groups is needed to ensure proper training.

"If you don't have a safe operation, then you're not going to have customers," Moak says.

Countries must also invest in the right infrastructure. There needs to be proper radar coverage, runway landing lights and beacons and skilled airport fire and rescue teams, says Todd Curtis, director of the Airsafe.com Foundation. Developing regions, he adds, also currently don't have enough airports that planes can divert to in case of an emergency.

And when there is a crash with survivors, having hospitals nearby with advanced trauma centers helps to lower the number of fatalities. Nearly a third of all accidents since 1959 where the plane was destroyed still didn't have any deaths, according to Boeing.

Technological improvements are also helping to lower the accident rate. Cockpits now come with systems that automatically warn if a jet is too low, about to hit a mountain or another plane. Others detect sudden wind gusts that could make a landing unsafe.

The next generation of technology promises to help prevent even more accidents. Honeywell Aerospace launched a new system 18 months ago that gives pilots better awareness about severe turbulence, hail and lightning. The company is also developing a system to improve pilots' vision in stormy weather: an infrared camera will let them see runways through thick clouds earlier than the naked eye would.

"At the end of the day, we're a safety net. We're there to help the flight crew," says Ratan Khatwa, senior chief engineer for human factors at Honeywell.

The catch: While these advances would help a generation of new pilots fly more safely, not all airlines are willing to pay for the upgrades.

"The industry is very opposed, for cost reasons, to retrofits," says James E. Hall, former chairman of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. "You have a situation of the haves and the have-nots."

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Scott Mayerowitz can be reached at http://twitter.com/GlobeTrotScott.

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US consumer confidence jumps to 90.9 in July

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumers are more confident about the economy than they have been in nearly seven years.

The Conference Board said Tuesday that its confidence index rose to 90.9 in July from an upwardly revised 86.4 in June. The July reading is the highest since October 2007, two months before the Great Recession officially began.

It was the third straight increase in the index. Economists said that strong job growth has helped boost consumers' assessment of current conditions and also improved their outlook on jobs and the economy.

"Americans felt a heck of a lot more confident in July," said Jennifer Lee, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. She said that part of the confidence boost likely came from declining gas prices.

Conference Board economist Lynn Franco said that the improvements in consumers' confidence and expectations about the future indicate that the recent strengthening in overall economic growth should continue in the second half of the year.

Confidence has been rising since bottoming in February 2009 at 25.3. The index is now well above last year's average of 72.3 and with July's gain has now returned a level above 90, where it often hovered before the recession.

Consumers' attitudes are closely watched because their spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity.

For July, consumer assessment of the labor market improved with those saying that jobs were plentiful increasing to 15.9 percent, up from 14.6 percent.

Consumers' expectations about the future were also more optimistic with those anticipating more jobs in the months ahead increasing to 19.1 percent, up from 16.3 percent in June.

The unemployment rate fell to 6.1 percent in June, the lowest level since September 2008. Employers added 288,000 jobs in June, marking the fifth straight month of job gains above 200,000. That is the best such stretch since the late 1990s tech boom.

Economists believe the job gains will continue in coming months and that that will help propel the economy to stronger growth.

In the January-March quarter, economic output went into reverse, falling at an annaul rate of 2.9 percent. That big drop was blamed in large part on severe winter weather. Those conditions dampened everything from trips to the mall by shoppers to factory production.

The government will provide its first look at economic activity in the April-June on Wednesday and economists are predicting a solid rebound to growth of around 2.9 percent. Analysts believe the economy will pick up even more momentum in the second half of the year, helped by further job gains providing people with more money to spend.

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Liberians in US worry about Ebola outbreak

MINNEAPOLIS — An outbreak of Ebola in West Africa is stirring fear and canceling travel plans in Minnesota, where thousands of Liberians have immigrated over the years.

The worry has been heightened with a report that a Liberian government official died of the disease just weeks before he was due to fly to Minneapolis to visit his wife and children.

The cause of Patrick Sawyer's death hasn't been confirmed.

His widow, Decontee (DAY'-con-tay) Sawyer, says she is talking about his death in part to raise awareness about the danger of Ebola possibly being carried by travelers.

Minnesota health officials have begun outreach efforts on how to recognize symptoms of the disease and travel safely. Meanwhile, Liberian immigrants are raising money for medical supplies to send abroad.

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Zillow buying Trulia to make real estate titan

NEW YORK — Real estate website operator Zillow is buying rival Trulia in a $3.5 billion deal that would make the biggest player in the online real estate market.

Zillow would also become the king of real estate listings available on smartphones.

"It's a very sound business move by Zillow, they wiped out their closest competitor," said Benchmark analyst Daniel Kurnos. According to Benchmark estimates Zillow and Trulia are No. 1 and 2 in the online real estate market, followed by No. 3 Move Inc.

Investors weren't so sure. Trulia's stock rose 8 percent in morning trading, but Zillow's fell 5.9 percent.

Zillow is known for its "Zestimate" housing price estimate, and both Zillow and Trulia offer similar information like neighborhood school and crime reports and payment calculators.

Trulia shareholders will receive 0.444 shares of Zillow common stock for each share they hold, and will own approximately 33 percent of the combined company. Zillow Inc. shareholders will receive one comparable share of the combined company and own the other two-thirds of the business.

The combined company will keep both the Trulia and Zillow brands.

The companies said that there is limited consumer overlap of their brands, as about half of Trulia.com's monthly visitors don't visit Zillow.com.

Zillow, which is based in Seattle, had 83 million unique users across mobile and online in June. San Francisco-based Trulia had 54 million unique users across its websites and mobile apps the same month.

Trulia Inc. CEO Pete Flint will stay in his post and join the board of the combined business. He will report to Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff. Another Trulia director will join the combined company's board after the transaction is complete.

Both companies' boards approved the deal. Both companies' shareholders still must approve it. The transaction is targeted to close next year.

Shares of Zillow fell $8.28, or 5.2 percent, to $150.58 in morning trading. Shares of Trulia rose $4.46, or 7.9 percent, to $60.81 during midday trading.

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Report says surveillance is hampering journalists

NEW YORK — Revelations over the past few years about how U.S. security officials have the ability to track people through phone, email and other electronic records are making it harder for journalists to report on what the government is doing, two human rights groups say.

Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union said in a report issued Monday that access to data as detailed in leaks by former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden, coupled with the Obama administration's prosecution of people for leaking classified information, is having a chilling effect on reporters.

The groups are calling on the administration to be more upfront about the data it is collecting and how the information is used, and to increase protections for journalists and whistleblowers.

The same government access to information is eroding the ability of lawyers to protect the confidentiality of its contacts with criminal defendants, the report concludes.

Ninety-two people, including 46 journalists, 42 lawyers and some present or retired national security officials, were interviewed for the report.

While journalists are not being prosecuted for doing their jobs, news about the scope and type of information available to the government has forced many journalists to change how they work, said Alex Sinha, the report's author. Several say that fewer sources are willing to talk to them because they fear the consequences, he said.

Reporters are turning to encryption technology that scrambles electronic communication with sources, although they worry the mere fact the government knows they are using encryption will raise suspicions. To counter monitoring of cellphones, some say they use throwaway phones. One reporter said he calls many sources at the time of a big story, just to protect the identity of the ones he used. Face-to-face contact is increasingly preferred.

One reporter, ABC's Brian Ross, said he's been tipped to say, "I'm a U.S. citizen, are you?" at the beginning of cellphone conversations because of a legal prohibition against monitoring calls by citizens.

It all contributes to drying up the flow of information, journalists said. "People have to work harder, it takes longer, and you ... won't have as many stories," Kathleen Carroll, senior vice president and executive editor of The Associated Press, said in the report.

An AP story in 2012 on a U.S. operation in Yemen led to a federal investigation in which the government seized AP phone records in its search for the source of information.

The administration's efforts to go after leakers and require government workers to report colleagues they suspect of releasing sensitive material make it less likely that potential sources will want to speak to reporters, Sinha said.

Security officials interviewed for the report stressed the need for the government to keep up with new technology to protect citizens in a dangerous world, and expressed some skepticism about how much journalists are being hurt.

"The First Amendment seems quite alive and well in America today," a senior FBI official told the organizations.

Well-publicized leaks by Snowden and Chelsea Manning undoubtedly leave people in national security with the impression that sensitive information is getting out to reporters, but that's deceptive, Sinha said.

"It's misleading to think that two big leaks over the past three years is the same as having many smaller leaks across different agencies that provide us a better picture of what our government is doing," he said.

Legislative efforts are underway to try and prevent security officials from routinely collecting phone records and to restrict the amount of business records the government can keep. The organizations support those efforts.

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Defense: Gov't suppressed evidence in Blackwater

WASHINGTON — Lawyers for Blackwater security guards argued Monday that the government has suppressed evidence favorable to defendants who are on trial in the killings of 14 Iraqis in Nisoor Square in Baghdad.

The attorneys say the suppressed evidence consists of photographs of eight spent shell casings that would fit an AK-47 — the weapon of choice used by insurgents as well as Iraqi authorities.

A court filing by the defense attorneys says the photographs were made by a U.S. Army captain and that they never saw the light of day until federal prosecutors turned them over last Wednesday.

The photos could become an important part of the case. They could bolster the accounts of the security guards, who say they were being fired upon by insurgents and that the guards were simply returning fire.

"The government has suppressed, for seven years, evidence in its possession that is plainly exculpatory on the central disputed issue" in the case, the defense lawyers said in a court filing. "Had they possessed these photos, defendants would have made them a central focus during opening statements as evidence of incoming fire. Defendants also would have used this evidence to cross-examine at least four witnesses who have already testified" and who are not subject to being recalled because they have returned to Iraq.

The defense attorneys are asking that they be allowed to explain to the jurors in the case why they are just hearing now about the new evidence. The defense lawyers also want the judge to tell the jurors that the government failed to disclose the evidence before the trial, which began over a month ago.

According to the court filing, Army Capt. Peter Decareau was one of the first Americans to arrive at the Nisoor Square crime scene, where he took photos, including two of a group of eight AK-47 shells on the ground behind a bus stop. On Oct. 12, 2007, Decareau turned over to the FBI a CD of the crime scene photos.

In their court papers, the defense lawyers for the Blackwater guards say a prior team of prosecutors in 2008 and 2009 "withheld Decareau's photographs of the AK-47 shells."

On Feb. 13, 2009, the government told the defense lawyers that it was providing over 3,700 photographs of the crime scene.

"Despite specifically identifying ... a series of 'U.S. Army photos of crime scene,' this production did not include Decareau's photographs of the AK-47 casings at the bus stop," the defense court filing states. "The original trial team produced additional photographs on July 27, 2009, but again did not produce the photos of the AK-47 casings."

It says that "it appears that the current trial team of prosecutors only recently learned of these photos, and that they turned them over promptly."

The eight AK-47 shells themselves have disappeared. Neither the State Department nor FBI agents recovered them.

"The physical evidence possessed by the FBI does not include the AK-47 shells photographed at the bus stop by Decareau," the court filing states. "Decareau's photographs are the only evidence of those AK-47 shells at the bus stop immediately after the incident."

The court filing raised the possibility that Iraqi authorities had taken the shell casings.

"Notably, photographs taken Sept. 16, 2007, show many Iraqi officials at the bus stop," said the court papers. "Decareau advised the FBI during his October 2007 interview that he observed" that Iraqi Army General Baja took several items from the scene."

The defense team said it would have used the photographs to rebut the government's claim that no evidence of incoming fire was found and to point out to the jury how easy it was for evidence of hostile fire to disappear.

The defense lawyers detailed instances in 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013 and earlier this year in which the photos of the spent shell casings could have come to light, but didn't.

For example, in a 2008 grand jury appearance, Decareau was questioned about a number of the photos he had taken, but the exhibits did not include the two photos of the AK-47 casings at the bus stop, according to the court filing.

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Contracts to buy US homes slip in June

WASHINGTON — Fewer Americans signed contracts to buy homes in June, as the real estate market appears to have cooled off this summer.

The National Association of Realtors said Monday that its seasonally adjusted pending home sales index slipped 1.1 percent to 102.7 last month. The index remains 7.3 percent below its level a year ago.

Sales have been slowed by a mix of meager wage growth, rising home prices, and mortgage rates that rose steadily through the end of last year.

Pending sales are a barometer of future purchases. A one- to two-month lag usually exists between a contract and a completed sale.

Signed contracts in June fell in the Northeast and South. They rose slightly in the Midwest and West. Pending sales in all four U.S. regions are below last year's pace.

Home sales had been improving through the middle of 2013, only to stumble over the past 12 months. Buying has decelerated despite a recent decline in mortgage rates and home prices increasing at a slower rate than last year.

Sales were initially disrupted by harsh winter weather, but the summer slowdown suggests that financial pressures are now keeping would-be buyers on the sidelines.

"The latest decline raises questions about the housing market strength after the weather-related rebound is behind us," said Yelena Shulyatyeva, an analyst at BNP Paribas. "Housing will remain an area of concern" for Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.

New home sales fell 8.1 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 406,000, the Commerce Department said last week.

The Realtors recently reported that sales of existing homes increased 2.6 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million homes. It marked the first time that sales have been above the 5 million-mark since October, yet the pace of buying remained below last year's level of 5.1 million.

Economists generally consider annual home sales of 5.5 million to be consistent with a healthy housing market.

Still, there are indications that sales could pick up.

Along with the arrival of spring, average mortgage rates have dropped to 4.13 percent, down from a 52-week high of 4.58 percent, according to Freddie Mac.

The rate of average price gains has slowed to 4.3 percent year-over-year, according to the Realtors. That's down from gains in the double digits. But wage growth has barely kept pace with inflation, eating into how much income people have to spend and save for down payments.

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Fox Sports Digital, Sporting News join in digital partnership

Fox Sports Digital and Sporting News Media said they would share content and traffic across their top sports properties, including FoxSports.com, SportingNews.com and Goal.com The partnership's projected reach is expected to be a minimum of 55 million digital sports fans in the U.S. every month.

The partners will develop joint digital video programming and editorial content, as well as joint sales offerings, and together will expand upon each party's native advertising executions. Fox Sports Digital will distribute FOXSports.com and Fox Sports 1 video content via the Sporting News ePlayer platform, extending the reach of Fox Sports Digital's exclusive off-network video opportunities.

The companies said they hope to capture more sports fans seeking to complement live game broadcasts with digital video across platforms and devices.

"TV viewers are turning more and more to digital devices before, during and after watching their favorite teams play - they want to see game action they may have missed, get expert insight on what's happening on-and-off the field, and to engage with their friends and fellow sports fans on social media," said Juan Delgado, CEO, Sporting News Media, in a prepared statement. "This partnership capitalizes on this seismic shift and will allow us to continue leading the digital evolution in the sports industry."

Fox Sports Digital is the umbrella entity representing 21st Century Fox's wide array of digital US-based sports assets. FOX Sports Digital includes FOXSports.com, FOX Sports GO, Yardbarker.com, WhatifSports.com, and the digital extensions of FOX's cable networks including the 22 regional sports networks and FOX Deportes. Sporting News Media is a Perform Group company and owns and operates SportingNews.com, the US and Canadian editions of Goal.com and the Sporting News ePlayer, which syndicates professional and collegiate digital video from the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, WTA, ATP, UFC, SEC, Pac-12 and Big 12 conferences across 300 leading national and local publisher sites in North America.

(C) 2014 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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Startup’s videos find suitable employees

A few years ago, when Rob Hunter owned ice cream stores and one of his greatest challenges was finding good employees, he had an epiphany one day when a girl whose only experience was babysitting and playing soccer dropped off a resume replete with spelling and grammatical errors.

"I would not have hired her based on her resume, but she had a wonderful personality and turned out to be the best employee I ever had," Hunter said. "I've hired 300 people in all and interviewed 600 to 700. And each time, I know pretty much in the first 30 seconds whether they're going to be a good fit."

What if, he thought, employers in retail — where an engaging and professional demeanor is all-important — could have a preview of an applicant's personality without having to wade through reams of applications and spend hours interviewing the wrong people?

Last March, Hunter and Evan Lodge — both Babson College MBA students at the time — founded HigherMe, a website and mobile app, expected to launch this fall, that allows job applicants to answer a series of questions posed by an employer, such as which hours they'd be available to work, what pay they'd expect, and what they would do if a customer were dissatisfied. Afterward, applicants have the option to make a 30-second video on their cellphone or webcam, explaining why they'd be the best person for the job.

HigherMe, a finalist in the MassChallenge startup accelerator and competition, then sends the employer a list of applicants ranked according to whether their answers matched the ones the employer was seeking, and the employer decides which applicants to interview,

For access to the company's database of candidates and screening software, Hunter, Lodge and their co-founder, Josh Stevens, expect to charge employers a monthly subscription fee of between $40 and $200 per store, depending on the number of applicants they want to contact and hire.

Alex Lowe, owner of Artis Coffee in Berkeley, Calif., and a former classmate of Hunter's who recently agreed to test the service, asked questions like, "What superhero would you be, and why?" ("If the applicant has fun with it, they'll probably be better at customer service," Lowe said.) He also asked, "Where do you see yourself in three months? In three years?"

"We want people who have a vision for their life, whether they'll be with us as a steppingstone or as a career," Lowe said. "It's given me a whole lot more depth into whether the person would be a cultural fit, rather than just: Can they make a cup of coffee?"

Brianna D'Amerosio, 24, of Methuen was looking for a waitressing job on Craigslist last week when she came across one at an Andover restaurant that asked applicants to use HigherMe to send in a video.

"Before I had a chance to answer any of the questions, I got an email saying they'd received my video and asking me to come in for an interview," D'Amerosio said. "For years, I've missed out on opportunities because there was nothing about me that really stood out on paper. So even if I don't get this job, I love the idea of being able to send someone something that will give them a glimpse into my personality."

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Tire pressure sensors, aerosol inflators don’t mix

Last week I had a flat tire on my 2013 Buick Encore with only 4,500 miles on it. I got out my can of tire inflator and when I read the directions it said it could not be used on tires with pressure sensors in them. Is it because it would ruin the transmitter or because the sealant could not get into the tire? Could you use it in a real emergency? When I took the car to the dealer after putting on the spare, they said it was repairable and did so. I was told I was lucky because on all-wheel-drive vehicles you have to change all of the tires at the same time. I have never heard of this before — can you explain?

The primary ingredients in most emergency tire inflator/"fix-a-flat" aerosol products are a liquefied propellant like non-flammable HFC-134a — the refrigerant used in air conditioning systems — and a latex polymer to seal the inside of the tire. Some earlier products utilized flammable propellants, which created a danger for the service personnel repairing the tires.

The reason these products are not recommended for use in tires fitted with tire pressure sensors (TPS) is that the latex sealer may coat and interfere with the signal transmitted from the TPS, although this potential issue is still being hotly debated. What is absolutely true is that the latex sealer will have to be thoroughly cleaned from the inside of the tire, wheel and TPS. In addition, there is a potential issue with corrosion and delamination of chrome from the inside surfaces of a chrome alloy wheel.

Regardless, it is important to remember that these products are, at best, a very short-term, temporary "fix." The tire must be cleaned and repaired — if possible — at the earliest possible time.

Should you use an aerosol tire inflator in an "emergency" situation such as being stopped in a dangerous scenario or situation where taking the time to mount the spare tire would add to the risk? I would. If the fix-a-flat product will inflate and maintain enough tire pressure to allow me to drive to a safe location, I would certainly use it.

But I'd make absolutely sure to tell the service agency that you used a tire inflator and have the tire repaired or replaced as soon as possible.

The reason for suggesting that all four tires must be replaced at the same time is because four-wheel or all-wheel-drive vehicles must have all four tires with the same rolling circumference or potential damage to the drivetrain can occur. As long as the single replacement tire is virtually the same rolling circumference as the other three tires, no problem.

I have a '96 Chrysler Concorde with 94,000 miles. The needle on the gas gauge is not functioning right. At times it is normal, but at other times the warning light goes on and the needle fluctuates. Is this a big job to repair? I can keep track of the mileage with the odometer so I don't run out of gas.

The position of the needle on the gas gauge of your vehicle is controlled by the body control module (BCM). The BCM receives a signal from the variable resistor in the sending unit in the fuel tank, compares this with the fuel tank ground and moves the needle to the correct position on the gauge.

The intermittent issue with your gauge may well be the variable resistor/sending unit in the fuel tank, which is a significant repair, or maybe just a poor ground for the variable resistor which is located in the left kick panel. With the age of the vehicle, I'd make sure this ground connection wasn't the problem first.

Also, remember that the LED light in the gauge will also illuminate if engine temperatures reach the 240-260-degree range.

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paul brand@startribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number. Because of the volume of mail, we cannot provide personal replies.

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BuzzFeed reporter fired in wake of plagiarism allegations

BuzzFeed has dismissed a journalist after a social media outcry sparked a review of his work, and editors discovered at least 41 of his articles contained instances of plagiarism.

In a statement posted Friday, BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith said dozens of articles penned by reporter Benny Johnson contained "instances of sentences or phrases copied word for word other sites."

"We owe you, our readers, an apology. This plagiarism is a breach of our fundamental responsibility to be honest with you — in this case, about who wrote the words on our site," Smith wrote. "Plagiarism, much less copying unchecked facts from Wikipedia or other sources, is an act of disrespect to the reader. We are deeply embarrassed and sorry to have misled you."

The review started after a series of articles on the blog Our Bad Media uncovered more than a dozen instances in which Johnson appeared to have copied and pasted sentences from other news outlets.

BuzzFeed also published a list of articles by Johnson, who largely wrote about politics, that contained instances of uncredited content taken from other sources.

They included a story explaining the Egyptian Revolution by way of images from the film "Jurassic Park," and a story about famous manhunts, including the pursuit of former Los Angeles Police Department officer Christopher Dorner in 2013.

Information was copied directly from Wikipedia, The New York Times, Associated Press, The New Yorker and the autobiography of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, according to editors' notes accompanying the articles in question.

Johnson posted an apology on his Twitter account on Saturday.

"To the writers who were not properly attributed and anyone who ever read my byline, I am sincerely sorry," the tweet read.

A spokeswoman for BuzzFeed told the Los Angeles Times that Johnson began working for the web site in 2013, but declined to say if the plagiarism incident would alter the web site's editorial standards in any way.

Launched in 2006, BuzzFeed is best known for its popular "listicles," articles that often contain short bursts of tongue-in-cheek text accompanied by pictures, gifs, or memes that outline a particular topic. An article titled "28 Things That Are More Useful Than Mascara" ran near the top of the page Saturday afternoon.

But the web site began hiring more established journalists in recent years, including Smith, a longtime political columnist who previously wrote for Politico. Earlier this week, the web site published a deeply researched and lengthy feature about the culture of TMZ and its founder, Harvey Levin.

Smith acknowledged BuzzFeed's humble beginnings in the statement, but said as the web site transforms into a more serious news outlet, it must hold its staff's work to a higher threshold.

"Today, we are one of the largest news and entertainment sites on the web. On the journalistic side, we have scores of aggressive reporters around the United States and the world, holding the people we cover to high standards," Smith wrote. "We must — and we will — hold ourselves to the same high standards."

Donna Shaw, coordinator of the journalism program at The College of New Jersey and a former longtime reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, said she believes the fact that Johnson was caught highlights one of the positives of the era of online journalism.

"This is what comes of living in an age when not only everybody can be a journalist, but everybody can be an editor," Shaw said. "When I was a young journalist, it was very difficult to get caught."

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©2014 Los Angeles Times

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