Kia to recall some Soul SUVs; gas pedals can bend or break

DETROIT — Kia is recalling nearly 209,000 Soul small SUVs because the gas pedals can bend or break.

The recall covers certain Soul and Soul electric vehicles from the 2014 and 2015 model years.

If the gas pedal bends or breaks, it can be hard to accelerate the SUVs, increasing the risk of a crash.

Kia Motors America says in documents filed with the government that an unsupported section of the pedal can bend if a driver stomps on it too hard when the vehicle isn't moving.

The problem was discovered through warranty claims. Kia says no crashes or injuries have been reported.

Dealers will add rubber supports beneath the pedal stopper at no cost to owners.

The recall is expected to start on March 24.

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Univision fires Rodner Figueroa for 'reprehensible' Michelle Obama comments

Univision has fired "El Gordo y la Flaca" co-host Rodner Figueroa for making "reprehensible" comments about First Lady Michelle Obama.

The network released the following statement:

Yesterday during our entertainment program 'El Gordo y La Flaca,' Rodner Figueroa made comments regarding First Lady Michelle Obama that were completely reprehensible and in no way reflect Univision's values or views. As a result, Mr. Figueroa was immediately terminated.

On Wednesday, Figueroa and his co-hosts Raúl De Molina and Lili Estefan were commenting on a viral video in which a makeup artist changed his appearance to look like several celebrities — one of which was Obama.

"Well, watch out, you know that Michelle Obama looks like she's from the cast of 'Planet of the Apes,' the movie," Figueroa said.

Even after De Molina said that Obama is an attractive woman, Figueroa said, "But, it is true."

Figueroa has been with Univision for 17 years and with "El Gordo y la Flaca" since 2000. He also hosted Univision show, "Sal Y Pimienta."

2015 TheWrap news inc. All rights reserved.

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Comcast rips critics of Time Warner Cable deal for 'warmed over' claims

Comcast is firing back against accusations by The "Stop Mega Comcast" Coalition about the effect of the company's Time Warner Cable deal.

In a filing with the FCC late on Wednesday and a blog post on Thursday, Comcast called the group's allegations, outlined in a white paper on Mar. 2, "warmed-over claims … old (and discredited) aspersions" and a portrayal of the proposed merger that "is simply wrong."

Comcast further characterized the group's white paper as "a compilation of invective, unsupported and unsupportable economic and legal theories, and a hodgepodge of self-contradictory predictions" that should be ignored by the commission.

Comcast also suggested that the group is offering up the accusations because it "has found nothing new — or credible — to say."

The "Stop Mega Comcast" Coalition is comprised of competitors, consumer groups and content providers — including Dish Network, Common Cause and The Blaze — who assert that the proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger runs afoul of antitrust and communications laws.

"SMC's 'white paper' is merely yet another example of transaction opponents' preference to ignore the public interest benefits of the transaction in favor of repackaging their original speculative theories of harm that have already been refuted," Comcast told the FCC.

The coalition's paper was released in connection with a news conference in which group officials said that net neutrality alone is no solution to the issues raised by the merger.

In both the news conference and the paper, the group cited problems in getting conditions of Comcast's deal for control of NBCUniversal, complications over potential control of Latino markets and issues concerning concentration and control of the market for set top boxes among its concerns.

The group also referenced Comcast's previous "throttling" of traffic from Netflix, its potential for control of rivals' Web-based services and several other issues in the paper.

Comcast on Thursday rejected the charges as old and said it had made a "compelling argument" that the deal would offer consumers benefits including faster Internet connection speeds.

It said the group's suggestion that Comcast would have the incentive and ability to harm other potential providers of cable channels who want to reach Comcast subscribers over the Web "contrary to marketplace facts and nothing but baseless speculation."

A spokeswoman for The "Stop Mega Comcast" Coalition called the company's assertions "yet another arrogant missive" and an attempt to downplay the deal's potential harms.

"Comcast is yet again creating a fantasy world where it has never flaunted regulations, thwarted competition or mistreated customers. The record demonstrates that the merger threatens serious harms to competition and consumers and runs counter to antitrust and communications laws," the spokeswoman said.

2015 TheWrap news inc. All rights reserved.

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Tivo completes acquisition of Aereo trademarks, customer lists for $1 million

TiVo's purchase of certain assets from Aereo -- the Internet TV streaming startup that was forced to shut down last year after losing a copyright-infringement case brought by broadcasters -- for about $1 million has been approved by federal bankruptcy court.

TiVo is acquiring Aereo's trademarks and customer lists. RPX Corp., a patent-aggregation firm, is paying $225,000 for Aereo's patents, while Alliance Technology Solutions is buying the startup's equipment for $300,000.

The sales were officially approved March 11 by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

"This strategic acquisition of Aereo's trademarks and customer lists will enhance our ability to serve the growing segment of consumers who want access to both broadcast television and over-the-top content," Tom Rogers, president and CEO of TiVo, said in a statement. "TiVo has found success in providing a more comprehensive offering and sophisticated user experience than any other player in the marketplace, and we look forward to expanding on that success."

Aereo filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2014. The New York-based company had raised about $97 million from investors including IAC chairman Barry Diller, media investor Gordon Crawford, Himalaya Capital Management, Highland Capital Partners and FirstMark Capital.

Aereo's service, which first launched in New York City in March 2012, streamed live over-the-air TV signals and recorded shows to subscribers on a range of devices. Aereo was sued by broadcasters for transmitting their TV signals without permission. The startup had argued that the service was a private performance, allowed under fair-use provisions of the Copyright Act, because the tiny antennas it used were dedicated to specific users.

Aereo won several legal victories in federal courts. But last June, the Supreme Court overruled those decisions, in a 6-3 ruling finding that Aereo had violated copyright laws. The high court essentially said the startup was akin to a cable TV operator, and hence was covered by the same laws.

© 2015 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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All Def Digital and WorldStar HipHop announce exclusive development partnership

Russell Simmons' media company All Def Digital and website WorldStar Hip Hop have entered an exclusive development partnership, the companies announced Thursday.

The two teams will work together on video content, starting with online videos and aspiring to television shows.

WorldStar Hip Hop has established itself as one of the top online hubs for hip-hop news and fan discussion.

Simmons and WSHH's founder and CEO, Lee "Q" O'Denat, hope to benefit from the official partnership by creating content similar to their current collaborations, which include a film already in development at Paramount (through Simmons' Def Pictures) and a comedy webseries that will air on ADD's YouTube channel and on WSHH.

"I have known 'Q' for years; he is among the most talented content curators of his generation," Simmons said in a statement. "Q has created a brand and platform like no other, with no outside funding or support, making him one the great entrepreneurs in our space. It is my privilege to help extend that voice to the world."

© 2015 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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Applications for US unemployment benefits fall sharply

WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits fell sharply last week, a sign that strong hiring will likely continue.

The Labor Department says weekly applications for unemployment aid dropped 36,000 to a seasonally adjusted 289,000. The drop nearly reversed last month's large increase, which likely occurred because of cold weather and snowstorms.

The four-week average, a less volatile measure, fell 3,750 to 302,250. The average has dropped nearly 9 percent in the past year.

Applications are a proxy for layoffs. The decline indicates companies are confident enough to hold onto their staffs and hire more workers.

Weekly applications had risen by 40,000 last month. Economists blamed most of that rise on harsh winter weather that closed schools and shut down construction sites, causing temporary layoffs.

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Boston-Cambridge biopharma ranked first in U.S.

The Boston-Cambridge biopharma cluster plays second fiddle to the San Francisco Bay area no more.

In a reversal of fortunes, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News, or GEN, this week ranked Massachusetts' cluster first in the nation, above last year's favorite — the Bay Area — followed by New York/New Jersey; San Diego; Maryland/Metro Washington, D.C.; Greater Philadelphia; Seattle; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Los Angeles; and Chicago and its suburbs.

"It's always nice to get accolades, but we can't really be satisfied until we're accelerating more cures and getting more remedies to bedsides," said Peter Abair, director of economic and global affairs at the trade group MassBio.

GEN said the Boston-Cambridge cluster ranked first on three measures: 2014 venture capital ($1.82 billion in 110 deals), National Institutes of Health funding ($312.797 million) and lab space (21.2 million square feet).

The cluster's 5,002 patents were second only to the Bay Area. And its lowest ranking — third — was on the number of industry jobs — 57,642 — behind New York/New Jersey and L.A., though it had the highest number per capita, said Susan Windham-Bannister, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the quasi-public organization charged with administering the 10-year, $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative enacted by the Legislature in 2008.

What GEN also didn't include was the 17 Massachusetts biopharma IPOs last year, up from nine in 2013, and seven drug approvals, up from three the previous year, Abair said.

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Health Connector scramble spikes calls

Calls from Bay Staters with problems enrolling in the Health Connector and MassHealth to an unrelated state health office have increased by 49 percent since December, according to independent state agency Health Policy Commission.

Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders attributes the spike to the 1.2 million MassHealth subscribers who need to reapply since the Connector crashed in 2012.

The calls cited in the commission's report are coming into its Office of Patient Protection, not the MassHealth or Health Connector call centers.

"We don't have any jurisdiction over MassHealth," said Jenifer Bosco of the OPP. "Hopefully this is something that will quiet down over time."

Sudders said at a commission meeting yesterday that she is "not surprised" by the higher numbers — up to 103 calls about MassHealth and the Health Connector as of March 9, from 11 in December and 12 in January.

"We have 1.2 million people who need to be redetermined by December," said Sudders. "As of this week we've added 100 staff to the call centers."

The phone calls came flooding in starting in February.

Sudders also said open enrollment, which was extended to Feb. 23 because of the snowstorm Feb. 15, likely contributed.

The OPP did not specify what portion of the calls were about MassHealth or the Health Connector.

Joshua Archambault, a senior fellow for the Pioneer Institute, said the increase is a "sign of the amount of frustration that people are dealing with a 'fixed' site."

Bosco suggested having the site direct calls elsewhere, but Archambault said "having a more efficient bureaucratic process won't fix the problem."

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MBTA tries to make amends with free day, May discount

The MBTA, desperate to win back the loyalty of straphangers and atone for winter's lost days, will let T riders through the gates for free for a day, and discount monthly passes by 15 percent for May.

"We're trying to strike a balance between acknowledging what people have gone through and expressing our gratitude to our customers and drawing our customers back and the fact that we can only spend so much on that so we have money to invest in the system," said Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack, after the MassDOT board unanimously voted to approve the plan. "I want the riders to understand how much we appreciate what they went through."

The back-to-back snowstorms led to several days with no T service and weeks of delays and limited service.

Interim MBTA General Manager Frank DePaola said the free fare day will be on April 24, the Friday of school vacation.

The move will cost about $5 million.

Meanwhile, an audit of MassDOT's human resources departments found MassDOT and the MBTA are facing a buildup of unfilled positions and lack a cohesive human resources strategy.

"There is a significant backlog of open positions within the MBTA and MassDOT," said Steve Fuller, a senior manager at Ernst and Young. "That is really debilitating to the operations of the organization."

MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the MBTA currently has 173 open positions. The audit said openings are generally filled in 90 days, compared to 20-30 days at similar agencies around the country.

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Baker fills 2 open seats on health connector board

BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker has named two new members to the board overseeing the state's health connector.

Mark Gaunya (GON'-yah) and Rina Vertes (REE'-nah VEHR'-tes) took their seats at a board meeting Thursday. They fill two of the positions that opened last month when Baker asked for and received the resignations of four board members.

Gaunya is co-owner and chief information officer at Borislow Insurance. He takes the spot on the board reserved for an insurance broker.

Vertes, president of Marjos Business Consulting, fills the seat set aside for a health insurance actuary.

Among the board members who stepped down was MIT economist Jonathan Gruber, who came under fire for saying it was "the stupidity of the American voter" that led to the passage of the 2010 federal health care law. He has since apologized.

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