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World News

Ida now a tropical storm as greater than 1 million Louisiana utility clients are left with out energy

Ida now a tropical storm as more than 1 million Louisiana utility customers are left without power

Hurricane Ida hit land in Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 storm at wind speeds of 250 mph, one of the strongest storms to hit the region since Hurricane Katrina, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

The Karnofsky Shop suffers severe damage after Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans with strong winds in Louisiana on August 30, 2021.

Devika Krishna Kumar | Reuters

Ida has since been downgraded to a tropical storm and is expected to move further inland across southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi this morning, the National Hurricane Center said. The maximum sustained winds have decreased to almost 60 mph (95 km / h) with higher gusts.

Late Sunday, President Joe Biden approved a major disaster statement for Louisiana, freeing up federal funds for recovery efforts.

New Orleans Police Detective Alexander Reiter looks at the rubble of a building that collapsed during Hurricane Ida in New Orleans on Monday, August 30, 2021.

Gerald Herbert | AP

The storm is expected to subside over the next day or so, and the NHC said Ida is expected to turn into a tropical depression by tonight. The NHC warned that a life-threatening storm surge is expected in Grand Isle, Louisiana, up to the Alabama-Florida border, including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and metropolitan New Orleans.

The NHC said winds are likely to damage trees and cause power outages as Ida continues inland across southeast Louisiana. Heavy rains are expected in southeast Louisiana, the Mississippi coast and southwest Alabama through Monday and could trigger “significant to life-threatening floods and urban floods.”

According to PowerOutage.us, more than 1 million utility customers in Louisiana were without power as of early Monday. On Sunday evening, New Orleans said the entire city had lost power after “catastrophic transmission damage”.

Ida landed on the anniversary of Katrina, the dangerous Category 3 storm that devastated Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years ago, killing more than 1,800 people and causing $ 125 billion in damage.

Ida’s strength and path will be a major test of flood control from New Orleans to Katrina, including levees, flood walls, and gates built to protect against storms. Katrina had broken levees and caused catastrophic flooding in New Orleans.

Ida has also raised concerns about the city’s hospitals, which are already overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients and have little space for evacuated patients. In Galliano, Louisiana, as the storm raged ashore, the battle for patient care was exacerbated after part of the roof of the Lady of the Sea General Hospital was demolished.

Ida intensified so quickly that officers did not have time to order mandatory evacuations. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell ordered a mandatory evacuation for a small portion of the city outside the levee system, but said there was no time to enact one for the entire city.

Emergency shelters in Louisiana are operating at reduced capacity due to the pandemic, although state officials are working to secure hotel rooms for evacuees.

All Sunday flights were also canceled due to the approaching storm, New Orleans Airport announced on Saturday.

Water seeps into a beach house when Hurricane Ida hits land in Grand Isle, Louisiana, United States on August 29, 2021 in this still image from a social media video. Christie Angelette on REUTERS THIS PICTURE WAS SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT

Christie Angelette | Christie Angelette on REUTERS

President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency in Louisiana and Mississippi, a move that empowers the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.

“The storm is a life-threatening storm,” said the president on Sunday at a briefing at FEMA headquarters. “The devastation is likely to be immense. Everyone should listen to instructions from local and state officials.”

Cars drive through flood waters along Route 90 as outer bands of Hurricane Ida arrive in Gulfport, Mississippi on Sunday, August 29, 2021.

Steve Helber | AP

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards called for a presidential statement on Sunday afternoon for a major disaster for Biden after the storm hit the state’s coastline.

“Hurricane Ida is one of the strongest storms to have ever hit Louisiana,” Edwards said in a statement. “Our goal is to help our local authorities and the citizens of the state as quickly as possible.

A resident picks up sandbags home from a city-operated sandbag distribution point on Dryades YMCA along Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., Friday, Aug. 27, 2021 in New Orleans as residents prepare for Hurricane Ida.

Max Becherer | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans attorney via AP

Harmful winds will spread to southwest Mississippi on Sunday night and early Monday, likely causing widespread tree damage and power outages, as well as heavy rains and expected across the central Gulf Coast, the Hurricane Center said.

As the storm moves inland, the Hurricane Center is forecasting significant flooding in parts of the lower Mississippi, Tennessee Valley, upper Ohio Valley, central Appalachian Mountains and the mid-Atlantic by Wednesday, according to the Hurricane Center.

Ida is the first major storm to hit the Gulf Coast during the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active on record, with 30 named storms including 13 hurricanes.

Scientists warn of increasingly dangerous hurricane seasons as climate change fuels more frequent and catastrophic storms. NOAA expects between 15 and 21 named storms, including seven to ten hurricanes, in the 2021 season.

This story evolves. Please check again for updates.

– CNBC’s Melodie Warner and Christine Wang contributed to this report.

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Health

Walmart, Costco drop masks requirement for vaccinated clients, workers

Walmart, Costco drop mask requirement for vaccinated customers, employees

Exterior view of a Walmart store on August 23, 2020 in North Bergen, New Jersey. Walmart saw profits jump in the most recent quarter as e-commerce sales soared during the coronavirus pandemic.

VIEW press | Corbis News | Getty Images

Walmart and Costco said Friday that customers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 are not required to wear a mask in their stores unless required by state or local law.

In a memo sent to employees, the country’s largest retailer and employer announced that the change to its mask policy will take effect immediately in Walmart stores and Sam’s Club members’ warehouse. As of Tuesday, employees who are fully vaccinated will not be required to wear a mask when working in their shops, offices or other facilities.

The memo was from John Furner, CEO of Walmart US; Kath McLay, CEO of Sam’s Club; and Dr. Cheryl Pegus, Walmart’s executive vice president of health and wellness.

According to its website, Costco began allowing fully vaccinated members and guests to enter non-masked jurisdictions without a face mask or face shield on Friday. Face covers are still required in healthcare facilities such as the pharmacy, optical areas, and hearing aid areas of Costco.

New guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Thursday said that in most cases, whether indoors or outdoors, fully vaccinated people do not need to wear a mask or stay 6 feet away from others. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second dose of Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or the single dose from Johnson & Johnson.

Walmart said it offers a monetary incentive and the freedom to work mask-free to vaccinate more employees.

“We encourage all employees to get vaccinated and end this pandemic,” they said in the memo. “Do it for your health, your family, your friends, your community, and your country – let’s help meet our national vaccination goals by July 4th.”

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden set a goal of getting 70% of adults in the United States to get at least one dose of a Covid vaccine by the national holiday. As of Thursday, around 47% of the US population – more than 154 million Americans – had received at least one dose of vaccine, according to the CDC. According to the agency, around 118 million Americans are fully vaccinated.

Walmart executives said in the memo that the retailer “will continue to require unvaccinated customers and members to wear face covers in our stores and clubs.” They said the stores will have updated signs to reflect this new policy. They didn’t say whether or how Walmart will check whether customers are vaccinated or not.

For employees who want to work in a store, distribution center, or other facility without a mask, Walmart will check their status by asking if they have been vaccinated or not. It will be based on the person’s answer of “yes” or “no” in a daily health assessment.

“Integrity is one of our core values, and we trust that employees respect this principle when responding,” the memo reads.

However, in order to receive a vaccine-related bonus, employees must present their original, completed vaccine cards to a store manager or HR manager, according to Walmart. Starting next Tuesday, each person will be entitled to $ 75 “as a thank you for the vaccination.” All U.S. employees below the branch manager level are eligible.

The company is currently evaluating whether certain health and hygienic job codes may still require masks and will be releasing additional guidance shortly. Employees can continue to wear masks as they wish.

Walmart’s policy change is a departure from other major retailers, including Target, Gap, and Ulta Beauty, who have announced plans to maintain pandemic logs. However, Trader Joe’s said customers could shop without a mask if they were fully vaccinated.

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Health

Companies Supply Perks to Vaccinated Clients

Businesses Offer Perks to Vaccinated Customers

At Fort Bragg, soldiers who have received their coronavirus vaccines can go to a gym that does not require masks, with no restrictions on who can exercise together. Treadmills are on and zippered, unlike those in 13 other gyms where unvaccinated troops cannot use the machines. Everyone has to mask themselves and there are restrictions on how many can press on the bench at the same time.

At Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, where, not so long ago, lines meandered with people looking for coronavirus vaccines, a special seating area allows those who are fully vaccinated to enjoy games alongside other fans.

When Bill Dugan reopens Madam’s Organ, his legendary blues bar in Washington, DC, people will only be allowed to work, drink, or play music if they can prove they made their recordings. “I have a saxophonist who is one of the best in the world. He was the other day and I said, ‘Walter, take a good look around because you won’t go back in here unless you get vaccinated.’ “

Evite and Paperless Post are seeing a sharp increase in hosts requesting their guests to be vaccinated.

As the United States bumps into the soft blanket of those who willingly take the vaccine, governments, corporations, and schools have expanded carrots – actually donuts, beers, and cheesecakes – to encourage latecomers. Some have even offered cash: In Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine went so far this week to say that the state would give five vaccinated people $ 1 million each as part of a weekly lottery program.

On Thursday, federal health officials offered the ultimate incentive for many by advising that fully vaccinated Americans may no longer wear masks.

Now private employers, restaurants and entertainment venues are looking for ways to make vaccinated people feel like VIPs, to protect both workers and guests, and possibly to entice those who are not on board yet.

Over the coming summer, the nation may become increasingly divided between those who watch sports, take classes, get their hair cut and barbecue with others, and those who stay behind the spiked protein curtain.

Access and privileges among the vaccinated may apply for the near future in public and private spaces.

“The bottom line is this interesting question of how our society is designed,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the architect of a smoking ban and tuberculosis control program in New York City. both included forms of mandate. “Are we connected in any important way or not?”

Requiring a vaccine to attend school or military service is not a new concept. Because the three Covid vaccines offered in the United States have not yet been fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the military has refused to insist on vaccinations. Public school districts cannot consider mandates until the vaccines are available to most children. The FDA this week granted Pfizer emergency approval for children ages 12 to 16.

But even without a mandate, a push can feel like a push. The military has strongly promoted vaccines among the troops. Acceptance was low in some branches such as the Marines, with only 40 percent receiving one or more shots. At Fort Bragg, one of the largest military facilities in the country and among the first to offer the vaccine, just under 70 percent were encountered.

A podcast designed to put down misinformation – a common misconception is that the vaccines affect fertility – plays around the grassroots. In addition to their freedom gym, vaccinated soldiers can now eat in groups as they please, while the unvaccinated watch as they grab their maggots and leave.

With soldiers, experts “speak to rejecters and don’t speak,” said Colonel Joseph Buccino, a spokesman for Fort Bragg.

Still, holdouts are obstacles. For a recent mission to Europe, quarantine rules in those countries forced a handful of unvaccinated troops to be replaced with those who had received gunshots. “What we need to do is restore readiness,” said Colonel Buccino.

Updated

May 14, 2021, 5:22 p.m. ET

Separating the unvaccinated and restricting access to gyms and dining areas are not measures specifically aimed at getting soldiers vaccinated, he said, “but there is an enticement.”

The private sector tries, sometimes with government encouragement, to make the lives of those vaccinated a little nicer and emphasizes the privileges – rather than perceived violations of liberty – that are afforded by the protection of the vaccines.

It’s baseball season and fans have been trying hard to get back to normal, to a place where the wave used to mean something different than the next wave of coronavirus. Major League Baseball heavily encourages vaccination, and stadiums have become a new line of demarcation, highlighting vaccinated areas as perks that are similar to VIP skyboxes.

In Washington, Governor Jay Inslee recently announced that sports venues and churches could increase their capacity by adding sections for the vaccinated.

Some companies – such as gyms and restaurants – where the coronavirus is known to spread easily, also use a reward system. Although many gyms across the country have reopened, some have still not allowed large classes to resume.

Others tend to follow the lead of gyms like Solid Core in Washington, DC, who are looking for proof of vaccination to enroll in classes listed as “Vaccine Required: Whole Body”. “Our teams are currently actively reviewing where else we believe there will be customer demand and may roll this out to other markets in the coming weeks,” said Bryan Myers, president of the national fitness chain, in an email.

The Bayou, a restaurant in Salt Lake City, will only open its doors to those who have taken their shots, according to Mark Alston, one of the owners.

“It was utterly the fact that I work in the bayou seven days a week,” he said. “I don’t work in a comfortable office and send employees to work under unsafe conditions, but work alongside them there.”

The “Vaxxed Only” policy flooded his voicemail with angry messages. “One person in particular accuses us of practicing a kind of pedophile beer cult,” he said. “It’s a little awkward.”

Even private individuals use the practice in their homes. An Evite spokesperson said 548,420 guests had received online invitations to events using “fully vaccinated” or other vaccinated terms since March 1, 2021, and invitations with the exact term “fully vaccinated” had been sent to 103,507 people been. A similar company, Paperless Post, created special invitation designs for the vaccinated, vaccinated-only RSVP.

Not everyone advocates this type of exclusion as good public order. “I’m concerned about operational feasibility,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. “In the USA there is still no standard method for proving vaccination status. I hope that by the fall we will see infection rates in the US so low that our concern about the virus will be very low. “

But few deny that it is legal. “It is both legal and ethical to reserve spaces for events reserved for vaccinated people,” said Lawrence O. Gostin, health law expert at Georgetown Law School. “Companies have a huge economic incentive to create safer environments for their customers who would otherwise be reluctant to attend crowded events. Government recommendations on vaccinated only areas will encourage businesses and help us get back to normal. “

With a few notable exceptions, large employers have been reluctant to impose vaccine mandates on workers, especially in a tight labor market. “Our association advocated masks,” said Emily Williams Knight, president of the Texas Restaurant Association. “We are unlikely to take a position on mandates that are incredibly divisive.”

But some companies are moving in that direction. Norwegian Cruise Line threatens to keep its ships out of Florida ports if the state follows a law prohibiting companies from soliciting vaccines in exchange for services.

In the US, public health mandates – from smoking bans to seat belt laws to containing tuberculosis outbreaks that require TB patients to take their medication while being watched – have a long history.

“You fall into a group of things where someone is essentially arguing that what I’m doing is just my business,” said Dr. Frieden who is now the executive director of Resolve to Save Lives, an epidemic and cardiovascular disease prevention program. “Often that’s true, unless what you’re doing could kill someone else.”

Dr. Peace was the main official who, as New York Health Commissioner under former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, pushed for a smoking ban in bars and restaurants in 2003. Other executives at the time were certain that the ban would cost Mr Bloomberg a second term. “When I was fighting for it, a city council member who opposed the ban said of bars, ‘This is my place of entertainment. ‘And I said, “Well, that’s someone’s place of work.” It had an impact. “

Mr Dugan, the Washington bar owner, said protecting his workers and patrons was a breeze. “As we hit a plateau with vaccines, we can’t wait for all the infidels,” he said. “If we want to convince them, they won’t be able to do the things vaccinated people can.”

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World News

Tesla double-charged some prospects for brand new automobiles

Tesla double-charged some customers for new cars

Christopher Lee and his 2021 Tesla Model Y.

Christopher T. Lee

Last week, after Southern California residents Tom Slattery, Christopher T. Lee and Clark Peterson paid for brand new Tesla electric cars, they told CNBC they were thrilled the company charged them twice and tens of thousands of dollars from their bank accounts charged without approval or warning, then give them a frustrating workaround when requesting refunds.

CNBC reviewed records, including automobile sales contracts, correspondence with Tesla, and bank statements to confirm their stories.

Two other customers, whose identities are known to CNBC but who chose to remain anonymous for privacy reasons, said they had also received double debit fees from Tesla, which put them in trouble. One of them is faced with overdraft fees and impending financing fees for credit card bills due at the end of the month.

The cost of a new Tesla is not trivial. For affected buyers surveyed by CNBC, amounts withdrawn from their accounts ranged from $ 37,000, the price of a 2021 Tesla Model 3 sedan, to $ 71,000, the price of a 2021 Tesla Model Y crossover SUV with premium options .

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment for more information. CNBC asked the company how many customers were affected by the double fees, how such issues could affect quarter-end shipments (expected to be reported in early April), how quickly the company can refund owners, and which customers should do so during this period Situation do.

Dave Excell, founder of a financial crime prevention technology company called Featurespace, said double fees are a common problem in e-commerce and banking in general.

Without specifically addressing Tesla’s problems, he said that platforms that process ACH transactions can use what is known as deduplication features to prevent duplicate charges from occurring in error. At the same time, the systems they use must be flexible enough to allow for duplicate transactions that should be carried out – like a regular salary or a grandparent sending $ 50 to each of their grandchildren on the same day.

For consumers who see money withdrawn from accounts twice after ordering only once, Excell said, “The best thing is to come back to the merchant and let them know that an error has occurred. Ask them to cancel or refund the money. That should be the easiest way. ” Contacting a bank to ask them to reverse the transaction might work as well. However, this can take longer and requires the bank to coordinate with the merchants.

Here’s what happened to Tesla vehicle buyers.

rude awakening

Tesla Model 3

Source: Tesla

On March 24, the Slatterys were thrilled after a message from Tesla said the car they ordered in January could be delivered to their home using the company’s “contactless” delivery service in one to three days.

Tesla would drop the car in their apartment and Slattery could use the Tesla app as a digital key to access it for the first time. This was a slightly different process than the one he experienced buying a Model 3 from Tesla in 2019 – a car he says he still loves to drive after the first flaws were discovered and repaired.

The contactless delivery process is one that Tesla touted as safe and convenient during the Covid pandemic. All Slattery had to do was complete his order by uploading proof of insurance, Model Y driver’s licenses, and finally choosing a payment method.

With customers paying in advance and online, Tesla is now accepting Bitcoin or ACH direct debit payments. For convenience, with no other options, Slattery added his bank account and routing numbers and approved the transfer of funds.

When he checked his bank account the next morning, March 25, Tom Slattery woke up to find that his bank account was almost $ 53,000 more than expected – the amount he was willing to pay for a long-range four-wheel drive was. 2021 Tesla Model Y. It would be a second Tesla for his family.

Slattery says he spotted the duplicate immediately and jumped over to call Tesla and text him. He spent the day getting stonewalled. People either didn’t pick up the phone or had no definitive answers on a refund.

Slattery eventually drove to the Tesla Burbank, Calif., Retail and service center to speak to sales and delivery staff in person.

He says, “They told me to call my bank and have my bank cancel the fee. That was unacceptable. If you charge more than $ 50,000 and tell a customer to fix it themselves? I keep the pressure.” made.”

Five days later, Slattery is still waiting for a refund or a written commitment that it will be refunded by what date.

He will refuse to accept delivery of the new Model Y 2021, which was only displayed during the previously estimated delivery window after the refund was complete.

The stress comes at a terrible time for his family – they are looking for a new home in another state, and problems with funds could affect their ability to bid on a home or get a mortgage on time and at a desirable price, or evaluate.

Not the only ones

Slattery is hardly alone. He said a Tesla employee at the Burbank Store and Service Center said in front of him that hundreds of customers had the same double charge problem.

While he’s still on board with electric cars and has no plans to give up Tesla, Slattery says, “It’s hard to imagine sales and service getting worse. I had nearly $ 53,000 unauthorized stolen from my bank account. And.” nobody, nobody called me, emailed me, there is no sense of urgency to resolve this. ”

In the meantime, his bank told him it could take at least 10 days and possibly up to 45 days for a refund to end up being processed. And it would be faster to do things through Tesla.

Another Greater Los Angeles resident Clark Peterson told CNBC a similar story.

He was looking forward to finally accepting delivery of a Tesla Model Y, a car his family had wanted since the three-row version was teased last year, but which they couldn’t order from Tesla until January 2021.

After missing its originally estimated delivery windows in February, Tesla said last week that the Model Y 2021 could be dropped off at Peterson’s home via a contactless service program within one to three days. Tesla asked him to complete his payment, and he uploaded proof of insurance, driver’s licenses, and bank details for the direct debit on March 24.

On March 25, Tesla called and left a voicemail saying he wanted to go through the delivery schedule with Peterson. When they finally connected by phone, the delivery man said his vehicle could arrive between 9:00 a.m. and midnight on March 26, and mentioned in passing that Peterson’s account had been charged twice.

“He told me to call the bank and stop paying for it,” Peterson said. “I said the money left my account. I’m pretty familiar with how wire transfers work. When the money is gone, the money is gone! He insisted I call my bank. So I did. They confirmed.” like no, the money is now on Tesla’s report. We can’t do anything about it until we hear from them. “

Peterson says he loves owning a high-tech car that doesn’t use gasoline, is fast, and quiet. His children are excited about the idea of ​​having a Tesla. But he wonders why it was possible to pay $ 71,000 for a luxury vehicle in minutes but not be reimbursed the same day for a massive, faulty fee.

A customer service rep at his bank told him he wasn’t the only one who called to resolve this issue.

On social media, where Peterson searched for more information and sparked his frustration, someone asked if he just hit the buy button twice.

“This was not an operator error,” said Peterson. “And for a company with so many technological capabilities, it really raises questions when this happens to multiple people.”

Peterson was told by a customer service representative who called over the weekend that Tesla would issue him a refund within one to three business days. He asked her to send the details by email or text. A written record never arrived.

As of Monday afternoon, he was still waiting for his refund or written notice of it.

Live blogging of his Tesla problems

The new Tesla Model Y is presented. Tesla has expanded its model range to include an SUV based on the current Model 3.

Hannes Breustedt | Image Alliance | Getty Images

Another new Tesla customer, Christopher T. Lee, says the Model Y was his dream car, but he and his girlfriend have resorted to food from “broken college kids” while waiting for a refund.

Lee also produced a video sharing his troubles as a Tesla owner. While working in a different field, Lee is known as “Everyday Chris” on YouTube. He’s been making technical reviews and consumer instruction videos on his channel for about a year. He is now planning a series on Tesla adventures and possessions.

In a March 27 episode entitled “Did I just let TESLA cheat me ???!” Lee begins by saying, “Hey, it’s Chris! And I love Tesla, but in today’s video, I’m going to talk about how Tesla betrayed me.”

He shares how he saved for his “dream car,” the 2021 Tesla Model Y, and paid for the car with ACH using his route and verification information. Then he talks about feeling the “bad dream” when he saw that his bank account ran out the next day.

“I was only supposed to pay $ 56,578.63 for my Model 3. … You ended up charging me twice for the car.”

Unlike Slattery and Peterson, Tesla told Lee that there was no record of having been charged twice. Tesla kept telling him to call his bank even though he was paying through ACH, where money was instantly withdrawn.

The service center near him was finally able to send him an email address to someone in the finance department in Tesla’s Fremont, California office. He’s still waiting for double the fee to be refunded.

Lee told CNBC that he hopes his video can help other Tesla buyers avoid similar problems, or at least resolve them faster together. If he had to do it all over again, Lee says, he might have used a cashier’s check and paid in person instead of online.

Here is the full video:

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Business

Utz Manufacturers doubles down on digital advertisements to develop snack gross sales, retain prospects

Utz Brands doubles down on digital ads to grow snack sales, retain customers

Dylan Lissette, CEO of Utz Brands, told CNBC on Friday that the company is increasing its marketing spend on digital advertising to reach new customers and increase sales of snacks.

“We are investing a lot of money there. In the further course of 2021 [it will be] About 60% more, “he said in a Mad Money interview with Jim Cramer.” But if we look beyond that, we will invest even more. “

The company, which sells a range of salty snacks, including potato chips and pretzels, wants to capitalize on bans in pandemic times with consumers eating at home. The company’s portfolio includes brands such as Zapp’s, Golden Flake and Boulder Canyon.

“What we love [digital ads] is the fact that you are really able to turn a dime in … and keep track of what works, “he said.” If some kind of angle of attack works for one brand or another in reaching our customers, they are able to lean behind it very quickly. “

According to the annual report, Utz spent around 11.1 million US dollars on consumer marketing and advertising for the 2020 financial year ending on January 3. Lissette didn’t say how much would be spent on marketing and advertising expenses in the current fiscal year.

Lissette said there are more opportunities in social media and digital ads “than doing a commercial and running it for a year and realizing that it isn’t really giving you what you need”.

The Utz share rose by 5% to USD 26.56 on Friday. The 100-year-old brand went public last year through a purpose of the acquisition company.

Categories
World News

Tesla is utilizing clients to check AV tech on public roads: NTSB

Tesla is using customers to test AV tech on public roads: NTSB

A Tesla Model S with autopilot

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

A federal agency is calling for stricter requirements for testing autonomous driving, and the proposed changes could eventually force Tesla to change the way it introduces features for customers.

The National Transportation Safety Board is calling for stricter federal requirements for the design and use of automated driving systems on public roads. In an unreported letter to its sister agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, dated last month, NTSB chief Robert Sumwalt called Tesla 16 times to call for sweeping changes.

“Tesla recently released a beta version of its Level 2 autopilot system, which is described as fully self-driving. With the release of the system, Tesla is testing a highly automated AV technology on public roads, but with limited monitoring or reporting requirements.” wrote Sumwalt. “NHTSA’s hands-off approach to monitoring AV tests carries a potential risk for drivers and other road users.”

While both the NTSB and NHTSA are watchdogs of vehicle safety in the U.S. government, their roles are different.

The NTSB is investigating accidents to determine the underlying causes of harmful incidents, including fatal Tesla autopilot accidents in Mountain View, California in March 2018 and Del Ray Beach, Fla., March 2019. The board also makes safety recommendations to regulators and the auto industry.

It is up to their sister agency, the NHTSA, to initiate recalls of vehicles, systems, or parts that are deemed defective or unsafe for use. It is also the responsibility of the NHTSA to set standards and reporting requirements for the safety and design of vehicles, including standards for fuel economy.

Federal action could affect Tesla’s ability to test its full self-driving systems as they do today – using customers and public roads as test pilots and proving grounds.

In the past, NHTSA has been reluctant to regulate automated driving systems from Tesla, GM, Volvo, and a host of other automakers and tech companies such as Amazon’s Zoox, Alphabet’s Waymo, and a number of startups.

Agency assistant administrator James Owens said he did not want to “hamper” innovation through premature regulation. Instead, the agency left the task mostly to the states.

Tesla’s self-driving contradictions

Today Tesla sells a premium software package for $ 10,000 and markets it as “Full Self Driving” (or FSD). The company said it will soon make FSD available on a subscription basis to those who want it but don’t want to pay the upfront fee.

Tesla is also offering select customers early access to a beta version of FSD – Effectively turn customers into software testers. CEO Elon Musk recently encouraged customers with FSD to sign up for beta access.

In addition to FSD, Tesla vehicles have a standard set of automated driving functions, the so-called autopilot.

Despite those names – which for some drivers mean they can operate Tesla electric vehicles hands-free – the company warns in its owner’s manual that autopilot and FSD require active monitoring.

Musk repeatedly persuades Autopilot and FSD to gain massive following on Twitter and in media interviews, but in accordance with regulators and in the fine print of Tesla’s financial reports, the company’s legal team is referring to these systems in a muted and more precise tone.

On April 22, 2019, at the company’s Autonomy Day presentation, the CEO promised that Tesla’s self-driving technology would be so good that in two years’ time Tesla would be making cars without steering wheels or pedals. At this event, he talked about a customer-specific chip that is supposed to enable self-driving functions.

On May 2, 2019, Musk confidently announced to investors in a fundraiser that autonomous driving would transform its electric vehicle business into a company with a market cap of $ 500 billion. A few days later, Tesla completed an oversubscribed offering of stocks and convertible bonds valued at $ 2.7 billion. At the time, its market cap was under $ 50 billion. Now it’s more than $ 600 billion.

That year, on the Feb.11 episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Musk said, “I think autopilot gets good enough that you don’t have to drive most of the time unless you really want to.”

And yet, in sharp contrast to Musk’s promises, Tesla calls its autopilot and full self-driving options just “advanced driver assistance systems,” according to the company’s latest financial file. And in accordance with the California Department of Motor Vehicles last year, Tesla rated its fully self-driving option as just “Level 2”.

“Level 2” refers to vehicles with some automated functions, but which require the driver to remain alert and keep their hands on the steering wheel. The highest level, level 5, would be a fully autonomous vehicle that never requires driver intervention.

DMV correspondence was first obtained from the Think Computer Foundation and published by Plainsite, an online database of public records and court documents that are otherwise difficult to access.

CNBC approached Tesla and the company’s acting general counsel, Al Prescott, for comment, but they did not respond immediately.

Clear rules could help the industry

Sumwalt’s inquiries to the NHTSA seem straightforward: he asked the agency to ask the automakers to do so Integrate collision avoidance systems into all vehicles – the NTSB has investigated several Tesla autopilot incidents – to provide robust driver monitoring systems and add protective measures that ensure drivers do not use automated driving systems that go beyond the conditions and areas in which they are safe You this.

For Tesla specifically, he recommended that the NHTSA investigate Tesla autopilot vehicles to determine if the system’s operating limitations, the predictability of driver abuse, and the ability to operate the vehicles outside of the intended ODD [operational design domain] pose an unreasonable security risk. “He added,” To date, NHTSA has shown no indication that it is ready to respond effectively and in a timely manner to potential security flaws from AV. “

Sumwalt also wants the NHTSA to make the safety reports to the federal government more specific and binding. Autonomous vehicle developers can currently provide their data voluntarily, but do not have to report it.

Despite Sumwalt’s criticism of the current processes, he commended the NHTSA for working with his agency and state and local governments to strike the right balance between rules and regulations regarding emerging vehicle technologies.

Having clear rules from a central location could help the autonomous vehicle industry in the US at large, said Taylor Ogan, CEO of Snow Bull Capital. Federal rules, even if strict, could align states and local authorities and reduce the patchwork of separate autonomous vehicle regulations in each region, he said.

Ogan is a longtime Tesla owner and proponent of Tesla and electric vehicles. His company, Snow Bull, is a long-time Tesla hedge fund that doesn’t sell stocks short.

He personally drives a 2020 Model Y Performance Tesla, which is equipped with the full self-driving option. It is his fourth Tesla. The investor said, based on his personal use of the vehicle, that he believes Tesla is the best Level 2 system on the US market today.

However, Ogan said, “My car can’t autonomously navigate a parking lot so I don’t know why people think these are working as a robotic axis. We don’t think Tesla can achieve level 3 or 4 autonomy – which means that there is no robot axis. ” – anytime soon with your current hardware. “

In his view, competitors are already outperforming Tesla in self-driving in China, where the company faces competition from Nio, Xpeng, and a joint venture between Didi Chuxing and BYD that is developing a driving “robotaxi” called the D1.

Here is the full letter from NTSB to NHTSA:

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the NTSB is part of the US Department of Transportation. It was made independent from the DOT in 1974.

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Business

1000’s of Microsoft Prospects Could Have Been Victims of Hack Tied to China

Thousands of Microsoft Customers May Have Been Victims of Hack Tied to China

U.S. corporations and government agencies using a Microsoft email service have been compromised in an aggressive hacking campaign likely sponsored by the Chinese government, Microsoft said.

The number of victims is estimated at tens of thousands and, according to some security experts, could rise if the investigation into the breach continues. According to Volexity, the cybersecurity firm that discovered the hack, the hackers secretly attacked multiple targets in January, but their efforts escalated in recent weeks as Microsoft fixed the vulnerabilities exploited in the attack.

The US government’s cybersecurity agency issued an emergency warning on Wednesday fearing that the hacking campaign had hit a large number of targets. The warning prompted federal agencies to patch their systems immediately. On Friday, cybersecurity reporter Brian Krebs reported that the attack hit at least 30,000 Microsoft customers.

“We are concerned that there are large numbers of victims,” ​​said White House press secretary Jen Psaki during a press conference on Friday. The attack “could have far-reaching effects,” she added.

Federal officials struggled to understand how the most recent hack compares to last year’s penetration by Russian hackers into a variety of federal agencies and corporate systems in what is known as the SolarWinds attack. In this case, the Russian hackers put code in an update to the SolarWinds network management software. While around 18,000 customers of the company have downloaded the code, so far there is only evidence that the Russian hackers have stolen material from nine government agencies and around 100 companies.

In the hack Microsoft attributed to the Chinese, it is estimated that around 30,000 customers were affected when the hackers exploited vulnerabilities in Exchange, an email and calendar server created by Microsoft. These systems are used by a wide range of customers, from small businesses to local and state agencies to some military contractors. The hackers were able to steal email and install malware to continue monitoring their targets, Microsoft said in a blog post, but Microsoft said it had no idea how extensive the theft was.

The campaign was spotted in January, said Steven Adair, founder of Volexity. The hackers quietly stole emails from multiple destinations, exploiting a flaw that allowed them to access email servers without a password.

“This is what we consider to be really secret,” Adair said, adding that the discovery sparked a frantic investigation. “It made us tear everything apart.” Volexity reported its findings to Microsoft and the US government, he added.

The attack escalated at the end of February. The hackers began weaving multiple vulnerabilities together and targeting a wider group of victims. “We knew that what we had reported and seen as very secret was now being combined and chained to another exploit,” said Adair. “It just got worse and worse.”

According to a cybersecurity researcher who investigated the U.S. investigation into the hacks and who has no authority to speak publicly about the matter, the hackers attacked as many victims as possible online, hitting small businesses, local governments and large credit unions. The errors used by the hackers, known as zero-days, were previously unknown to Microsoft.

“We are closely following Microsoft’s emergency patch for previously unknown vulnerabilities in Exchange Server software and reporting possible compromises between US think tanks and defense companies,” said Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to the White House.

“This is the real deal,” tweeted Christopher Krebs, former director of the US agency for cybersecurity and infrastructure. (Mr. Krebs is not related to the cybersecurity reporter who posted the number of victims.)

Mr Krebs added that companies and organizations using Microsoft’s Exchange program should assume they were hacked sometime between February 26th and March 3rd and should work on it quickly that past week Install patches published by Microsoft.

Microsoft said a Chinese hacking group called Hafnium, “a government sponsored group that operates out of China,” was behind the hack.

Since the company announced the attack, other non-hafnium hackers have started exploiting the vulnerabilities for target organizations that haven’t patched their systems, Microsoft said. “Microsoft continues to see increased use of these vulnerabilities when multiple unpatched systems are attacked by multiple malicious actors,” the company said.

Patching these systems is not an easy task. Email servers are difficult to maintain, even for security professionals, and many companies lack the expertise to securely host their own servers. For years, Microsoft has been pushing these customers to move to the cloud, where Microsoft can manage security for them. Industry experts said the security incidents could encourage customers to move to the cloud and be a financial boon to Microsoft.

Because of the scale of the attack, many Exchange users are likely to be at risk, Adair said. “Even people who fixed this asap, there is an extremely high chance that they have already been compromised.”

Nicole Perlroth contributed to the reporting.

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World News

Robinhood CEO says it restricted shopping for in GameStop to ‘shield the agency and shield our prospects’

Robinhood CEO says it limited buying in GameStop to 'protect the firm and protect our customers'

Robinhood Co-Founder and Co-CEO Vlad Tenev speaks on stage during the TechCrunch Disrupt New York event on May 10, 2016.

Noam Galai | Getty Images for TechCrunch

Vlad Tenev, CEO of Robinhood, said Robinhood’s attempt to stop trading certain speculative names is in the best interests of the company and its millions of users.

“In order to protect the company and our customers, we had to limit the purchase of these stocks,” Tenev told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin on Thursday evening.

“Robinhood is a brokerage firm, we have a lot of financial requirements. We have SEC net capital requirements and clearinghouse deposits. So this is money that we have to deposit with different clearing houses. Some of these requirements fluctuate significantly in the market and they can be in because of the volatility Given the current environment where there is a lot of volatility and a lot of concentrated activity in these names that have gone viral on social media, “Tenev said.

Tenev denied the firm had any liquidity issues, saying Robinhood had drawn on lines of credit as a proactive measure.

“We want to be able to enable our customers to be as unrestricted as possible in accordance with requirements and regulations,” said Tenev. “So we pulled these lines of credit so that we could maximize the funds we have to deposit with the clearing houses within a reasonable range.”

In the midst of a wild week of speculative retailing, Robinhood restricted trading in thirteen stocks, including GameStop and AMC Entertainment, on Thursday. The pioneer of free stock trading only allowed clients to sell positions in certain securities, no open messages, increased margin requirements and even said it would automatically close some positions if the client ran the risk of not having the required collateral.

“We haven’t seen this level of concentrated interest rate market on a small number of names before,” Tenev said. “We believe you should be able to buy and sell the stocks you want.”

Robinhood then said after Thursday’s closing bell that it would allow limited purchases of restricted stocks on Friday.

The broker’s original decision met with outrage from his group of loyal private investors. However, Robinhood stated the move was taken to meet the SEC’s capital requirements for broker-dealers.

“We saw unprecedented interest because the funding was culturally relevant in ways never seen before,” Tenev said. “Of course, Robinhood is about everyday investors. From the beginning we advocated open access investors. It hurts us to have to impose these restrictions and we will do everything we can to get these stocks trading as soon as possible enable.” As we can. “

Tenev said Robin’s decision was not made under the direction of a market maker or hedge fund.

GameStop stock closed 44% on Thursday after Robinhood restricted trading and rose more than 60% after the close of business after the decision to ease restrictions.

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Business

Walmart prospects do not count on a speedy financial restoration, prime exec says

Walmart customers don't expect a speedy economic recovery, top exec says

Shoppers wear masks while shopping at a Walmart store in Bradford, Pennsylvania on July 20, 2020.

Brendan McDermid | Reuters

Janey Whiteside, Walmart’s chief customer officer, said Tuesday that many of its shoppers don’t expect the economy to recover quickly from the coronavirus pandemic.

Nearly half of customers surveyed in November said Walmart were concerned about the current health of the economy, she said at the National Retail Federation’s virtual conference. She said 40% said they did not expect a “quick recovery”.

“Our main Walmart customer is absolutely not immune to the economic slowdown, and may even be disproportionately affected,” she said, noting that the pandemic has divided society as it has not hit some industries such as hospitality and others.

Walmart’s sales and earnings have increased during the pandemic as customers turned to its 4,700+ U.S. stores and website for groceries, hair colors, puzzles, and more. Revenue from the same store rose 6.4% and US ecommerce sales rose 79% year over year for the third quarter ended October 31. The company has yet to report its fourth quarter results, including Christmas shopping, of the season.

However, according to Whiteside, the company finds that customers are feeling financially troubled trying to put groceries on the table and juggle other expenses such as school supplies for their children. She said, “Taking care of this group of customers who need us more than ever is the fuel that keeps Walmart going.”

“We know they continue to look for ways to save money on basic items. Whether you’re moving from a national brand to a private brand, look for small pack sizes and cherry picking deals when they’re available.” said she said. “We also know that they continue to make sure they don’t have to forego experiences for their families, so take a look at where to balance the wallet.”

On Monday, Walmart announced that it had created a fintech start-up with the venture capital firm Ribbit Capital. It didn’t say what services it could launch, but said they’ll be affordable. Walmart already offers some financial products like prepaid debit cards for customers with bad credit or no relationship with a bank.

Walmart’s plan to open health clinics is also geared towards affordability. The clinics offer lower prices that are listed in advance and can be paid out of pocket, e.g. E.g. $ 30 for an annual examination or $ 45 for a consultation session.

“In these times when everyone has so much on their minds, we also know that saving time and relieving the cognitive burden on people is also important,” said Whiteside.

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Business

Walmart will check grocery deliveries to clients’ properties

Walmart will test grocery deliveries to customers' homes

The Walmart + home screen on a laptop placed in the Brooklyn borough in New York, United States on Wednesday, November 18, 2020.

Gabby Jones | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Walmart is already bringing groceries to customers’ doors and putting them straight in the fridge in some cities. The company announced Tuesday that it will soon be testing another hands-on approach: deliveries to a smart cooler on customer porches or near their front door.

Starting earlier this spring, the big box dealer announced that it would be launching a pilot in its hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas. The participating customers receive a temperature-controlled smart cooler called HomeValet. The cooler is placed outside of the house so that safe and contactless food deliveries are possible around the clock.

“The prospect for this technology is fascinating for both customers and Walmart’s last mile delivery efforts,” said Tom Ward, senior vice president of customer products for Walmart US, in a post on the company’s website. “Customers don’t have to schedule their day to have their groceries delivered. Walmart has the ability to deliver items 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

However, he said the retailer has no plans for 24/7 deliveries.

Walmart is testing the delivery of groceries to a HomeValet, a smart cooler that is placed outside of customers’ homes.

Walmart is the largest grocer in the United States and has made free unlimited grocery deliveries a key benefit of its new subscription-based service, Walmart +. The service started in September costs $ 98 per year or $ 12.95 per month compared to Amazon Prime which costs $ 119 per year or $ 12.99 per month. It includes other benefits such as: B. Fuel discounts and access to a smartphone app that allows buyers to skip the checkout.

The retail giant launched its grocery delivery service in 2018. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Walmart and other retailers have noticed that online grocery shopping is becoming increasingly popular. Customers are looking for convenient and contactless ways to store their pantries and refrigerators, from home deliveries to services like Instacart to roadside pickup outside of a retail store.

Even before the global health crisis, Walmart was experimenting with new food delivery options. In 2019, a membership program called InHome Grocery Delivery was launched in select cities, which brings fresh fruit, meat and other groceries straight to customers’ fridges for $ 19.95 per month. It requires additional security measures, including a smart door lock kit or smart garage door kit in buyers’ homes, as well as a background check and additional training for employees.

The service continues to operate in select cities: Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Vero Beach, Florida and West Palm Beach, Florida. During the pandemic, the company changed its approach to accommodate local restrictions, a company spokeswoman said: It only delivers in the Pittsburgh kitchen. In the other cities, objects are placed directly in the door of houses or in garages.

With the new HomeValet pilot, food is left in rectangular coolers developed by a start-up. You have three zones in which food can be kept at different temperatures – frozen, refrigerated or kept at room temperature like in a pantry. To make a delivery, a Walmart employee can lock and unlock the Smart Cooler with a device.