Fiat Chrysler recalls nearly 1.8M trucks for shifter problem

Fiat Chrysler recalls nearly 1.8M trucks for shifter problem

DETROIT

Fiat Chrysler is recalling nearly 1.8 million Ram trucks mainly in North America because they can be shifted out of park without the driver’s foot on the brake or possibly without the key in the ignition.

The recall is mainly in North America and largely covers heavy-duty trucks. All have shifters on the steering column.

Included are certain 2010 through 2017 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups, many 2011 through 2017 Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 chassis cabs, and 2016 and 2017 Ram 3500 chassis cabs that weigh less than 10,000 pounds. Also covered are some 2009 through 2017 Ram 1500 pickups. Trucks from 2017 built after Dec. 31, 2016, are not included.

Fiat Chrysler is working on a fix. Owners will be notified when service is available. Customers with questions can call 866-220-6747.

Suit says Apple slowed iPhones, forcing owners to buy new ones

CHICAGO

IPhone owners from several states sued Apple Inc. for not disclosing sooner that it issued software updates deliberately slowing older-model phones so aging batteries lasted longer, saying Apple’s silence led them to wrongly conclude that their only option was to buy newer, pricier iPhones.

The allegations were in a lawsuit filed Thursday in Chicago federal court on behalf of five iPhone owners from Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina, all of whom say they never would have bought new iPhones had Apple told them that simply replacing the batteries would have sped up their old ones. The suit alleges Apple violated consumer fraud laws.

A similar lawsuit was filed last week in Los Angeles. Both suits came a day after Apple confirmed what high-tech sleuths outside the company already observed: The company had deployed software to slow some phones. Apple said it was intended as a fix to deal with degraded lithium-ion batteries that could otherwise suddenly die.

“Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices,” an Apple statement said. It said it released the fix for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE and later extended it to iPhone 7. Apple didn’t respond to a message Friday seeking a comment.

The Chicago lawsuit suggests Apple’s motive may have been sinister, though it offers no evidence in the filing.

“Apple’s decision to purposefully ... throttle down these devices,” it says, “was undertaken to fraudulently induce consumers to purchase the latest” iPhone.

Plaintiff Kirk Pedelty, of North Carolina, contacted Apple as his frustration grew. However, the lawsuit says: “Nobody from Apple customer support suggested that he replace his battery to improve the performance of his iPhone. ... Frustrated by slowdowns and intermittent shutdowns of his iPhone 7, Pedelty purchased an iPhone 8.”

The lawsuit seeks class-action status to represent thousands of iPhone owners nationwide.

Storm leaves 75 dead, dozens missing in southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines

A tropical storm unleashed flash floods and set off landslides in the southern Philippines at a peak time for travel and Christmas preparations, leaving at least 75 people dead and 58 others missing, officials said Saturday.

Romina Marasigan of the government’s disaster-response agency said landslides and flash floods triggered by Tropical Storm Tembin inflicted most of the deaths in the hard-hit provinces of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur and on the Zamboanga Peninsula.

Officials were getting more details to validate the reported casualties, Marasigan said. It’s the latest disaster to hit the Philippines, which is battered by about 20 typhoons and storms each year, making the archipelago that lies on the Pacific typhoon belt one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.

Mayor Bong Edding of Zamboanga del Norte province’s Sibuco town said by phone that a search and rescue operation was underway for more than 30 people swept away by flash floods in the fishing village of Anungan. Five bodies have been recovered so far in the village.

California wildfire now largest in state history

LOS ANGELES

A California wildfire that has killed two people and seared its way through cities, towns and wilderness northwest of Los Angeles became the largest blaze officially recorded in California, authorities said.

The Thomas fire took only 2 Ω weeks to burn its way into history books as unrelenting winds and parched weather turned everything in its path to tinder – including more than 700 homes.

The fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties had scorched 273,400 acres, or about 427 square miles of coastal foothills and national forest, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

That was 154 acres larger than California’s previous fire record holder – the 2003 Cedar fire in San Diego County that killed 15 people.

The Cedar fire had been recognized as the biggest California wildfire in terms of acreage since 1932. Some fires before that date undoubtedly were larger but records are unreliable, according to state fire officials.

Who’s next: End of an era as ‘Doctor Who’ gets a new star

LONDON

For millions of Britons, a traditional Christmas Day includes turkey, brussels sprouts, Christmas pudding – and a special seasonal episode of “Doctor Who.”

The global success of the venerable sci-fi series means that fans around the world will also tune in Monday to watch Peter Capaldi’s final adventure as the space-hopping Time Lord known as the Doctor. (Americans can see it on BBC America at 9 p.m.)

The show has had a dozen Doctors over its 54-year history, and this is one of those bittersweet moments when one lead actor hands over to another. At episode’s end, viewers will see Capaldi transform – through a Time Lord process known as regeneration – into Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to play the part.

Before that comes a rollicking and poignant adventure that moves from the World War I trenches to the South Pole, features mysterious creatures made of glass and (of course) involves a jaunt in the Tardis, a time-and-space machine shaped like an old-fashioned British police phone box.

The episode loops back into the show’s own history, featuring an appearance by the very first Doctor, a white-haired gent who appeared on TV screens in 1963. He was played by William Hartnell, who died in 1975; David Bradley fills the role here.

3 Miss America officials resign, 1 apologizes to ex-winner

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.

The top leadership of the Miss America Organization, implicated in an email scandal that targeted past pageant winners for abuse based on their appearance, intellect and sex lives, resigned Saturday, with the outgoing president apologizing to a winner whose weight he ridiculed.

The president, Josh Randle, told The Associated Press his comment responding to an email to his private account about the physical appearance of 2013 winner Mallory Hagan came months before he started working for the Miss America Organization in 2015. But he said it was wrong.

“I apologize to Mallory for my lapse in judgment,” Randle said Saturday. “It does not reflect my values or the values I worked to promote at the Miss America Organization. Although this terrible situation was not caused or driven by me, in light of recent events and new developments, I am no longer willing to continue in my capacity as president and earlier today offered my resignation to the MAO Board of Directors.”

Randle said his resignation was voluntary and had not been requested by the board of Miss America, which is based in Atlantic City.

CEO Sam Haskell and Chairman Lynn Weidner also resigned Saturday. Haskell’s resignation is effective immediately, while Randle and Weidner will remain for a few weeks to help with a leadership transition. Dan Meyers, who had been vice chairman of the board, was named interim chairman.

Trump criticizes FBI deputy director as he plans retirement

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.

President Donald Trump again questioned the impartiality of the deputy director of the FBI, Andrew McCabe, who is planning to retire from the bureau in the months ahead after being buffeted by attacks over alleged anti-Trump bias in the agency.

In a tweet Saturday, the president wrote: “How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin’ James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wife’s campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation?”

McCabe spent hours behind closed doors on Capitol Hill last week being grilled by lawmakers on two separate committees as part of a new investigation of the FBI and its 2016 inquiry into Clinton’s email practices when she was secretary of state. His role supervising the email investigation has come under renewed scrutiny.

McCabe’s wife, Jill, received $700,000 in donations from Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s political action committee and the Virginia Democratic Party for a state Senate race in 2015. The money was donated before McCabe was promoted to deputy director and assumed a supervisory role in the Clinton email investigation. McAuliffe is a longtime supporter of Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

Associated Press