Articles by David Shepardson

GM Settles With California Over Ignition Switch Statements for $5.75M

General Motors Co. agreed to a $5.75 million settlement to resolve allegations it made false statements to California’s largest pension system and other investors over its deadly ignition switch recalls. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the largest U.S. automaker …

Some Baby Foods Found to Contain High Levels of Toxic Heavy Metals

U.S. congressional investigators found “dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals” in certain baby foods that could cause neurological damage, a House Oversight subcommittee said in a report released on Thursday in calling for new standards and testing requirements. The panel …

U.S. Issues Mask Mandate on Public Transportation

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a sweeping order late Friday requiring the use of face masks on nearly all forms of public transportation Monday as the country continues to report thousands of daily COVID-19 deaths. …

Volkswagen Wants U.S. Supreme Court to Nix ‘Staggering’ Diesel Claims by Counties

Volkswagen AG and a German auto supplier on Tuesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a lower-court ruling that said two counties could seek financial penalties over excess diesel emissions that could total billions of dollars. The German automaker’s …

Safety Agency Orders Ford to Recall 3 Million Vehicles Over Takata Air Bags

Ford Motor Co. must recall 3 million vehicles with potentially defective driver-side Takata air bags, the U.S. auto safety regulator said on Tuesday, rejecting a bid by the second-largest U.S. automaker to avoid a recall. The National Highway Traffic Safety …

Outgoing Administration Moves to Lift Safety Restrictions for Some Autonomous Vehicles

The outgoing Trump administration said on Thursday it was issuing new rules that would allow manufacturers of automated vehicles to bypass some crash standards required of conventional vehicles, which would cut production costs. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said …

Driving Declined But Traffic Deaths Rose 13% After Lockdowns Ended

U.S. traffic deaths jumped dramatically after coronavirus lockdowns ended in 2020, rising 13.1% in the three months ending Sept. 30 to the highest rate since 2005 despite a decline in driving, auto safety regulators said on Wednesday. In total, 11,260 …

Boeing to Pay $2.5B to Settle With Justice Department Over 737 MAX Crashes

Boeing Co. will pay more than $2.5 billion in fines and compensation after reaching a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over two plane crashes that killed a total of 346 people and led to the grounding of its …

Safety Agency Dismisses Claims of Faulty Acceleration Against Tesla

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it would not grant a petition seeking a formal review of 662,000 Tesla vehicles for claims of sudden unintended acceleration (SUA). The U.S. auto safety regulator said its review of the December …

FCC Appears Unlikely to Act on Trump Bid to Change Social Media Liability

The prospects of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai taking action on an effort to narrow social media companies’ legal protections under a 1996 law are increasingly unlikely. Both Pai and U.S. President Donald Trump have only 16 more days …