Officials: 1.8M pounds of ground beef recalled

DETROIT — Officials say a Detroit-based business is recalling about 1.8 million pounds of ground beef products sold for restaurant use in four states that may be contaminated with the bacteria E. coli.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Monday that affected Wolverine Packing Co. products were produced between March 31 and April 18. They were shipped to distributors in Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service says 11 illnesses have been identified.

The products bear the establishment number "EST. 2574B" and will have a production date code in the format "Packing Nos: MM DD 14" between "03 31 14" and "04 18 14."

E. coli can cause severe cramps, nausea and diarrhea, as well as other complications.

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Online:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls

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US Official: China cited in cyber-espionage case

WASHINGTON — The United States is preparing to announce first-of-its-kind criminal charges Monday against Chinese military officials accused of hacking into private-sector U.S. companies to gain trade secrets, a government official said.

Attorney General Eric Holder and other federal law enforcement officials were expected to reveal the new indictments later Monday, the official told The Associated Press.

The indictments will accuse individuals of participating in cyber-espionage on behalf of a foreign government, said the official, who revealed this information only on grounds of anonymity because this person wasn't authorized to publicly discuss the case in advance of the official announcement.

The official described the prosecution as unprecedented.

The official said Chinese government officials are being charged in the United States with hacking into private-sector companies to gain trade secrets, adding that Holder and other top-level law enforcement officials were poised to announce charges that include economic espionage and trade-secret theft.

The Chinese to be named, the official said, are current members of Beijing's military establishment. The U.S. official did not identify the companies or industries with which they were engaged.

John Carlin, recently installed as head of the Justice's National Security Division, earlier this year cited prosecution of state-sponsored cyber-threats as a key goal for the Obama administration.

U.S. officials have accused China's army and China-based hackers of launching attacks on American industrial and military targets, often to steal secrets or intellectual property. China has said that it faces a major threat from hackers, and the country's military is believed to be among the biggest targets of the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command.

Beijing has in the past repeatedly denied allegations that its hackers have targeted foreign websites but says China is a major victim of cyberattacks and is opposed to any form of cyber hacking.

It says it wants to see global cooperation in fighting cybercrimes instead of allegations.

"China not only does not support hacking but also opposes it," Premier Li Keqiang said last year in a news conference when asked if China would stop hacking U.S. websites. "Let's not point fingers at each other without evidence but do more to safeguard cyber security."

Earlier this year, China set up an Internet security group led by President Xi Jinping. State media have described the Internet as a battleground, where cyber safety is essential to state security.

Last September, President Barack Obama discussed cybersecurity issues on the sidelines of a summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

White House spokesman Ben Rhodes said at the time that Obama had addressed concerns about cyber threats emanating from China. He said Obama told Xi the U.S. sees it not through the prism of security but out of concern over theft of trade secrets.

In late March, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel revealed that the Pentagon planned to more than triple its cybersecurity staff in the next few years to defend against Internet attacks that threaten national security.

Hagel's comments at the National Security Agency headquarters in suburban Washington came as he prepared to visit China.

"Our nation's reliance on cyberspace outpaces our cybersecurity," Hagel said at the time. "Our nation confronts the proliferation of destructive malware and a new reality of steady, ongoing and aggressive efforts to probe, access or disrupt public and private networks, and the industrial control systems that manage our water, and our energy and our food supplies."

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Obama touts investment influx; faces outflow, too

WASHINGTON — While in Brussels for talks with European leaders in March, President Barack Obama held a little noticed meeting with executives of a Belgian aerospace company. It was barely a footnote in a trip dominated by tensions with Russia over Ukraine.

But the meeting was the capstone of a lengthy courtship by the Obama administration and the state of Oklahoma to attract ASCO Industries to Stillwater, Okla., to build a new $125 million production facility.

The effort was part of an initiative called SelectUSA that Obama started in 2011 and expanded last year.

Obama this week is drawing new attention to the effort, convening business leaders Tuesday at the White House to advertise success stories in the face of continuing public anxieties over jobs and the economy.

Yet as Obama promotes the influx of foreign investment to the U.S., his administration and key members of Congress are also fretting over dozens of U.S. companies heading in the other direction. These businesses are merging with or acquiring overseas companies to change their address and gain tax advantages that can cost the federal government billions in tax revenues.

The most prominent example is Pfizer Inc.'s recent takeover attempt of British drugmaker AstraZeneca, a deal that if consummated would be the largest-ever foreign takeover of a British company. The potential acquisition would allow Pfizer to incorporate in Britain and thus limit its exposure to higher U.S. corporate tax rates. On Monday, AstraZeneca turned down Pfizer's latest offer of $119 billion, making the likelihood of a deal increasingly unlikely.

Pfizer's approach — called a corporate inversion — is the latest in a growing trend that could accelerate as corporate lawyers advise clients to get ahead of efforts in Washington to overhaul the tax system and close corporate loopholes. Companies that have created foreign shell corporations in recent years include familiar names like Tyco International and Ingersoll-Rand.

Though there is little chance of action this year, Republicans and Democrats generally agree that federal corporate tax rates, now at 35 percent, should be lowered while eliminating credits, exemptions and other tax advantages.

Still, the Obama administration's 2015 budget contained a specific proposal aimed at curtailing inversions and White House officials say such a fix would not necessarily have to be part of a broader overhaul.

In the Senate, Democratic Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan says he will propose legislation soon. Sen. Ron Wyden, the Democratic chairman of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, says he also has a plan to deal with inversions, but wants it to be part of more comprehensive tax legislation.

Under current law, a U.S. company that merges with a foreign entity can't benefit from a lower foreign tax rate unless the shareholders of the foreign company own at least 20 percent of the new merged business. Obama has proposed raising that threshold to 50 percent, with the goal of making them less attractive.

But Republicans like Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the top Republican on the Finance Committee, and some corporate advisers say inversion transactions will continue as long as U.S. corporate tax rates remain the highest among industrialized countries and as long as the United States requires U.S. companies to pay taxes on any foreign cash that is brought back to the United States.

"That creates a very strong incentive for major U.S. companies to keep their cash earned overseas overseas" said Gordon Caplan, a partner in the New York law firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher who specializes in mergers and acquisitions.

The growth in such foreign arrangements is creating an undertow against the upbeat picture that Obama is seeking to promote,

The attention comes as foreign direct investments last year rebounded, from $166 billion in 2012 to $193 billion in 2013, still far short of the $310 billion in 2008.

The figure, though, is nearly on track to meet Obama's goal of attracting $1 trillion in new foreign investments over the next five years.

Obama's SelectUSA program, initiated in 2011 and expanded last year, aims to make the U.S. outreach to foreign investors more efficient by relying on the federal government to help cities and states promote the U.S. overseas, even if it requires the highest ranking officials to make the pitch.

A survey last fall by the Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm, found that 54 percent of executives of large U.S.-based manufacturing companies said they planned on or were considering moving production facilities back to the U.S. from China. That was up from the 37 percent a year earlier.

And the latest survey of confidence in foreign direct investment by A.T. Kearney, another global management consulting firm, found that the United States had regained the top spot as an investment destination for the first time since 2001.

Among the recent deals highlighted by the White House is a decision by a subsidiary of Germany-based Lufthansa to build an aviation maintenance and repair center in Puerto Rico. The deal, concluded last month, faced stiff international competition.

White House officials say it was sealed through direct phone calls with Lufthansa executives from Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Vice President Joe Biden.

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Temporary jobs on rise in today's shifting economy

WASHINGTON — While the U.S. economy has improved since the Great Recession ended five years ago, part-time and "contract" workers are filling many of the new jobs.

Contract workers made up less than half of one percent of all U.S. employment in the 1980s but now account for 2.3 percent. Economists predict contract workers will play a larger role in the years ahead.

They are a diverse army of laborers, ranging from janitors, security officers, home-care and food service-workers to computer programmers, freelance photographers and illustrators. Many are involved in manufacturing. Many others are self-employed, working under contracts that lay out specific responsibilities and deadlines.

Labor leaders and many economists worry. Contract workers have less job security and don't contribute to the economy through spending as much as permanent, full-time workers. Nor do they have the same job protections. Few are union members.

"It is not hugely clear that we're coming into a temp-worker, contract-worker, contingent-worker nation. But it's something to keep an eye on," said Heidi Shierholz, an economist with the labor-oriented Economic Policy Institute. "There's definitely been an increase in the share of those working part time."

Part-time and contract jobs in the past tended to rise during recessions and recede during recoveries. But maybe no longer: Part-time workers have accounted for more than 10 percent of U.S. job growth in the years since the recession officially ended in June 2009. Meanwhile, union membership has been sliding steadily since the mid-1980s.

Businesses often hire contract workers or freelancers because it is less expensive than hiring full-time workers.

"Workers increasingly serve businesses that do not officially 'employ' the worker — a distinction that hampers organizing, erodes labor standards and dilutes accountability," said Catherine Ruckelshaus, general counsel for the National Employment Law Project, which advocates on behalf of low-wage workers.

Many business leaders have a different take.

"Some people don't want to be a full-time employee. They want contract work," said Bruce Josten, executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Still, Josten recognizes some of them "are hoping the contract work will ultimately lead them into a full-time position."

A recent Federal Reserve study showed that nearly 7.5 million people who are working part time — contract workers included — would rather have full-time jobs.

Jerry Jasinowski, who served as president of the National Association of Manufacturers for 14 years and later as president of the Manufacturing Institute, said despite criticism leveled against contract workers from some quarters, "I think on balance, they are a positive reflection of the extent to which production has become much more flexible, a reflection of hybrid operations. Some people don't like it. But that's neither here nor there. That's where everybody's moving."

Analysts suggest the increase in contract and "temp" jobs will likely accelerate as more baby boomers retire from their full-time jobs.

Pressure from a company's shareholders — often focused on short-term returns — can also lead businesses to lower labor costs by reclassifying a portion of their payroll as part-timers or spinning them off to a contracting agency.

The online job site CareerBuilder.com, which specializes in "contract placement," cites research showing that 42 percent of employers intend to hire temporary or contract workers as part of their 2014 staffing strategy — a 14 percent increase over the past five years.

The issue got the spotlight when President Barack Obama in February unilaterally upped the minimum wage for federal contractors and their employees from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour, fulfilling a top demand by liberal lawmakers and groups. The higher rates kick in Jan. 1.

"America does not stand still, neither do I," Obama said. Aides said more than 2 million employees whose companies have federal contracts are affected. Obama's proposal to raise the minimum wage nationally by the same amount remains bogged down in Congress.

A recent Brookings Institution study labeled the first decade of the 21st century a "Lost Decade" for the labor market. For the first time since World War II, the U.S. economy did not have more payroll jobs at the end of a decade than at the beginning. And the shadow of the December 2007-June 2009 recession still looms over today's labor market.

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Follow Tom Raum on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tomraum

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AT&T aims for TV's future with $48.5B DirecTV deal

LOS ANGELES — Priming itself for the age of Internet-delivered video, AT&T Inc. said it would buy DirecTV for $48.5 billion in cash and stock, or $95 per share.

While DirecTV doesn't help the telecom company compete in the online video space immediately, cost savings from the merger and the extra cash flow will improve its ability to compete with the cable giant that would be formed by Comcast Corp.'s proposed $45 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable.

With 5.7 million U-verse TV customers and 20.3 million DirecTV customers in the U.S., the combined AT&T-DirecTV would serve 26 million. That would make it the second-largest pay TV operator behind a combined Comcast-Time Warner Cable, which would serve 30 million under a $45 billion merger proposed in February.

AT&T is already the largest mobile service provider in the U.S., serving 116 million customers compared to Verizon's 103 million.

"What it does is it gives us the pieces to fulfill a vision we've had for a couple of years - the ability to take premium content and deliver it across multiple points: your smartphone, tablet, television or laptop," AT&T's Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson said on a conference call with journalists Sunday.

The companies are aiming to eke out $1.6 billion in annual cost savings in an increasingly expensive and maturing pay TV business. Using DirecTV's cash flow, AT&T has greater ability to invest in its landline and mobile networks for broader reach and faster speeds in an Internet service market where it risks falling behind a bulked up Comcast-Time Warner Cable.

The companies also promised consumer benefits like more economical bundles that tie mobile phone, pay TV and Internet service together on a single bill.

But the deal could face unique regulatory scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice. Unlike the cable company tie-up, the AT&T-DirecTV merger would effectively cut the number of video providers from four to three for about 25 percent of U.S. households.

Cable companies operate in regions that don't overlap, but in comparison, AT&T provides TV service to 22 states, where it is a direct competitor to DirecTV, which is nationwide. Reducing choice in those markets could result in higher prices for consumers and that usually gives regulators cause for concern.

Stephenson said those concerns would be addressed with a number of what he called "unprecedented" commitments. Among them:

- DirecTV would continue to be offered as a standalone service for three years after the deal's closing.

- AT&T would offer standalone broadband service for at least three years after closing, so consumers could consume video from Netflix and other online services, with download speeds of at least 6 megabits per second where feasible.

- AT&T would expand high-speed broadband access to 15 million more homes - beyond the 70 million that could now get AT&T service - within four years.

- AT&T vowed to abide by the open Internet order from 2010 that the Federal Communications Commission is now in the process of revising after a court struck it down.

- AT&T vowed to sell its roughly 9 percent stake in Latin American wireless carrier América Móvil for about $5 billion.

"This is going to prove to be a pro-competitive and pro-consumer transaction," Stephenson said.

Several consumer groups disagree. Delara Derakhshani, policy counsel for Consumer Reports magazine's lobbying arm, Consumers Union, said the deal "is just the latest attempt at consolidation in a marketplace where consumers are already saddled with lousy service and price hikes."

"You can't justify AT&T buying DirecTV by pointing at Comcast's grab for Time Warner, because neither one is a good deal for consumers," she said in a statement.

AT&T and DirecTV expect the deal to close within 12 months. Under the terms announced Sunday, DirecTV shareholders will receive $28.50 per share in cash and $66.50 per share in AT&T stock. The total transaction value is $67.1 billion, including DirecTV's net debt.

Stephenson and DirecTV CEO Michael White both said the merger would allow the combined company to offer video over multiple screens, but acknowledged that deals with content providers to expand service on multiple platforms still need to be negotiated.

White said that, for example, DirecTV's exclusive deal for its signature product, NFL Sunday Ticket, expires at the end of the coming season. He said he was "confident" the deal would be extended with the NFL on an exclusive, long-term basis, and noted that in the past, DirecTV has sold the football package directly to online platforms, such as to users of Sony's PlayStation.

"This positions us well to compete in the 21st century," White said. "I think our future is bright together in ways that make both of our companies stronger."

Analysts have questioned the strategic benefits of a deal, particularly because it would give AT&T a larger presence in the mature market for pay TV.

Last year, pay TV subscribers in the U.S. fell for the first time, dipping 0.1 percent to 94.6 million, according to Leichtman Research Group.

While AT&T and DirecTV are doing better than cable companies at attracting TV subscribers, DirecTV's growth in the U.S. has stalled while AT&T is growing the fastest of any TV provider.

DirecTV offers neither fixed-line or mobile Internet service, and its rights to airwave frequencies for satellite TV are not the kind that AT&T can use to improve its mobile phone network.

Still, Stephenson has talked exuberantly about how the growth of online video helps boost demand for its Internet and mobile services. Last month, AT&T entered a joint venture with the Chernin Group to invest in online video services.

DirecTV would continue to be based in El Segundo, California, following the merger, the companies said.

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Business Writer Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit contributed to this report.

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Diminutive driver’s hubby worries about her safety

My wife is 5 feet 2 and has a driving posture that places her about 12 inches from the steering wheel of her 2010 Subaru Forester, even with the pedal extenders I have installed. Years ago I was convinced that this is pretty dangerous given the geometry and violence of airbag deployments. Should I be concerned about the risk of injury from a deploying airbag?

The basic rule of thumb is a minimum of 12 inches between the driver's chest and the steering wheel/airbag. The crash management system in modern automobiles is engineered to make sure the sea belt/restraint system prevents the driver's upper body from entering the "zone of deployment" prior to the airbag inflating.

So in this case the seatbelt is the critical factor. The good news is that her Subaru, like many modern vehicles and unlike many early-generation airbag-equipped vehicles, is equipped with front seatbelt pretensioners that will rapidly retract and lock the seatbelt in any frontal collision that triggers the airbag. The mechanism for this is an "explosively expanding gas" driving a piston that retracts the belt. This helps prevent "submarining" — sliding downward and forward in the seat — and helps prevent the upper body from reaching the airbag's zone of deployment.

It would appear that you've done everything possible to allow the Subaru's crash management system to work properly for your wife in the event of a serious frontal impact.

• • •

Some new cars do not have much space around the tire in the wheel well, which results in snow collecting and freezing in the small space. Could this affect how the brakes work?

Very unlikely. As long as the wheel can roll, the hydraulic pressure applying the brake pads against the rotors will force out moisture and debris as well as generating more than enough heat to melt any ice/snow in proximity. With that said, it's always a good idea to knock off the large "icebergs" that collect at the rear of the wheel wells before driving. These can initially limit steering until worn or knocked clear.

• • •

I have a 2002 Buick Century with about 180,000 miles on it. The transmission shifts smoothly when it first starts, but after driving for a while it starts to "clunk" when shifting to the next gear. The transmission was rebuilt in 2010. Transmission "conditioner" was added a couple of weeks ago and it's a little better, but not much. Any suggestions for eliminating the clunk except a $2,000 rebuild? Our son will be driving the car over the summer and we'd like it to last a while longer.

Does the "Service engine soon" light ever come on when the harsh shifting occurs? Hard upshifts or downshifts can be indicative of "limp" mode operation — a self-protective, high hydraulic pressure mode to prevent slippage/damage to the transmission. If so, a diagnostic scan tool may pinpoint the problem.

If no service light comes on, the problem may be mechanical. Even though the transmission apparently has been rebuilt, sediment or worn/binding valves or accumulator pistons may be causing the symptom. This might explain the temporary improvement from adding the conditioner. If the additive wasn't SeaFoam Trans-Tune, give this a try.

Recognize that harsh shifts aren't necessarily damaging to the transmission or drivetrain. Short of major work, I'd suggest continuing to drive the car until the symptoms worsen significantly. More gentle acceleration and/or manually upshifting/downshifting the transmission may improve shift quality.

• • •

Motoring Note: A hearty "thank you" to the armchair quarterbacks who commented on my response to the faulty fuel pump on the 2000 Ford Explorer that wouldn't start in cold weather unless the owner tapped on the bottom of the fuel tank. In describing the additional amperage drawn by a worn/tired fuel pump, I should have said higher mechanical rather than electrical resistance. The additional mechanical resistance in the pump is what causes the increased draw of current I described.

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Boston HQ’s score skyline spots

The city's skyline has long been largely off limits to companies looking to advertise their names atop high-rises, but lately several companies planting roots in Boston have been allowed to emblazon their corporate logos on their rooftops and rooflines.

Boston-bound motorists heading over the Zakim Bridge are now greeted by giant letters that spell out Converse on the roof of the sneaker makers' soon-to-be opened world headquarters. Meanwhile, travelers to the Seaport District — particularly at night — can't help but notice the illuminated Vertex sign atop the pharmaceutical company's new waterfront home.

The tenants of the two buildings join only a handful of companies — State Street's headquarters in the Financial District being the most notable — granted permission by the Boston Redevelopment Authority to vertically advertise their names.

Boston's downtown skyscrapers are mostly devoid of rooftop advertising due to a 1979 BRA rule prohibiting signs atop high-rise buildings.

Lara Merida, the BRA's deputy director for community planning, said exemptions are granted to companies that locate their corporate headquarters in Boston and occupy the entire building. Hotels such as the Westin and Renaissance can erect signs on their rooflines as "wayfinders" for visitors, she said.

"Generally, signage on top of large projects is discouraged. However, corporate signs have been approved as an economic development incentive for companies building their headquarters in, or transferring their headquarters to Boston," the BRA said in a statement.

Other companies that got BRA approval to erect logos above their corporate headquarters include John Hancock Financial on Congress Street and New Balance in Brighton Landing.

Vertex recently moved its headquarters from Cambridge to Fan Pier, bringing with it 1,300 employees.

"As part of our move to Boston, we followed the BRA's policy related to placing a Vertex sign on our building. This was based on the building serving as our global headquarters and the fact that we occupy 100 percent of the space," said Vertex spokesman Zach Barber.

Converse is moving its world headquarters, now in North Andover, to 187,000 square feet of new office space being created by the $230 million refurbishment of a nine-story building across from the TD Garden. The rehabbed building will house some 400 Converse employees when it opens in the spring of 2015.

"The decision for signage was made by the city. Ultimately, the sign is a reflection that Converse is here to stay," Converse said in a statement.

Melina Schuler, a spokeswoman for Mayor Martin J. Walsh, said that while the Converse building will contain 45,000 square feet of ground floor retail, the sneaker company is occupying "100 percent of the office space."

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US-Russia tension could affect space station, satellites

The escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Ukraine have reached a new altitude: space.

In the aftermath of the Cold War, the two super powers set aside their mistrust and agreed to build a massive orbiting outpost as a symbol of a new era of cooperation in space exploration. But now that partnership is under serious strain.

After Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin this week said his nation might no longer allow U.S. astronauts access to its launch vehicles and may use the International Space Station without American participation, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee on Thursday pressed NASA for answers about the how the U.S. could respond.

Since the retirement of the space shuttle, Russia has provided launches for U.S. astronauts, for $71 million each.

"Dropping out of ISS is a high-profile move on Russia's part," said Marco A. Caceres, space analyst for the aerospace research firm Teal Group Corp. of Fairfax, Va. "They're pulling the rug out from under the Americans. It's a move of national pride that plays well in Russia."

Indeed, after railing against U.S. sanctions in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea, Rogozin, chief of the Russian space and defense sectors, suggested that "the U.S.A. ... bring their astronauts to the International Space Station using a trampoline."

Rogozin's threat is too significant for the U.S. to ignore, said Loren B. Thompson, an aerospace and defense expert at the Lexington Institute, a Washington-based think tank.

"The central assumptions of the Obama administration space policy are no longer valid," he said.

The space station is just one example of how the mess in Ukraine is undermining aerospace trade between the two leaders in space travel. Russia has threatened to suspend exports of rocket engines, which are used to help launch U.S. Air Force satellites. And it has threatened to suspend cooperation on navigational systems that depend on outposts in Russia.

The U.S. helped fund the Russian program in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union. And when the shuttle Columbia burned up on re-entry in 2003, killing seven, the Russians agreed to help ferry U.S. astronauts back and forth to space.

The $100-billion orbital outpost, often cited as the most expensive machine ever built, has a series of modules and power systems, some Russian, some American and others from a range of international partners. The U.S. hardware produces most of the station's electricity, but the Russian propulsion system helps keep the station in orbit.

Now, that combination of hardware could cause a major headache. Under legal agreements, the U.S. has an upper hand in controlling the space station, but Rogozin said his nation could operate its modules independently of the U.S.

In a House hearing at the end of March, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said the agency's partner is not Russia itself, but rather the Russian space agency, a distinction that many analysts dismissed.

The House science committee sent a letter to Bolden on Thursday seeking an assessment of a Russian withdrawal from the space station program after 2020. While the partnership is not yet broken, the committee wants to know what options the U.S. has if Rogozin's threats become reality.

The issue involves broad engineering and legal issues that may be new: Could the space station be separated into two parts? Who owns key systems? What would happen to life science research and how would such a breakdown in cooperation affect political support for human space flight?

When the U.S. and Russia agreed to build the station in 1993, neither country had the political will to build such an ambitious project by itself. For years the space station has been considered a symbol of how cooperation among nations may yield bigger results than any single effort.

But that was then.

"This is a step back toward the Cold War days," Caceres said of the current climate. "It's the beginning of a freeze on a great relationship that's been forged over the last two decades."

NASA ultimately wants private companies to take astronauts to the station by 2017, but that hardware is still in development.

Officials with NASA said they did not yet have a response to the committee's letter but issued a statement, which said in part:

"NASA has not received any official notification from the government of Russia on any cessation or changes in our space cooperation at this point. Operations on the ISS continue on a normal basis with the safe return of the Expedition 39 crew May 13 and the expected launch of another crew in two weeks."

Separately, Rogozin has said Russia intends to stop supplying the U.S. with rocket engines that are used in launching military satellites into orbit.

United Launch Alliance, a joint rocket venture of aerospace giants Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp., uses a Russian-made engine on its Atlas V rocket.

(EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE)

The RD-180 engine provides the main thrust for the rocket, which launches the government's pricey, school-bus-sized national security satellites for spying, weather forecasting, communications and other, experimental purposes.

In the wake of Russia's seizure of Crimea, the Pentagon asked the Air Force to review United Launch Alliance's use of the engine.

United Launch Alliance said it was not aware of any restrictions. But even if an embargo on selling the engines takes effect, the company says it has stockpiled a two-year supply. It also has another family of rockets, called Delta IV, which uses all U.S.-made rocket engines.

"We are hopeful that our two nations will engage in productive conversations over the coming months that will resolve the matter quickly," Jessica Rye, a company spokeswoman, said.

———

©2014 Los Angeles Times

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NYT publisher again defends removal of Abramson

NEW YORK — New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. provided a fresh defense Saturday of his removal of executive editor Jill Abramson, saying it had nothing to do with his company's treatment of women but with Abramson's management style.

"During her tenure, I heard repeatedly from her newsroom colleagues, women and men, about a series of issues, including arbitrary decision-making, a failure to consult and bring colleagues with her, inadequate communication and the public mistreatment of colleagues," Sulzberger, who also chairs the Times parent company, said in a statement.

"The saddest outcome" of the decision, he said, is that many have cast it as an example of unequal treatment of women. He denied that Abramson's compensation package was less than her predecessor's. Abramson was named executive editor in September 2011, replacing Bill Keller. She was the paper's first female executive editor.

"Jill's pay package was comparable with Bill Keller's; in fact, by her last full year as executive editor, it was more than 10 percent higher than his," he wrote.

The Times replaced Abramson, 60, on Wednesday and promoted managing editor Dean Baquet, 57, to executive editor.

Abramson has yet to comment publicly. No one answered her home phone Saturday, and she did not immediately respond to a LinkedIn message.

In a blog post Wednesday, New Yorker staff writer Ken Auletta quoted an anonymous "close associate" who said Abramson confronted the Times' "top brass" about her pay after discovering that both her pay and her pension benefits were less than that of Keller.

The New York Times reported in its initial story about Abramson's departure that as part of a settlement agreement between her and the newspaper, neither side would go into detail about her firing.

Sulzberger then said in a memo to the newspaper's staff Thursday that it is "simply not true that Jill's compensation was significantly less than her predecessor's." He elaborated in the Saturday statement.

"Equal pay for women is an important issue in our country — one that The New York Times often covers. But it doesn't help to advance the goal of pay equality to cite the case of a female executive whose compensation was not in fact unequal," he wrote.

The Times' chief executive, Mark Thomson, also sent a memo to the paper's top editor on Friday defending the reasons for Abramson's dismissal.

"Despite all you may have read or heard, Jill's compensation was in fact greater than Bill Keller's," Thomson wrote, according to a New York Times story.

Abramson joined the newspaper in 1997 after working for nearly a decade at The Wall Street Journal. She was the Times' Washington editor and bureau chief before being named managing editor in 2003.

Abramson decided not to attend Brandeis University's graduation Sunday, where she was supposed to receive an honorary degree. She is scheduled to speak Monday at Wake Forest University.

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Later business hours fit to a T

The MBTA's late night weekend service pilot program is spurring Cambridge to join the Hub in taking a look at extending the hours businesses can remain open.

"We want to look at the potential benefits, not just for our employees and our residents, but also for our local businesses," said Lisa Hemmerle, director of economic development for Cambridge. "We have a task force formed."

Government officials make up the task force and they are laying the groundwork before its membership is opened up to the public, Hemmerle said.

The city, said Hemmerle, already has granted requests from two businesses — the Kendall Square Cinema and Veggie Galaxy — to stay open later. And Hemmerle said Cambridge plans to begin an outreach program soon to encourage businesses to stay open later.

"We're hoping to have more, as people realize now their staff can get home," said Elizabeth Lint, executive director of the Cambridge License Commission. "It's something the city has an interest in."

The MBTA's yearlong late night service pilot program, which extended the hours trains and some buses run on Friday and Saturday nights until 2:30 a.m., kicked off in late March.

Meanwhile, Boston's late night task force has met twice since Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced his proposal to let bars and restaurants stay open until 3:30 a.m.

Still, the city hasn't opened up the floodgates yet. The Boston Licensing Board last week denied a request from Amelia's Taqueria in Allston to stay open until 3 a.m. on the weekends. Melina Schuler, a spokeswoman with the mayor's office, said those kinds of requests could be viewed more favorably in the future.

"Moving down the road we'll work better in terms of managing later operating hours," she said.

The task force, trying to get a pilot program rolling by the summer, is looking at how to best implement later hours.

"What's driving this is the two main things we want to look at is the quality of life and the demand for this service," said John Fitzgerald, senior project manager at the Boston Redevelopment Authority and co-chairman of the task force.

The task force, with the help of students from the Harvard Kennedy School, so far is collecting information, including crime statistics, streetlight concentrations and is even combing through Twitter to see the age of those most likely to be tweeting between 2 and 4 a.m.

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