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Commercial Motor TV - sponsored by DAF Trucks / October 7, 2016 .

Well roared, lion! MAN Truck & Bus / October 4, 2016 The 66th IAA Commercial Vehicles 2016 for MAN The 10,000 square metre exhibition space at the world’s largest commercial vehicles trade show, the 66th IAA in Hanover, was the stage for an impressive presentation from MAN. The topics chosen by the manufacturer consistently attracted the attention of the visitors. The world première of their new van, the MAN TGE, completed MAN’s product portfolio at the smaller end of their vehicle range, making MAN a full service provider for all transport requirements. The TG model series offers engines with new power levels, finely tuned transmissions and a number of new interior and exterior design features. The newly introduced NEOPLAN Tourliner completes MAN’s bus portfolio with a new entry model in the field of premium coaches. As the initiator of the new digital brand RIO, MAN is responsible for the development of the brand within Volkswagen Truck & Bus. RIO is an open platform that bundles digital solutions for the transport & logistics ecosystem, including also competitor’s vehicles. All information about the IAA can be found on the MAN microsite. World debut of the new MAN TGE van The new MAN TGE was exceptionally well-received by visitors during its world première in Hanover. In future, the vehicle will be offered in a number of body variants, with a choice of two wheelbases, three vehicle lengths and heights, as well as an engine output between 75 kW/102 HP and 130 kW/177 HP. The three exhibition vehicles, fitted with different body types for possible application in construction, distribution transport and as a mobile workshop, were taken under close scrutiny by the audience and often inspired constructive and practical discussions with the team members at the stand. Positive feedback came first and foremost from the ranks of long-standing customers who can now count on the same level of service for these 3.0 to 5.5 tonne vehicles as they are used to from MAN’s heavy trucks. MAN Service is renowned for their helpful approach to every customer – even walk-ins – and for their fast availability in case of emergencies, even at weekends or at night, as well as for their long opening hours. Their range of workshop services naturally includes flexible repair and maintenance contracts as well as full vehicle services – as shown at the trade show. During the course of the trade show, several hundred intentions to buy were already recorded for the MAN TGE. MAN heavy trucks with more power and a new design When it comes to design, MAN put forward numerous innovations for the TGL, TGM, TGS and TGX model ranges at the IAA. Optically, greater emphasis has been placed on the MAN lion as the emotional marker of the brand. Appearing in a bold new design against a high-gloss black background, the lion on the chrome clasp above the grille is now even more prominent. The interior also devotes more attention to the Büssing lion, while the newly developed bright colours and fabrics for all textile surfaces create a completely new sense of space The new D26 and D38 MAN engines will from now offer more torque and greater performance with lower consumption. The new version of the established D26 engine records an increase of 20 HP and 200 Nm respectively and offers a peak performance of 500 HP. The 640 HP top-of-the-range engine, which was up to now reserved exclusively for heavy-duty versions, is now available in almost all variants of the MAN TGX D38. The other power levels of the new D38 have each been raised by 20 HP to 540 HP and 580 HP. With altogether more than 5,500 trucks sold, MAN has far exceeded its own expectations. Added to this are numerous concluded financing agreements and rental packages through MAN Financial Services and the successes in the After Sales department with regard to concluded service contracts. The NEOPLAN Tourliner – a new member of the MAN Bus family Another world première was celebrated with the launch of the new NEOPLAN Tourliner, which offers bus companies a new entry model in the field of premium coaches. The flexible applications – from long-distance to tourist travel – the numerous assistance systems and its excellent aerodynamics all make the new NEOPLAN Tourliner a real all-rounder. As with all buses, it also benefits from improved engine and transmission functions, which now offer more torque and more power with lower consumption thanks to an optimised driveline. The newly redesigned headlights with LED daytime driving lights in 'angel eye' optic will in future adorn all NEOPLAN buses. Sales expectations for the IAA were also exceeded in the bus sector. A total of more than 350 vehicles are on the company’s order list. Reifers Reisen from Warburg, for instance, snapped up the first NEOPLAN Tourliner. Amongst other things, MAN also had the chance to symbolically hand over the 7,500th MAN Lion’s Coach at the IAA. The NEOPLAN Skyliner was also a cause for celebration: it was presented with the IBC Award at the trade show. In a preceding extensive comparison test, it had particularly asserted itself amongst other double-deckers in terms of its chassis and of passenger comfort. Digital solutions and electromobility MAN presented these two topics with particular professionalism at the IAA 2016 in Hanover, designating a special platform for RIO – the new Volkswagen Truck & Bus brand for digital solutions. RIO is an open, cross-manufacturer business and technology platform that provides individual and uniquely intuitive digital services for the entire transportation and logistics ecosystem. The transport chain is made up of both data providers and data users. As the initiator of RIO, MAN is responsible for its development within the Volkswagen Truck & Bus Group. With regard to eMobility, MAN Truck & Bus introduced the fully electric MAN Lion’s City articulated bus with different charging infrastructure concepts as well as an MAN TGS semitrailer tractor with electric drive for use in applications relating to inner-city night-time supply. As part of its eMobility roadmap, MAN will be sending a pre-series bus version of a battery electric vehicle (BEV) for field trials in 2018. Series production of a 100% electrically-driven city bus will commence before 2020. The technological expertise from the eMobility modular system in the bus sector will in future also be available for electric truck applications. In addition, MAN’s membership in the Volkswagen Group means that it can utilise synergies within the Group and draw value from the dynamics of the passenger car sector. Successful trade show presence for MAN Joachim Drees, Chief Executive Officer of MAN Truck & Bus and a member of the board at Volkswagen Truck & Bus summarises: “In the last few months, we worked with great passion across all departments to ensure that we could bring as many innovations as possible to the IAA in Hanover. We ignited a veritable explosion of innovations – and gave an exceptional performance.” “All in all, the trade show was a huge success, also with regard to the number of vehicles sold,” followed up Heinz-Jürgen Löw, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for the IAA 2016. “My particular thanks goes to the entire team, who committed themselves fully to attaining our highly-ambitious goals.” By the time the traditional chorus of horns had faded away around 6 pm on 29th September, a total of over 200,000 people had visited the MAN stand at the trade show. On individual days, the count exceeded 30,000 people – an increase of up to 60 per cent compared with 2014. MAN gave numerous informative interviews on the stage at the trade show stand each day. 13,000 footballs were handed out to those visiting the stand during the course of the 66th IAA Commercial Vehicles as a memento of their visit to the trade show. All information regarding the IAA will still be on the MAN microsite right up into November. MAN image database - http://bildarchiv.man.de/index.php/main?level=0&catId=12142&mainCatId=530&catName=Nachlese&lang=en

FYI - “Volvo Active Driver Assist” is the North American market name for the global market “Volvo Collision Warning with Emergency Brake”, a feature which was introduced in October 2012.

Volvo Trucks USA / October 3, 2016

Peterbilt Motors Company / October 6, 2016 .

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Detroit Press Release / October 7, 2016 .

Detroit Press Release / October 7, 2016 .

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Redesigned Duramax 6.6L Diesel Offered on 2017 Silverado HD Trailer/Body Builders / October 4, 2016 Chevrolet announced the redesigned Duramax 6.6L V-8 turbo-diesel offered on the 2017 Silverado HD. This next-generation redesign offers more horsepower and torque than ever — an SAE-certified 445 horsepower (332 kW) and 910 lb.-ft. (1,234 Nm) — to enable easier, more confident hauling and trailering. Along with a 19 percent increase in max torque over the current Duramax 6.6L, the redesigned turbo-diesel’s performance is quieter and smoother, for greater refinement. In fact, engine noise at idle is reduced 38 percent. “With nearly 2 million sold over the past 15 years, customers have forged a bond with the Duramax diesel based on trust and capability,” said Dan Nicholson, vice president, Global Propulsion Systems. “The new Duramax takes those traits to higher levels.” The new Duramax 6.6L shares essentially only the bore and stroke dimensions of the current engine and incorporates a new, GM-developed control system. The Duramax’s signature low-rpm torque production hasn’t changed and still offers 90 percent of peak torque at a low 1,550 rpm and sustains it through 2,850 rpm. “Nearly everything about the Duramax is new, designed to produce more torque at lower rpm and more confidence when trailering or hauling,” said Gary Arvan, chief engineer. “You’ll also notice the refinement improvements the moment you start the engine, and appreciate them as you cruise quietly down the highway — with or without a trailer.” Additional highlights include: New, stronger cylinder block and cylinder heads New, stronger rotating and reciprocating assembly Increased oil- and coolant-flow capacity New EGR system with single cooler and integrated bypass New electrically actuated/electronically controlled turbocharging system All-new advanced solenoid fuel system All-new electronic controls New full-length damped steel oil pan that contributes to quietness New rocker cover/fuel system acoustical treatments B20 bio-diesel compatibility SAE-certified 445 net horsepower (332 kW) at 2,800 rpm SAE-certified 910 net lb.-ft. of torque (1,234 Nm) at 1,600 rpm A new, patent-pending vehicle air intake system — distinguished on the Silverado HD by a bold hood scoop — drives cool, dry air into the engine for sustained performance and cooler engine temperatures during difficult conditions, such as trailering on steep grades. Cooler air helps the engine run better under load, especially in conditions where engine and transmission temperatures can rise quickly. That allows the Duramax to maintain more power and vehicle speed when trailering in the toughest conditions. The intake design is another example of the advanced integration included in the 2017 Silverado HD that makes it over-the-road capable. As with previous versions, the new Duramax block features a strong cast-iron foundation known for its durability, with induction-hardened cylinder walls and five nodular iron main bearings. It retains the same 4.05-inch (103mm) and 3.89-inch (99mm) bore and stroke dimensions as the current engine, retaining the Duramax’s familiar 6.6L (403 cu.-in./6,599 cc) displacement. A deep-skirt design and four-bolt, cross-bolted main caps help ensure the block’s strength and enable more accurate location of the rotating assembly. A die-cast aluminum lower crankcase also strengthens the engine block and serves as the lower engine cover, while reducing its overall weight. The new engine block incorporates larger-diameter crankshaft connecting rod journals than the current engine, enabling the placement of a stronger crankshaft and increased bearing area to handle higher cylinder loads. An enhanced oiling circuit, with higher flow capacity and a dedicated feed for the turbocharger, provides increased pressure at the turbo and faster oil delivery. Larger piston-cooling oil jets at the bottom of the cylinder bores spray up to twice the amount of engine oil into oil galleries under the crown of the pistons, contributing to lower engine temperature and greater durability. A new, two-piece oil pan contributes to the new Duramax’s quieter operation. It consists of a laminated steel oil pan with an upper aluminum section. The aluminum section provides strength-enhancing rigidity for the engine, but a pan made entirely of aluminum would radiate more noise, so the laminated steel lower section is added to dampen noise and vibration. There’s also an integrated oil cooler with 50 percent greater capacity than the current engine’s, ensuring more consistent temperatures at higher engine loads.

Kenworth Offers 52-Inch Mid-Roof Sleeper on T680 Advantage Heavy Duty Trucking / October 6, 2016 Kenworth has introduced the fuel-efficient T680 Advantage Package with 52-inch mid-roof sleeper for regional haul and less-than-truckload operations. The new T680 Advantage configuration features an optimized powertrain with the 2016 Paccar MX-13 engine or Paccar MX-11 engine and Eaton Fuller Advantage series 10-speed automated transmission. This powertrain is combined with more fuel-efficient Meritor MT40-14X drive axles, rated at 40,000 pounds. The 52-inch sleeper features aerodynamic elements to help redirect airflow around the chassis and sleeper to improve fuel economy. They include a front air dam to redirect around versus under the tractor, mini-kickout fairings to force air around the trailer and drive tires, and lower fairing extenders. Other fuel-efficient features include Kenworth’s Predictive Cruise Control, Neutral Coast, Driver Performance Assistant and FlowBelow wheel covers. “Our expanded Kenworth T680 Advantage lineup now provides three excellent Advantage choices – day cab, 52-inch mid-roof sleeper and 76-inch sleeper – to those regional haul, LTL fleets and truck operators in constant pursuit of achieving greater fuel economy and lower operating costs,” said Jason Skoog, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing. The 52-inch mid-roof sleeper is especially suited to regional hauling applications – including tank, bulk, flatbed, heavy haul and lowboy – where drivers may spend just two or three nights on the road during a typical week. The sleeper features a liftable lower bunk and upper storage units on the back wall with enough space for drivers to hang their clothes and jackets, plus an optional upper bunk for driving teams. The optional passenger swivel seat expands the living space into the cab to provide more comfort for the drivers when parked. The design also provides sufficient head room for a driver or passenger up to 6-foot-4 to easily stand up between the seats. It features a 2.1-meter wide cab, with reduced interior noise levels, adjustable advanced suspension seats with climate control, air-assisted hydraulic clutch, ergonomic dash, the Driver Performance Center, and LED interior lighting. .

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WikiLeaks brings attention back to Clinton’s Wall St speeches The Financial Times / October 8, 2016 Hacked emails portray candidate as sympathetic to banking sector Hillary Clinton apparently advocated for “open trade and open borders” and admitted to being “kind of far removed” from the middle class in paid speeches to Wall Street institutions, according to newly released documents from WikiLeaks. Mrs Clinton has refused to release the transcripts of six-figure paid speeches to Wall Street banks — an issue that became a key point of contention during the Democratic primary. But on Friday, WikiLeaks published the hacked emails of Mrs Clinton’s chairman John Podesta, which appear to shed light on the content of some of those speeches. In one email sent to Mr Podesta, a Clinton campaign staffer flagged specific remarks Mrs Clinton had made during her paid speeches that the staffer believed might pose problems for Mrs Clinton during the Democratic primary. In one speech, given to Deutsche Bank in 2014, Mrs Clinton appears to suggest that she believed individuals from the banking sector should play a role in helping to regulate the financial industry. “The people that know the industry better than anybody are the people that work in the industry.” In another speech, she seemed to throw her weight behind a free-trade society. “My dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders,” she said, according to the email. Mrs Clinton also appeared to admit that she was out of touch with regular voters, saying she was “kind of far removed” from middle class struggles “because [of] the life I’ve lived and the economic, you know, fortunes that my husband and I now enjoy”. The Clinton campaign declined to confirm whether the emails were authentic. The campaign stressed that Mr Podesta’s emails had been “stolen” and suggested that documents could be “faked as part of a sophisticated Russian misinformation campaign”. The WikiLeaks release came on the same day that the US formally blamed Russia for several hacks on US political institutions, including the Democratic National Committee, and accused Moscow of trying to interfere in the US election. In total, Mrs Clinton received more than $20m for speeches she made between 2013 and 2015. While Mrs Clinton said during a Democratic primary debate that she would “look into” releasing the speech transcripts, she has yet to do so, even as her campaign has skewered Donald Trump for refusing to release his tax returns. During the Democratic primary, Mrs Clinton’s primary opponent Bernie Sanders frequently attacked her for being too cozy with Wall Street institutions, and for being unlikely to go after banks and big corporations in the way she was promising to do in her campaign. In the excerpts of Mrs Clinton’s speeches, the Democratic nominee suggests she might have more sympathy for Wall Street figures than she has suggested on the campaign trail, saying that there was “such a bias against people who have led successful and/or complicated lives,” and that she herself believed it was “very onerous and unnecessary” that successful business people were forced to sell so many assets just to take on roles in the US government. Mrs Clinton also indicated that her public and private positions on issues did not always add up. “I mean, politics is like sausage being made,” she said, according to the email. “It is unsavory, and it always has been that way, but we usually end up where we need to be. But if everybody’s watching, you know, all of the back room discussions and the deals, you know, then people get a little nervous, to say the least. So, you need both a public and a private position.” WikiLeaks’ release of the hacked emails came Friday evening, not long after the Washington Post published a 2005 video of Mr Trump where the Republic nominee was heard bragging in crude terms about groping women. On Saturday, US cable networks were referring to the video and WikiLeaks release as “October surprises” for the two candidates. However, the fallout from Mr Trump’s video appeared to have significantly worse repercussions, with numerous Republican leaders condemning his comments, and several elected Republican officials calling for Mr Trump to halt his campaign and let another member of his party lead the ticket. During the day on Saturday, most networks were devoting full coverage to Mr Trump’s controversy, and only Fox News discussed the video and WikiLeaks release of Mrs Clinton’s speeches in parallel. However, the WikiLeaks documents could hurt Mrs Clinton among some former Sanders supporters who believe that Mrs Clinton has not been fully transparent about her true views on financial regulation, trade, and the influence of big corporations on US politics.

Bloomberg / October 7, 2016 It’s a good time to buy a truck. To hold a slowing market at bay, carmakers in the U.S. are offering the biggest incentives on full-sized pickups since December 2008, when the country was mired in recession and the auto industry was collapsing. Last month, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV’s Ram raised its average incentive on the trucks to $7,082, up 29 percent from a year earlier, according to J.D. Power data obtained by Bloomberg. A price war on pickups has been simmering for a while. Last year, Ford Motor Co. cut prices by more than $10,000 on some models as it rolled out a new aluminum-bodied F-150. This summer, General Motors Co. offered 20 percent off on its trucks. Ram is also continuing to offer a 20 percent discount on its oldest models. Ram’s recent deal was its most generous in at least three years, and sales rose 29 percent in September. The company was the No. 2 seller in the U.S. truck market for the month, knocking off Chevrolet Silverado for the first time since at least 2010. Silverado sales fell 16 percent in the same period, and Ford’s F-Series, which has been the top selling pickup for almost 40 years, dropped 2.6 percent. “In this race the Detroit Three have with each other, there is no limit to what they will do to win,” Dave Sullivan, an analyst at AutoPacific Inc., said in an interview. He noted that as truck inventories grow and factories cut back overtime shifts, automakers are falling back on an old tactic. “This price war is going to continue until the end of the year.” Profit Drivers Detroit derives much of its profit from pickups -- as much as $10,000 per truck -- and analysts expect the deals to get even richer as the market slows. Over the last three months, full-size truck sales have been growing at a 5 percent rate, compared with a 15 percent growth rate during the same period last year, Joseph Spak, an analyst for RBC Capital Markets, wrote in an Oct. 3 note. Sales gains in September were “driven by discounts,” Spak wrote. Deliveries of large pickups rose 1.2 percent last month, according to researcher Autodata Corp. GM groused about Ram’s September success, calling it “a pyrrhic victory at best.” “Sure, they sold a lot of full-size trucks but they had incentives that were close to $1,000 more per unit than Chevrolet,” Jim Cain, a GM spokesman, said in a statement. “Profligate spending like that could set them up for a dead cat bounce.” Fiat Chrysler spokesman Ralph Kisiel said the company was “not going to respond to a competitor’s comments.” Ram appeared to outsell Silverado in March 2014, by 285 trucks, according to figures released at the time. Fiat Chrysler has since restated sales going back to 2011 after a dealer lawsuit spurred a U.S. Justice Department investigation into whether its figures were inflated to mislead investors. Last month, Ram outsold Silverado by 2,412 trucks. Silverado outsold Ram in every other month since 2011, according to Kisiel, the company spokesman. GM boosted discounts on the Silverado in September as well, averaging $5,647, up 21 percent from August, according to the J.D. Power data. The F-Series averaged incentives of $5,173, down about $43 from the month before. The discounts have also grown as trucks have gotten more expensive. Pickups have added creature comforts and technology to improve fuel economy, towing and hauling capacity. Automakers are offering bigger incentives to combat sticker shock. “People want trucks, but they’re finding that they’re not affordable,” said Michelle Krebs, an analyst with Cox Automotive’s Autotrader. The greatest imbalance between shopping interest and inventory on Autotrader’s site is in the pickup segment, she said, an indicator that at this point, demand for used models far outstrips supply. The new trucks have “just gotten so expensive.” .

Associated Press / October 6, 2016 United States immigration authorities caught just over half the people who illegally entered the U.S. from Mexico last year, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security report that offers one of the most detailed assessments of border security ever compiled. The report found that 54% of people who entered illegally between border crossings got caught in fiscal 2015. That's much lower than the 81% success rate that Homeland Security cited publicly using a different counting method. The 98-page report was completed in May, and Homeland Security officials have declined to release it, despite calls from some members of Congress to do so. The Associated Press obtained a copy from a government official involved in border issues who acted on condition of anonymity because the department has not made the report public. The department said Thursday that the report was "one building block provided by a research organization" toward developing more reliable measures of border security and that its methodology needed refinement. "DHS does not believe it is in the public interest to release, and it would be irresponsible to make policy or other judgments on the basis of analysis that is incomplete and remains a work in progress," spokeswoman Marsha Catron said. The report offers some of most detailed measures yet of how secure the border with Mexico is -- a major issue in a presidential campaign that features Republican nominee Donald Trump calling for a wall along the entire 1,954-mile border. The report includes enough material to argue that the government has made big strides or that it is falling woefully short. In terms of people, 170,000 got away from the Border Patrol during fiscal 2015, 210,000 the previous year and 1.7 million in 2005. The huge drop over the last decade is largely explained by the decline in job opportunities since the Great Recession, with more Mexicans now leaving the United States than arriving here. During that time, there has also been a massive increase in border enforcement, including jail time and other serious consequences for those who get caught, and significant increases in the number of people getting deported. The drop in illegal entries continued well after the economy rebounded. The government now spends $14 billion annually on border security. The number of people who got away is larger when including those who escaped detection at border crossings or who entered by sea, which is the responsibility of Homeland Security agencies outside the Border Patrol. Adding those, 200,000 people got away last year, 260,000 in 2014 and 1.9 million in 2005. The Border Patrol's capture rate on the Mexican border was 55% in 2014 and 36% in 2005, according to the report prepared for Homeland Security by the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federally funded research organization. The Border Patrol achieved an 11-point improvement in 2014 after years of slow but steady gains. The report does not offer an explanation for the sudden improvement. The report, which includes an appendix of more than 100 pages on methodology and a review of previous efforts to count border crossers, offers detailed analysis dating to 2000, shortly before the U.S. erected hundreds of miles of fences along the Mexican border, added surveillance gear and doubled the number of Border Patrol agents. Homeland Security has been under pressure to show if those multibillion-dollar investments yielded results. The primary measure that Homeland Security has released for public consumption is the number of Border Patrol arrests, which tells how many people got caught but not how many got away. Arrests dropped to the lowest level in 44 years in 2015, down 80% from a peak of nearly 1.7 million in 2000. For the last two years, the department has released an "interdiction effectiveness rate" that measures the percentage of people who got caught among all who attempted to enter between crossings on the Mexican border. The figure includes those who set foot in the U.S. and turned around and asylum seekers. It was 81% in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2015. The report obtained by the AP takes a different approach. It does not credit the government for people who turn around or turn themselves in to agents to seek asylum, a common occurrence among Central American women and children who have entered the country in large numbers over the last five years, many of them fleeing drug-fueled violence. The report says there were 140,000 asylum seekers on the Mexican border last year and 170,000 in 2014, compared with about 20,000 a year a decade ago. Homeland Security's practice of counting those as captures goes a long way toward explaining why its success rate was so much higher. The report also counts people who entered the country illegally at border crossings -- typically by presenting fake or stolen documents to immigration inspectors. Homeland Security does not publish those numbers. The report says 28,000 escaped detection last year, down from 46,000 in 2014. The capture rate improved to 39% from 29%. Counting border crossers who elude capture is a mammoth and imprecise task but one that many experts believe is necessary to judge whether the border is secure. Homeland Security approaches the job by tracking physical evidence, such as footprints in the desert and other signs of human presence, and by agent sightings. The internal report uses that information, along with migrant surveys and techniques developed by social scientists.

White House Coordinated on Clinton Email Issues, New Documents Show The Wall Street Journal / October 7, 2016 Newly disclosed emails show top Obama administration officials were in close contact with Hillary Clinton’s nascent presidential campaign in early 2015 about the potential fallout from revelations that the former secretary of state used a private email server. Their discussion included a request from the White House communications director to her counterpart at the State Department to see if it was possible to arrange for Secretary of State John Kerry to avoid questions during media appearances about Mrs. Clinton’s email arrangement. In another instance, a top State Department official assured an attorney for Mrs. Clinton that, contrary to media reports, a department official hadn’t told Congress that Mrs. Clinton erred in using a private email account. The previously unreported emails were obtained by the Republican National Committee as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking records of Mrs. Clinton’s time in office. The RNC provided to The Wall Street Journal only some of the emails, leaving it unclear what was in the remaining documents. The RNC said it released only emails relevant to the communication between the White House and State Department. Meredith McGehee, chief of policy, programs, and strategy at the nonpartisan advocacy group Issue One and an expert on ethics and campaign finance, said the email exchange would probably raise no legal concerns because federal law permits members of the White House staff to engage in some political activity. Mrs. Clinton’s email arrangement has dogged her campaign for months, with Republicans and other critics saying it shows a carelessness with government secrets and undermines her claim to good judgment. Donald Trump’s campaign posted a statement on his website last month saying the Obama White House knew Mrs. Clinton was using a private email server. Mrs. Clinton has acknowledged the arrangement was a mistake, but she has rejected the notion that national secrets were placed at risk. Her campaign didn’t respond to a request for comment about the new email disclosures. The emails highlight the revolving door between the State Department, the White House and the Clinton campaign in early 2015 as Mrs. Clinton geared up to run for president. The New York Times reported on March 2, 2015, that Mrs. Clinton had exclusively used a private email account for government business when she was secretary of state. That set off months of controversy for Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, culminating in a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe that recommended against prosecution of Mrs. Clinton. At the time of the initial report, Mrs. Clinton hadn’t formally declared her intention to mount a presidential campaign, but she had begun hiring staff ahead of her formal announcement on April 12, 2015. Ten days after the story broke, White House communications director Jennifer Palmieri emailed State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki to ask, “between us on the shows…think we can get this done so he is not asked about email.” That apparently referred to Mr. Kerry, who appeared in an interview on CBS ’s “Face the Nation” three days later. Ms. Palmieri had previously announced she would be leaving the administration to join Mrs. Clinton’s campaign in mid-2015, but was still at the White House when she sent the email. Other emails show Ms. Palmieri helped arrange for Ms. Psaki to move from the State Department to the White House communications job Ms. Palmieri was vacating. “Agree completely and working to crush on my end,” wrote back Ms. Psaki, who would move to the White House weeks later. A day later, Ms. Psaki added, “Good to go on killing CBS idea.” She continued, “And we are going to hold on any other TV options just given the swirl of crap out there.” Mr. Kerry wasn’t asked on CBS about the email server, though it isn’t clear how Ms. Psaki could have guaranteed that. Teased by Ms. Palmieri about her use of the phrase “swirl of crap,” Ms. Psaki wrote back: “Ha I mean—the challenging stories out there.” CBS spokeswoman Caitlin Conant said the network had made no commitments about what questions Mr. Kerry would face. “No subject was off-limits when this interview was arranged, as is the CBS News standard,” she said. “CBS News’ State Department correspondent was in Egypt with Secretary John Kerry in the home stretch of the Iran nuclear deal negotiations and discussed policy issues of the day with him on this official trip.” State Department spokesman John Kirby added that there was nothing unusual about the Palmieri-Psaki exchange. “It is common practice for State Department and White House staffers to be in touch when agency officials are potentially conducting television interviews,” he said. The RNC also obtained an entirely redacted discussion between nearly a dozen top White House communications officials with a subject line referring to Mr. Kerry’s appearance on CBS. A White House official said the internal debate at the time was about whether Mr. Kerry should appear on the shows at all, rather than any attempt to influence what questions were asked. In another email coming from the State Department, Patrick Kennedy, the undersecretary for management, told Heather Samuelson, one of Mrs. Clinton’s attorneys, about new documents the State Department had posted concerning the former secretary of state. Ms. Samuelson was one of the attorneys who reviewed Mrs. Clinton’s emails to determine which were government-related and which were personal before providing the official ones to the State Department. She was interviewed by the FBI as part of its probe and granted limited immunity in exchange for turning over her laptop as part of the investigation. In another exchange, Mr. Kennedy told Ms. Samuelson that Politico was “running [a] story that State official said Secretary Clinton did wrong thing. Wildly inaccurate reporting.” A Politico spokesman said the organization stood by its reporting. The story reported that Joyce Barr, assistant secretary of state for administration, had said in testimony to Congress that Mrs. Clinton’s record-keeping practices were “not acceptable.” An internal watchdog report later concluded that Mrs. Clinton’s email use wasn't permitted under State policy. Mr. Kirby, the State Department spokesman, said Mr. Kennedy was “simply offering a reaction to a press article.” He added it wasn’t unusual for State officials to be in contact with former secretaries or their staff.

Ford bumps up fuel economy on new F-150 Automotive News / October 5, 2016 A new 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine and 10-speed transmission make the 2017 Ford F-150 as much as 2 mpg more efficient than the current version, Ford said today. The 4x2 version of the F-150 is EPA-rated at 25 mpg in highway driving, 18 mpg in city driving and 21 mpg combined. Each of those figures is 1 mpg higher than the 2016 model. The 4x4 version gets a combined rating of 20 mpg, a gain of 2 mpg. Highway and city ratings each rise 1 mpg, to 23 and 17. The improvements give the aluminum-bodied F-150 a slight fuel-economy advantage over its all-steel rivals. The 2017 Chevrolet Silverado with a 4.3-liter V-6 and a six-speed transmission has the same city ratings but lags the F-150’s highway and combined ratings by 1 mpg each. The 2017 Ram 1500 with a 3.6-liter V-6 and eight-speed transmission ties the F-150’s highway ratings but trails by 1 mpg on the city and combined figures. Ford said the second generation of its 3.5-liter V-6 and its first volume-production 10-speed transmission also improve the F-150’s acceleration, performance and refinement, particularly when hauling heavy payloads and towing trailers. The new engine delivers 470 pounds-feet of peak torque, 50 more than the first generation and more than all diesel and gasoline-powered competitors, Ford said. It produces 375 hp, 10 more than the previous version.That compares to 285 hp for the Silverado’s 4.3-liter V-6 and 305 hp for the Ram’s 3.6-liter V-6. Ford said the 10-speed transmission, which it developed jointly with General Motors, uses closer ratios between gears and patented hydraulic controls to optimize engine power and torque ranges. It is Ford’s first transmission made without cast-iron components, using a design that reduces its weight and size compared to previous gearboxes. About 60 percent of F-150s are sold with EcoBoost engines, which use turbochargers to improve performance while saving fuel. Ford also sells the 2017 F-150 with a carryover 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine.

Cummins Rolls Out 2017 Greenhouse Gas Compliant X15 Engines Transport Topics / October 6, 2016 Cummins Inc. rolled out its X15 heavy-duty engine at its engine plant in Jamestown, New York, saying it exceeds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2017 greenhouse gas and fuel-efficiency standards. Two configurations are available: the X15 Performance Series and the X15 Efficiency Series, Columbus, Indiana-based Cummins said. Both configurations are available in limited production through the remainder of 2016, with full production beginning in January 2017. The X15 Performance Series is rated at 485 to 605 horsepower, a power match for heavy-haul, vocational and emergency vehicles with a peak torque of up to 2,050 pound-feet delivered across a wide engine rpm range, and up to 600 horsepower engine braking at 2,100 rpm. For linehaul and regional-haul applications, the X15 Efficiency Series offers a 400 to 500 horsepower ratings range and up to 1,850 pound-feet of peak torque available at 1,000 rpm. The new X15 builds on the current ISX15 product and uses an optimized compression ratio, air handling system and combustion process to increase both fuel efficiency and performance capability. The engine has about a 20% better fuel economy and 40% lower maintenance costs than 2010 ISX15 engines. The X15 also comes factory-ready to connect to a telematics system that enables over-the-air engine programming, customization and diagnostics. “I am proud of the innovative, hard work that has gone into this game-changing engine platform, and we are excited to see these important products rolling off the line,” said Srikanth Padmanabhan, president of Cummins engine business. “Attention to detail was paramount from product design to our talented colleagues bringing them to life on the manufacturing floor, to every step in between.” The second half of federal greenhouse gas and fuel-efficiency Phase 1 standards are due to take effect Jan. 1, 2017. The GHG Phase 1 rule called for an initial reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and improvement in mileage standards by 3%, from a 2010 baseline, by January 2014. The upcoming second step moves that another 3%.

Transport Topics / October 6, 2016 Detroit Diesel Corp. will pay $28.5 million in fines and pollution-reduction projects to resolve violations of the federal Clean Air Act, the U.S. Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency announced Oct. 6. The company was cited by the federal regulators for selling heavy-duty diesel engines that were not certified by EPA and did not meet applicable emissions standards. Detroit Diesel will pay a $14 million civil penalty and will spend $14.5 million on projects to reduce nitrogen oxides and other air pollutants, including replacing high-polluting school buses and locomotive engines with models that meet current emissions standards, the federal agencies announced. Detroit Diesel is an affiliate of Daimler Trucks North America, a wholly owned subsidiary of the German Daimler Group. The government's complaint, filed Oct. 5 along with the settlement announcement, alleges that Detroit Diesel violated the Clean Air Act by producing and selling 7,786 heavy-duty diesel engines for use in trucks and buses in model year 2010 without a valid EPA-issued certificate demonstrating conformity with Clean Air Act standards to control nitrogen oxides, or NOx, emissions. The engines also didn't comply with emission standards for 2010 model year engines, the federal complaint alleges. The school bus and locomotive engine replacement projects that are part of the settlement will reduce ambient air levels of nitrogen oxides and other pollutants, Justice and EPA officials said. Dave Giroux, director of corporate communications for Daimler Trucks North America, said in an e-mailed statement that Detroit Diesel received an unexpected increase in customer orders for model year 2009 engines in the second half of 2009. "To complete production of those engines in 2009, Detroit would have had to ramp up production by adding shifts," he said. "But because of the low number of orders for MY2010 engines, Detroit would have then had to lay off workers at the end of the year and run a skeleton shift for the first half of 2010." Instead of interrupting its labor force, Detroit Diesel began assembly of the model year 2009 engines in 2009 and completed the engines in 2010, something it believed it was allowed to do under EPA regulations, Giroux said. Using this “short block” assembly method, Detroit Diesel assembled about 80% of each engine in 2009, including the crankshaft, block, pistons,and connecting rods. The company then stored the short block engines temporarily and completed the remaining assembly in early 2010, Giroux said. Before beginning short block assembly, Detroit informed the EPA of its intent, Giroux said. But EPA officials later asserted that because the engines were completed in 2010, the short block engines should have met stricter 2010 standards, Giroux said. "Ultimately, the EPA disagreed with Detroit’s interpretation of the regulations, but not until it was too late for Detroit to reverse course," Giroux said. “While Detroit disagrees with the EPA’s position and was surprised to receive the EPA’s conclusion that its definition of ‘produced’ didn’t apply to our engines, to avoid litigation and stay focused on producing the most efficient engines in the market, Detroit has decided to settle with the EPA,” said Brian Burton, Detroit Diesel's general counsel. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, EPA will release all of its claims of violations related to the short block engines in question and will not order their recall, Giroux said. In exchange, the company will spend $10.87 million to replace older, higher-emitting school buses across the country, with a special emphasis on economically disadvantaged school districts. Detroit Diesel also will spend $3.625 million to upgrade diesel locomotive engines, with a special emphasis on engines used in more polluted areas, he said. Detroit Diesel was named a Green Leader for large businesses in Michigan by the Detroit Free Press last year, as decided by an independent panel of judges. The company was lauded for its efforts to improve efficiency and reduce pollution. The case demonstrates the critical importance of EPA's vehicle and engine certification program to achieving the goals of the Clean Air Act, John Cruden, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division, said in a written statement. "By not certifying the engines in accordance with the rules, Detroit Diesel Corp. increased pollution and undercut competitors," he said. "We will uphold the integrity of that program by holding accountable those that skirt the rules.” "Today’s settlement protects clean air for many communities and vulnerable people across the country, including school children," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. The EPA will continue to hold engine manufacturers accountable for meeting emissions standards that protect public health and the air we breathe."