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IN THE NEWS: BALTIMORE’S EYES IN THE SKY
BALTIMORE (AP) — If you’re in the city of Baltimore and get the feeling you’re being watched from above, it may be more than just paranoia. The city has approved a program to use surveillance planes to record anything that can be seen on the streets below. City officials signed off on a deal with a private company in Ohio to set up the surveillance system. Approval comes despite opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union, which says the eye-in-the-sky monitoring could violate people’s rights. The six-month pilot program will use three planes to collect images aimed at helping police investigate murders, non-fatal shootings, armed robberies and carjackings.
IN THE NEWS: AZ. COURT UPHOLDS RIDE-SHARING FEE
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona's highest court has upheld a $4 pickup and drop-off fee aimed at ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft. In doing so, the court rejected a challenge by the state’s attorney general that it’s unconstitutional to charge the fees for gig drivers at the Phoenix airport. The fee proposal led Uber and Lyft to threaten to stop serving the Phoenix airport. There’s been no immediate response from the companies now that the fee has been upheld.
ON THE WEB: LAWSUIT THREATENS ALTRIA-JUUL MERGER
CYBERSPACE (AP) — The feds are suing to break up a multibillion-dollar deal between tobacco giant Altria and e-cigarette startup Juul Labs. The Federal Trade Commission opposes the merger, saying the partnership would snuff competition in the vaping market. Altria tried to get a foothold in the e-cigarette market — but Juul is now the leader and Altria has quit making e-cigs. Lately, Juul sales have dropped due to government probes, lawsuits and restrictions on the sale of flavored vaping products.
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Online:
Federal Trade Commission site: http://www.ftc.gov
by Oscar Wells Gabriel II
Follow Oscar Wells Gabriel II on Twitter at https://twitter.com/OWGabriel2
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