AUTOMOBILES
Ford to recall 550,000 vehicles over gearshift problem
Ford is recalling about 550,000 cars and SUVs in North America to fix a gearshift problem that could cause the vehicles to roll away unexpectedly. The recall covers certain 2013 through 2016 Fusion sedans and some 2013 and 2014 Escape small SUVs. Ford says a bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission can fall off. If this happens, the driver could shift into park but the vehicle could be in another gear. That could let the vehicle roll, increasing the risk of injury or crash. The company says it doesn’t know of any crashes or injuries. Ford is advising owners to use the parking brake. Dealers will replace the shifter bushing at no cost. Owners will be notified by July 30. Parts should be available late this quarter. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEDIA
Sinclair retools merger plans to overcome FCC objections
Sinclair Broadcast Group said Wednesday that it is restructuring its merger plans involving Tribune Media, after federal regulators this week raised suspicions that parts of the deal could be illegal. As part of the acquisition, the conservative programmer will no longer sell off stations in Chicago, Dallas, and Houston as it had proposed, the company said in a statement. Instead, it will seek to retain control over WGN in Chicago, and authorize an independent trust to spin off two other stations on its behalf in Dallas and Houston. Sinclair’s proposed changes to its $3.9 billion acquisition — which involves dozens of Tribune stations — aim to mollify regulators at the Federal Communications Commission, whose chairman, Ajit Pai, said Monday that he had ‘‘serious concerns’’ over the deal. Pai said Sinclair’s existing proposal risked violating federal rules designed to prevent any one broadcaster from becoming too powerful. Sinclair’s plan, Pai said, would potentially let the company retain effective control over the stations it spun off, by selling the assets to entities with close ties to the broadcasting giant. — WASHINGTON POST
MEDIA
Cliff Richard wins privacy suit against the BBC
British rock icon Cliff Richard was awarded $273,000 in damages Wednesday after winning a privacy lawsuit against the BBC for its coverage of a police raid at his home. Richard had sued the broadcaster for its coverage of the 2014 raid, when police were investigating alleged sex offenses. The coverage included a helicopter that circled the star’s home as authorities conducted a search. The 77-year-old singer was never arrested or charged with any crime. Police don’t normally identify people suspected of crimes in Britain until they are charged. His lawsuit claims he suffered ‘‘profound’’ damage to his reputation. The BBC disputed his claims and editors said the coverage was done in good faith. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
SMARTPHONES
Corning unveils new glass that is less likely to break
Corning Inc., which makes the glass used in Apple Inc.’s iPhones and smartphones from Samsung Electronics Co., rolled out new technology it says is less likely to break when a device is dropped. Historically, glass has been one of the most fragile components in smartphones and manufacturers have sought to improve durability. Corning said Wednesday that its new screen technology, called Gorilla Glass 6, can survive as many as 15 drops on average without damage, compared with 11 for its previous product. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
ECONOMY
Home builders cut back on construction in June
US home builders sharply curtailed the pace of construction in June as housing starts plummeted 12.3 percent. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that housing starts fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.17 million, from 1.34 million in May. June’s pace of construction was the lowest since September 2017. Housing starts plunged 35.8 percent in the Midwest and declined less severely in the Northeast, South, and West. For the first half of 2018, a steady job market and a shortage of existing homes for sale have bolstered housing starts. New home construction has climbed 7.8 percent year-to-date. But builders also see reasons for concern. They face cost pressures from a lack of available land and construction workers, as well as from higher commodity prices from the tariffs announced by President Trump. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
STANDARDS
Soy and almond drinks may soon have to stop calling themselves ‘milk’
Soy and almond drinks don’t come from cows, so regulators may soon ask them to stop calling themselves ‘‘milk.’’ The Food and Drug Administration is signaling that it plans to start enforcing a federal standard that defines ‘‘milk’’ as coming from the ‘‘milking of one or more healthy cows.’’ To date, the agency has not aggressively gone after the proliferation of plant-based drinks labeled as milk. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb at a Politico event this week said that the agency must first notify food makers of plans to change enforcement rules. He said that will happen in about a year. Milk producers have long called for such a crackdown. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEDIA
Vermont weekly newspaper will publish despite fire
The 165-year-old Vermont Standard in Woodstock will publish its weekly paper only one day late, despite losing its office in a fire. A fire destroyed the Vermont Standard’s office early Monday. President and owner Phil Camp said the community has given the paper’s staff their support, offering food and office space. The staff is currently working out of the public library in Woodstock. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
SOCIAL MEDIA
Musk apologizes for remark targeting Thai rescuer
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk (right) has apologized for calling a British diver involved in the Thailand cave rescue a pedophile, saying he spoke in anger but was wrong to do so. There was no immediate public reaction from diver Vern Unsworth (left) to Musk’s latest tweets. Musk’s initial tweet calling Unsworth a ‘‘pedo’’ was a response to a TV interview Unsworth gave. In it, he said Musk and SpaceX engineers orchestrated a ‘‘PR stunt’’ by sending a small submarine to help divers rescue the 12 Thai soccer players and their coach from a flooded cave. Unsworth said the submarine, which wasn’t used, wouldn’t have worked anyway. ‘‘My words were spoken in anger after Mr. Unsworth said several untruths,’’ Musk tweeted. ‘‘Nonetheless, his actions against me do not justify my actions against him, and for that I apologize to Mr. Unsworth and to the companies I represent as leader. The fault is mine and mine alone.’’ — ASSOCIATED PRESS
ENTREPRENEURS
Unlicensed teenage hot dog seller gets support, not shut down
A 13-year-old entrepreneur who was reported for operating a hot dog stand outside his house without a license is now getting help from the Minnesota Department of Health. Minnesota Public Radio reports that the agency received a complaint about Jaequan Faulkner’s stand this summer. But instead of shutting down the operation, the agency decided to help. Daniel Huff is the environmental health director for the department. He says his agency was excited to help a young man with such drive and that health inspectors even pitched in for the $87 permit. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
