Ford brings back the Bronco SUV with a dizzying array of options

2-door, 4-door, and Sport variants, 7 trim levels, and a ton of customization.

  • Preproduction versions of the all-new 2021 Bronco family of rugged, all-4x4 SUVs,. They include (left) Bronco two-door in Cyber Orange Metallic Tri-Coat, Bronco four-door in Shadow Black, and Bronco Sport in Rapid Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat. [credit: Ford ]

On Monday night, in a coordinated advertising blitz across ABC, ESPN, and the National Geographic channel, as well as on YouTube and social media, Ford debuted its new Bronco SUV. The company is reviving the Bronco nameplate after a hiatus of 24 years, with new two-door, four-door, and Bronco Sport models on offer, all with four-wheel drive designed for off-road ability.

The two- and four-door Broncos comes in seven different trim levels, with another five trims available for the Bronco Sport, and there's a bewildering array of customization available to suit just about every possible taste. Well, almost every—we're sad to report there are no plans to offer the range as a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or battery electric vehicle. So if you were hoping for some electrification, now's the time to head to the comments instead of reading on.

The big Bronco

Whether two-door (starting at $29,995) or four-door ($34,995), the Bronco comes equipped with Ford's 2.3L EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine as standard. That sends 270hp (201kW) and 310lb-ft (420Nm) to all four wheels via a seven-speed manual Getrag transmission. I mean, we say seven-speed, but it's more like a six-speed plus an extra-low 6.588:1 ratio for use when the blacktop has run out and you want to go rock climbing without getting out of the vehicle.

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As Trump pushes to have schools open, CDC’s cautious approach leaks

Part of an ongoing White House battle against health experts.

Image of a man in a suit with a yellow tie.

Enlarge / CDC Director Robert Redfield at an event focused on discussing how to safely reopen schools. (credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

The United States has seen a dramatic surge in coronavirus infections with less than two months to go before the start of the school year. With little indication that the country has even started to flatten the curve, there are serious questions about which areas of the country are positioned to open schools safely. But, for reasons that remain unclear, the Trump administration has a firm answer: all of them.

Over the past couple weeks, the administration exerted pressure on the Centers for Disease Control, instituted restrictive rules for foreign college students, and had several senior administration figures, including Trump himself, join in the push to have schools open. The push places the administration at odds with public health experts and its own CDC, which advises a far more cautious approach, as revealed in an internal document that leaked over the weekend.

Pro open

At an event on Monday, President Trump reiterated his administration's message, saying, "Schools should be opened—kids want to go to schools." But, in keeping with his administration's approach to health policy, he followed that up with an evidence-free and likely false statement: "You're losing a lot of lives by keeping things closed."

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Pediatricians walk back school-reopening stance as WHO gives dire warning

WHO expert warns school reopening shouldn’t become a “political football.”

Men and women in suits sit at a long table. The only one masked is an MD.

Enlarge / American Academy of Pediatrics President Dr. Sally Goza (center) attends a meeting with US President Donald Trump, students, teachers, and administrators about how to safely reopen schools during the novel coronavirus pandemic in the East Room at the White House July 07, 2020, in Washington, DC. (credit: Getty | Chip Somodevilla )

The American Academy of Pediatrics has clarified its stance on school reopening amid the COVID-19 pandemic after the Trump administration repeatedly used the academy’s previous statement to pressure school systems to resume in-person learning in the fall.

The AAP, in a joint statement with three large education organizations, emphasized that school reopening should be informed by science and safety—“not politics.” It also directly responded to a President Trump’s threat of withholding funding from schools who did not reopen, calling the move a “misguided approach.”

The point was echoed Monday by Michael Ryan, an infectious disease expert with the World Health Organization, who implored countries not to let school reopening become a “yet another political football.”

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Warum man Menschen lieber keine Zahlen sagen soll, die nicht rund sind

Nicht runde Zahlen seien schrill, so eine Studie, und lenken die Aufmerksamkeit auf die Zahl und genauere Vergleiche, was die Wirksamkeit einer Produktwerbung oder einer gesundheitlichen Empfehlung in Zeiten einer Pandemie beeinträchtigen könnte

Nicht runde Zahlen seien schrill, so eine Studie, und lenken die Aufmerksamkeit auf die Zahl und genauere Vergleiche, was die Wirksamkeit einer Produktwerbung oder einer gesundheitlichen Empfehlung in Zeiten einer Pandemie beeinträchtigen könnte

Bright House Doesn’t Directly Profit From Pirating Subscribers, Court Rules

A federal court in Florida has dismissed the vicarious copyright infringement claims against ISP Bright House Networks. The company is being sued by a group of prominent record labels who argue that the Internet provider directly profited from piracy. The court disagrees, characterizing the accusations as “a sort of ‘dog-whistle’ theory.”

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

cassette tapeLast year a group of music industry giants, including Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros, sued Bright House Networks for failing to disconnect pirating subscribers.

Bright House is owned by Charter, which was sued in a separate complaint simultaneously. In both cases, the music companies demanded compensation for their alleged losses.

The lawsuits, which are part of a broader legal campaign against ISPs, have continued on their own paths since. Both Bright House and Charter submitted motions to dismiss the claims. For Bright House, this resulted in a victory late last week.

In February, the ISP submitted a motion to dismiss the vicarious copyright infringement claims. Bright House refuted the claim that it profited directly from pirating subscribers, something which the court now agrees.

Florida Court Dismisses Vicarious Infringement Claim

US District Court Judge Mary Scriven dismisses the music companies’ allegations, describing their argumentation as insufficient.

The music companies argued that some subscribers are “drawn” by the ability to pirate and Bright House’s “failure to police” piracy, which resulted in copyright infringement on a “massive” scale.

However, according to the court, this is not enough to show that there’s a direct financial benefit. Judge Scriven notes that the ability to download infringing content is just one of many reasons people may have to subscribe to Bright House’s services.

“At most, Plaintiffs allege that access to infringing content generally available on the internet is one of many reasons motivating some subscribers to enroll with any ISP,” Scriven writes.

“Plaintiff do not allege that there is anything unique about the service Bright House offers as a portal to the internet or as a portal to this alleged contraband content,” she adds.

Even if the ability to pirate is a draw, the music companies still fail to show that this is the primary draw, which is required to prove vicarious copyright infringement.

Dog-Whistle Theory

According to Judge Scriven, the copyright holders rely on some sort of “dog-whistle” theory which claims that prospective pirates are lured in by Bright House’s ads for high-speed downloads.

“It is not readily apparent or plausibly alleged that an internet thief would be ‘drawn’ by the efficiency of internet service any more than the average law-abiding purchaser of copyrighted content. All users presumably seek faster, more reliable internet service,” Judge Scriven writes.

order on motion to dismiss

If that theory held up, it would essentially apply to all Internet providers, she clarifies, while stressing that high speeds and access to BitTorrent downloads are not exclusive to Bright House’s services.

Based on these and other arguments, the Florida district court dismissed the vicarious copyright infringement claim.

“The Court concludes that Plaintiffs have failed to adequately allege that Bright House receives a direct financial benefit from its users’ infringing activity. For this reason, the vicarious liability claim fails,” US District Court Judge Mary Scriven writes.

This doesn’t mean that the lawsuit is over. Bright House didn’t request dismissal of the contributory copyright infringement allegation, so for now, the case will go ahead based on that claim.

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A copy of US District Court Judge Mary Scriven’s order on the motion to dismiss the vicarious liability claim is available here (pdf)

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.