Questions and Answers on Ebola

Ed. note: This is cross-posted from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention website. See the original post here.

The current Ebola outbreak is centered on three countries in West Africa: Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, although there is the potential for further spread to neighboring African countries. Ebola does not pose a significant risk to the U.S. public. The CDC is surging resources by sending 50 more workers to the area to help bring the outbreak under control.

What is Ebola?

Ebola is a viral hemorrhagic fever disease. When Ebola virus infection occurs, symptoms usually begin abruptly. Symptoms include fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, lack of appetite, and abnormal bleeding.

How is Ebola transmitted?

Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected symptomatic person or though exposure to objects (such as needles) that have been contaminated with infected secretions.

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House Approves Border Security Spending Bill, 223-189

In an attempt to weigh in on an immigration issue before Congress leaves Washington for a five-week break, the House has voted 223-189 to approve a $694 million emergency funding bill. The Republican-backed legislation is a response to the rising number of minors who have crossed the U.S. border unaccompanied and without going through the necessary legal steps.

The Border Security Supplemental Spending Bill was endorsed one day after the House Republican leadership canceled its plan to hold a vote on the legislation. The bill is not expected to have a chance of passage in the Senate, which didn't approve a different version of similar legislation before it left for an end-of-summer break.

As we reported Thursday, the bill would boost "funding for overwhelmed border agencies, add immigration judges and detention space, send National Guard troops to the border, and change the law so that the youths can be sent home quickly without deportation hearings that are now guaranteed, according to The Associated Press."

The vote came hours after President Obama criticized Congress for not acting on immigration and other issues he said need to be dealt with to help America's economy continue to improve.

Later Friday, the House is expected to take up a bill regarding the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals program, which gives officials discretion to defer the deportation of people who entered the U.S. illegally before they turned 16.

Chrysler US sales climb 20 percent in July

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Chrysler says its U.S. sales rose 20 percent in July from a year ago, its best performance for the month in nine years.

The automaker said Friday that it sold 167,667 vehicles in the U.S. during the month compared with 140,102 in the prior-year period.

Jeep sales surged 41 percent. That's the best July performance for the brand ever. The Fiat, Dodge and Chrysler brands also posted sales increases for the month.

The Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Compass, Dodge Dart, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Journey and Ram Cargo Van each recorded their best July sales ever. And the Fiat 500L set a new all-time monthly sales record in July.

Chrysler Group LLC, now part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, said Ram pickup truck sales climbed 14 percent — its best July results since 2005.

This is Chrysler's 52nd straight month of year-over-year sales gains.

The overall automobile market's U.S. sales have climbed 4.3 percent in the first half of the year. In June the industry had a 1.2 percent gain.

Last month Auburn Hills, Michigan-based Chrysler Group announced it was recalling older-model Jeep SUVs to fix a problem with ignition switches. It has now recalled more than 1.7 million vehicles for ignition-switch problems. General Motors has come under fire for bungling its own ignition-switch recall.

Sales at GM and the rest of the industry are expected to improve in July. Edmunds.com expects an 11.1 percent increase in total sales, with GM up 10.6 percent. When all the numbers are in late Friday, it may wind up being the industry's best July in eight years, Edmunds predicted.

Car-tech company Mobileye soars in IPO

NEW YORK -- Shares of Mobileye are soaring on the Israeli car technology company's first day of public trading amid strong investor demand.

Mobileye NV makes camera-based systems designed to help reduce the risk of accidents by anticipating collisions with other vehicles, pedestrians or bicycles. Its products also detect roadway markings and they can read traffic signs and lights, according to the company's initial public offering prospectus.

Its technology is already used, or will be added, in vehicles made by major automakers such as Ford and BMW.

Mobileye had priced 36 million shares at $25 each, above an expected range of $21 to $23. The stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MBLY.

On Friday, the stock jumped $13, or 52 percent, to $38 in late morning trading.

US stocks have their worst week in two years

NEW YORK -- The U.S. stock market is closing out its worst week in two years.

Traders moved money into investments traditionally seen as having lower risk Friday, such as U.S. government bonds, gold and utility stocks.

Energy stocks fell after Chevron reported weaker oil and gas production.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 69 points, or 0.4 percent, to 16,493. The Dow has lost 387 points over the past two days. The slump interrupted five months of steady gains.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell five points, or 0.3 percent, to 1,925. The S&P 500 lost 2.7 percent this week, the biggest loss since June 2012.

The Nasdaq fell 17 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,352.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.49 percent.

Kellogg workers file discrimination claims

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Union officials say race-based discrimination claims have been filed against Kellogg, whose workers have been ordered back to work after a nine-month lockout from the company's Memphis facility.

According to The Commercial Appeal (http://bit.ly/1qtXX2E ), Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' Local 252G President Kevin Bradshaw said Thursday the workers locked out of the Kellogg cereal facility are predominantly black and the company dealt with them differently than workers at a sister plant.

Kellogg spokesman Kris Charles denies that race or "any other impermissible characteristic" played a factor in the work stoppage.

More than 200 workers were locked out Oct. 21 after contract negotiations broke down. The company brought in replacement workers.

A federal judge Wednesday ordered Kellogg to put them back to work and negotiate with the union.

US manufacturing expands again in July

WASHINGTON -- US manufacturing expanded for the 14th straight month in July in a good sign for the overall economy.

The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, reported Friday that its manufacturing index rose to 57.1, highest level since April 2011 and up from 55.3 in June.

Anything above 50 signals that manufacturing is growing.

Paul Dales, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a research note that the index was consistent with overall economic growth of 3.5 percent.

The U.S. economy already has been showing renewed strength. Economic growth clocked in an impressive 4 percent annual pace from April through June after getting off to a bad start the first three months of the year. And the Labor Department said Friday that employers added more than 200,000 jobs in July for the sixth straight month. Factories created 28,000 jobs in July, most since November. Over the past year, manufacturers have added 178,000 jobs, best 12-month stretch of hiring since November 2012.

Dales wrote that the ISM report "suggests that manufacturing payrolls may soon start to rise by close to 50,000 a month rather than July's 28,000."

American factories have been busy. The Commerce Department reported last week that orders for durable goods rose 0.7 percent in June, and a category seen as a proxy for business investment plans rose a healthy 1.4 percent.

The ISM reported that new orders, production and employment at factories rose. Exports declined last month. Seventeen of 18 industries covered by the survey showed growth last month. Only wood products contracted.