Amtrak’s fatal crash not criminal Apple unveils $1K iPhone
PHILADELPHIA— An unusual, 11th-hour attempt to put an Amtrak engineer behind bars for a deadly 2015 derailment in Philadelphia unraveled Tuesday as a judge dismissed the case without trial because he found the evidence pointed to an accident, not negligence.
Judge Thomas Gehret’s rationale echoed the thinking of city prosecutors, whose decision in May not to charge engineer Brandon Bostian led a victim’s family to seek charges on its own as a statute of limitations loomed.
Mr. Bostianhugged his lawyeras Judge Gehret madehis ruling at the end ofa four-hour preliminary hearing.Eight people died, andabout 200 were hurt.
Mr. Bostian’s Washington-to-New York train rounded a sharp curve at more than twice the 50mph speed limit and hurdled off the tracks in a violent derailment that crumpled cars and catapulted passengers into the woods.
Tesla Autopilot’s crash
WASHINGTON— Design limitations of the Tesla Model S’s Autopilot played a major role in the first known fatal crash of a highway vehicle operating under automated control systems, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.
The board said the direct cause of the crash was an inattentive Tesla driver’s over reliance on technology and a truck driver who made a lefthand turn in front of the car. But the board also recommended that automakers incorporate safeguards that keep drivers’ attention engaged and that limit the use of automated systems to the conditions for which they were designed.
CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple has broken the $1,000 barrier with its latest, and most expensive, phone, the iPhone X.
With a price starting at $999 and a host of new features, the phone will be a big test for both Apple and consumers. Will people shell out really big bucks for a relatively fragile device that’s become an essential part of daily life?
On Tuesday, CEO Tim Cook called the iPhone X “the biggest leap forward” since the first iPhone. ("X‘‘ is pronounced like the number 10, not the letter X.) It loses the home button, which revolutionized smartphones when it launched; offers an edge-toedge screen; and will use facial recognition to unlock the phone.
Seattle mayor resigning
SEATTLE — Seattle Mayor Ed Murray resigned Tuesday, just hours after new allegations that he had sexually abused a younger cousin decades ago in New York.
Mr. Murray said in a statement that he is resigning effective 5 p.m. PDT Wednesday.
“While the allegations against me are not true, it is important that my personal issues do not affect the ability of our city government to conduct the public’s business,” the Democratic mayor said in a statement.
Also in the nation ...
Over the objections of four liberal justices, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday night that Texas does not immediately have to redraw electoral districts that a lower court found diminished the influence of minority voters.