Nation Glance
WASHINGTON — Under the gun to increase the size of the force, the Army is issuing more waivers for past drug use or bad conduct by recruits, and pouring an extra $200 million into bonuses this year to attract and retain soldiers.
According to data obtained by The Associated Press, nearly one-third of all the waivers granted by the Army in the first six months of this fiscal year were for conduct and drug problems, mainly involving marijuana use. That number is significantly higher than the other three military services, and represents a steady increase over the past three years.
At the same time, the Army increased bonuses by more than 30 percent this year, with enlistment money going to recruits for high-tech jobs such as satellite communications and cryptologists. Recruits in those jobs can get up to an additional $30,000 for a fiveyear enlistment.
The enlistment bonuses grew by $115 million this year over last year, while money to entice soldiers already in the service to stay grew by almost $100 million, according to the Army.
Army leaders said there has been no move to reduce enlistment standards in order to meet recruitment goals. They said there are more waivers in part because of the increased competition for recruits as they try to add another 8,000 soldiers to the force this year.
Tesla burns $739.5 million in cash on way to record 2Q loss
Electric car maker Tesla Inc. burned through $739.5 million in cash last quarter, paving the way to a company record $717.5 million net loss as it cranked out more electric cars.
But CEO Elon Musk pledged to post net profits in future quarters, and on a conference call, he apologized to two analysts he cut off on the company’s firstquarter call. Telsa’s shares jumped 9.3 percent to $328.85 in after-hours trading.
The net loss more than doubled from the same quarter a year ago, and was slightly larger than the first quarter. But Tesla’s cash burn in the second quarter slowed from about $1.1 billion.
On the call, Musk also said he expects the company to avoid returning to the markets for capital and to be “essentially selffunding on a go-forward basis.” Tesla would use money generated from sales to fund big projects such as an estimated $2 billion new factory in China and another plant in Europe, he said. The company also said that Model 3 gross profit margins turned slightly positive during the quarter as it worked out expensive kinks in its manufacturing system.
Phoenix man critically injured after being hit by a city bus
PHOENIX — Authorities say a 35-year-old man is in extremely critical condition after being struck by a city bus in downtown Phoenix.
Phoenix Fire Department officials say the incident occurred about 4:20 p.m. Wednesday at First Avenue and Van Buren Street.
They say the man has been taken to a hospital with severe injuries.