The Times They Are A-Changin'

Bob Dylan receives Presidential Medal of Freedom (in sunglasses) alongsideMadeline Albright and Toni Morrison

Bob Dylan wore sunglasses while being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama Tuesday evening.

The singer-songwriter known for his early radical political views looked stoic and unaffected throughout the ceremony, which bestowed the highest civilian honor given in the United States for "meritorious contributions to the national interest" of the country or the world. When his name was called, Obama had to catch Bob's attention before bringing him to the stage.

"Today, everybody from Bruce Springsteen to U2 owes Bob a debt of gratitude. There is not a bigger giant in the history of American music." - President Obama

Many of Dylan's fans began speculating what must be going through the 71-year-old's mind while posing, unsmiling, for the cameras with Obama. Having eschewed the pressures of being the "voice of his generation" long ago, the personal-political protest singer looks completely uninterested in receiving the purple ribbon from the President, who counts Dylan as one of his favorite singers.

"Today, everybody from Bruce Springsteen to U2 owes Bob a debt of gratitude," said Obama during the ceremony. "There is not a bigger giant in the history of American music. All these years later, he's still chasing that sound, still searching for a little bit of truth. And I have to say that I am a really big fan."

Perhaps it is less about politics, however, and more about the ceremony of it all. Dylan is, after all, a highly decorated musician already, having won 11 Grammys, an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a Pulitzer, two Honorary Doctorates of Music (one from Princeton, no less), two Hall of Fame inductions, and the National Medal of Arts. So what's another trophy to add to his collection?

Then again, Dylan's fellow honorees are also highly decorated and and still seemed to enjoy themselves during the ceremony. Author Toni Morrison, former astronaut John Glenn, former secretary of state Madeline Albright, and college basketball's "winningest coach" Pat Summitt all had smiles on as they received their Medals of Freedom.

But even as the Marine Band played a medley of Dylan's songs at the ceremony, the reluctant hero of the protest era stayed placid, with all of his secrets hidden behind those shades. Still making a statement after all these years.

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Defensive Driving

Austin-based Tesla faces new probe focused on remote driving feature

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 2.6 million Teslas.

Federal regulators have opened an investigation into 2.6 million Teslas after reports of crashes involving the use of company technology that allows drivers to remotely command their vehicle to return to them, or move to another location, using a phone app.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also said Tuesday, January 7 that Austin-based Tesla did not report any of the accidents. Tesla is under order to report crashes on “publicly accessible roads” involving vehicles being operated through its autonomous driving technology.

The new investigation follows another probe launched in October looking into the company's “Full Self-Driving” system after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. That investigation covers 2.4 million Teslas from the 2016 through 2024 model years.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

One driver filed a complaint after a crash while using Tesla's “Actually Smart Summon” technology and NHTSA is looking into another three similar incidents based on media reports, the NHTSA said. The agency is looking into 12 total incidents reported by users of the technology.

Each of the vehicles failed to detect posts and other parked vehicles, according to the NHTSA.

Regulators say the vehicles struck objects because the users had "too little reaction time to avoid a crash, either with the available line of sight or releasing the phone app button, which stops the vehicle’s movement.”

Shares of Tesla Inc. slid more than 4 percent in late afternoon trading Tuesday.

Musk has complained that U.S. regulations are too onerous and are holding back the development of self-driving cars. Ethics experts are worried that once President-elect Donald Trump takes office, Musk will push him to ease oversight of Tesla, which just suffered its first decline in annual sales in more than a decade.

Musk donated an estimated $250 million to Trump's presidential campaign and is a frequent guest at Trump's Mar-a-Lago, vetting cabinet nominees and meeting with foreign heads of state. Trump has put Musk in charge of an advisory group, the Department of Government Efficiency, that will recommend where to cut government expenses and staff at federal agencies and reduce regulation.

The NHTSA said it will look into the top speed that Teslas can reach when users deploy its “summons” technology, as well as restrictions on public roads and line of sights requirements. It also said it expects to check for any “connectivity delays" with the app that could result in increased stopping distance.

Tesla’s Model 3 owner’s manual says that its “summons” feature is designed for use only in parking lots and driveways on private property and is disabled on public roads.

The new probe covers 2016-2025 Model S and X vehicles, 2017-2025 Model 3, 2020-2025 Model Y equipped with Tesla's Full Self-Driving driver assistance system.

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