Midday Roundup: Airbag maker fights recall push

Recall woes. Japanese auto parts manufacturer Takata told U.S. regulators yesterday it did not have enough evidence to justify a nationwide recall of airbags that might explode during an accident, sending shrapnel into drivers’ faces. The company also said the government doesn’t have the authority to force it to issue a recall. Maybe not, but deadly airbags are bad for business. At least one automaker is voluntarily asking owners to bring in their cars for repairs. Honda, one of Takata’s biggest customers, announced it would expand its recall to 14 million vehicles worldwide, rather than limiting it to areas with high humidity. Takata engineers blamed the faulty airbags on too much moisture in the air and claimed only cars in certain states are at risk. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which asked the company to issue a nationwide recall, has threatened fines if it doesn’t. The company could be looking at a $35 million penalty.

Inciting riots? Ferguson, Mo., police are investigating whether comments made by Michael Brown’s stepfather might have sparked the night of violent protests that left a dozen businesses and two police cars in ashes. After learning a grand jury voted not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for shooting and killing Brown, Louis Head stepped up to a podium outside the police department and urged protestors to “burn” the place down. Video of his comments quickly went viral. Head is just one person police are looking at as they investigate the rioting, looting, and arsons that took place Nov. 24, Ferguson spokesman Jeff Small said. Reporters on the scene that first night kept repeating the Brown family’s desire for the demonstrators to refrain from violence. Although Head’s comments seem to contradict that claim, his supporters say the words were merely an emotional reaction to devastating news. Protests since then have been largely peaceful.

Murder in UAE. Police in the United Arab Emirates are investigating the murder of an American teacher in a women’s bathroom at an upscale mall. The suspect, caught on security camera footage, was wearing the traditional black robe, full-face veil, and gloves commonly worn by local women throughout the Arab Gulf region, according to London’s Daily Mail. The 37-year-old victim, who has not been named, had 11-year-old twins. The victim and the killer apparently got into a fight in the bathroom before the killer brandished a sharp tool and stabbed the woman to death. Police are looking into possible motives for the attack.

Losing brain cells. The University of Texas at Austin is missing from its psychology department about 100 brains, jarred specimens that were supposed to be used as teaching tools. The missing jars, representing about half of the university’s collection, were stored in a basement because the lab had run out of room for them. Psychology professor Lawrence Cormack, the collection’s co-curator, suspects students might have stolen the brains over time as a prank. “It’s entirely possible word got around among undergraduates and people started swiping them for living rooms or Halloween pranks,” he told the Austin American-Statesman. One of the missing specimens might have belonged to the 25-year-old former Marine who shot at students from the university’s iconic bell tower, killing 16, in 1966.

When it rains… Drought-weary California is celebrating as the state enjoys a second day of soaking rain. But the deluge has a downside: mudslides. In Camarillo Springs, about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles, officials issued a mandatory evacuation for 75 homes. To the south, in Orange County, another 60 homes were under a voluntarily evacuation order. Fires during the summer left many of the steep hillsides in the area without the thick brush that keeps saturated soil in place. During Tuesday’s downpours, 1.15 inches fell in downtown Los Angeles, breaking a 1961 record for the day.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.