kscarbel2

"If" I remember correctly, there's a Mack service bulletin about that. Have you contacted Watt's Mack? (1-888-304-6225)

In a 2014 email made public by Assange’s WikiLeaks last month, Hillary Clinton, who had served as secretary of state until the year before, urges John Podesta, then an advisor to Barack Obama, to “bring pressure” on Qatar and Saudi Arabia, “which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL [Islamic State, IS, ISIS] and other radical Sunni groups.” “I think this is the most significant email in the whole collection,” Assange, whose whistleblowing site Wikileaks released three tranches of Clinton-related emails over the past year, told Pilger in an exclusive interview, courtesy of Dartmouth Films. “All serious analysts know, and even the US government has agreed, that some Saudi figures have been supporting ISIS and funding ISIS, but the dodge has always been that it is some “rogue” princes using their oil money to do whatever they like, but actually the government disapproves. But that email says that it is the government of Saudi Arabia, and the government of Qatar that have been funding ISIS.” Assange and Pilger, who sat down for their 25-minute interview at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where the whistleblower has been a refugee since 2012, then talk about the conflict of interest between Clinton’s official post, which held throughout Obama’s first term, her husband’s nonprofit, and the Middle East officials, whose stated desire to fight terrorism may not have been sincere John Pilger: The Saudis, the Qataris, the Moroccans, the Bahrainis, particularly the first two, are giving all this money to the Clinton Foundation, while Hillary Clinton is secretary of state, and the State Department is approving massive arms sales, particularly Saudi Arabia. Julian Assange: Under Hillary Clinton – and the Clinton emails reveal a significant discussion of it – the biggest-ever arms deal in the world was made with Saudi Arabia: more than $80 billion. During her tenure, the total arms exports from the US doubled in dollar value. John Pilger: Of course, the consequence of that is that this notorious jihadist group, called ISIL or ISIS, is created largely with money from people who are giving money to the Clinton Foundation? Julian Assange: Yes. . . .

VW says defeat device conforms with European law Reuters / November 4, 2016 Volkswagen Group says the software allowing its diesel vehicles to evade emissions rules does not violate European law, as the automaker aims to toughen its legal defenses in view of a possible rise in compensation claims in its home region. The European Commission (EC) has been raising the pressure on VW to compensate owners of rigged cars in Europe, where the majority of affected vehicles are registered. VW has rejected such calls but is offering cash payouts to drivers in the U.S. where it admitted to manipulating diesel emissions tests more than a year ago. Last month, a Spanish court for the first time ruled in favor of a VW customer and imposed a fine on VW's local units, leading Spanish consumer lobbies to urge other people with affected cars to join a class-action lawsuit against VW. After fending off suggestions that it may have breached European consumer rules in connection with the scandal, VW says the very technology which led it to incur up to $16.5 billion in U.S. settlement costs is compliant with European rules. "The software contained in vehicles with a EA-189 engine in the view of Volkswagen represents no unlawful defeat device under European law," VW said on Thursday. "The efficiency of the emissions cleanup system will not be reduced in those vehicles which however would be a prerequisite for the existence of an unlawful defeat device in the legal sense." Although VW believes the software complies with European law, it will continue to follow the order of Germany's KBA motor vehicle authority and refit the affected cars for reasons of goodwill. "Volkswagen wants to - in the special interest of customers - cooperate constructively and cooperatively hand in hand with the regulators as well as with the Federal Motor Vehicle Authority," VW said. "This intensive cooperation should not be burdened by a contentious dispute." Separately, VW denied views held by Germany's Federal Environmental Agency and other health lobbies that nitrogen oxides are harmful to human health and the environment. "A reliable determination of morbidity or even fatalities for certain demographic groups based on our level of knowledge is not possible from a scientific point of view," VW said.

Isuzu Australia Press Release / November 3, 2016 .

Australasian Transport News (ATN) / November 4, 2016 Current focus of point-to-point cameras in NSW called into question by trucking body The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has urged the New South Wales government to extend the use of point-to-point speed cameras to all on the road. Currently only targeting heavy duty operators, the point-to-point camera monitoring program in the state isn’t being used to improve safety as effectively as it could be, the industry body insists. "The principal aim of installing point-to-point speed cameras is to improve road safety for all, yet NSW remains the only state that does not apply this technology on cars as well as trucks," ATA chair Noelene Watson says. "The current system only targets drivers of heavy vehicles when the bulk of the traffic in NSW comes from drivers of cars." Appealing to the NSW premier Mike Baird in writing ahead of a gathering of transport ministers in Perth today, where road safety is high on the agenda, Watson says with accidents often caused by those not driving the heavy vehicle, an overall road toll decrease could be found with an even playing field. "Independent research and statistical evidence shows more than eighty percent of fatal multi-vehicle crashes that involve heavy vehicles, are the fault of the other driver," she adds. "The ATA believes the most effective implementation for this technology would be to expand the point-to-point speed checking program to target every motorist for not complying with the posted speed limits. "Applying the point-to-point speed checks to all motor vehicles could potentially lift road safety for vulnerable road users such as motor cyclists, pedestrians and cyclists too." Should the role of point-to-point speed cameras be to save lives rather than raise revenue, Watson believes "the general public will accept the extension of this technology". .

Prime Mover Magazine / November 3, 2016 Australian truck industry icon, Lindsay Fox, has reportedly urged Australia’s political leaders to take greater risks and adopt a science-based approach to alleviating road congestion. According to The Australian, the Linfox founder recently likened Australia’s road systems to a critically ill patient in need of emergency surgery. “Having just watched the Hollywood adaptation of Moneyball – the story of a cash-strapped Major League Baseball manager who uses business ­analytics to squeeze more wins out of unfashionable players – Mr Fox called on both sides of politics to take a similarly radical approach towards improving traffic flow on our roads,” reported The Australian’s Chip Le Grand. “Over the past 20 years we haven’t had a politician who was prepared to have a go,” Fox told Le Grand. “They are totally risk-averse and because of that it is easier for them to stay doing what they are doing. If I had stayed with my first truck I’d still be driving it instead of employing 36,000 people.’’ According to The Australian, Fox said just as Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane made radical use of available data on baseball to shape a winning line-up, governments needed to make better use of information and technology to get the best return from city roads. “City infrastructure hasn’t changed with the exception of more people and congestion,” the told the newspaper. “As long as you eat and as long as you drink and as long as you drive you have got to have trucks to move it all. Instead of roads being used as roads they are being used as bicycle paths, tram stops and car parks. It can’t go on.”

Transport Engineer / November 3, 2016 London-based construction services firm Walsh has taken delivery of the its first Volvo tipper trucks, part of an order for 40 410bhp FMX 8x4s bodied with Fruehauf Load-Lites, from MC Truck & Bus, Thurrock. Value for money, robustness, total cost of ownership, safety and on-site R&M (repair and maintenance) were key reasons for choosing these 32-tonne gvw trucks, according to Walsh director Tim Wheeler. “We are FORS Gold accredited and CLOCS champions,” states Wheeler, explaining that all these FMX tippers have been specified with Brigade five-camera systems, as well as low-level nearside windows, side scan kits and audible left turn alerts. “We take safety extremely seriously and these new Volvo tippers represent another advance in safe operation, with their superb all-round visibility that’s only enhanced by the innovative mirror system.” As for total cost of ownership, Wheeler says the organisation is planning to growing its fleet to 200 trucks while also adding new operating centres to support HS2, Crossrail 2, the Thames Tideway Tunnel. “With any investment we always conduct a total cost of ownership analysis and in this case, if you consider the whole life of the truck, Volvo stands out as offering best value.” And he adds that the Load-Lite bodies with Hyva tipping gear are also part of that calculation. “With these particular bodies we’ve worked [with Fruehauf] in their development, altering the wheel arches to give clearance when tipping and upgrading the side lights to make them more resilient to the rigours of the job,” explains Wheeler. “We have also had twist locks fitted to the tailgates for those occasions that we carry particularly loose material. Thanks to the Hardox steel, we’ve found some 500kg weight saving, without any loss of integrity or strength.” As for R&M support, Wheeler says that Volvo dealer MC Truck & Bus was the only organisation contacted that showed enthusiasm for providing R&M at Walsh’s purpose-built five-acre facility in Rainham, Essex. “MC Truck & Bus showed itself to be very forward thinking and open to our ideas: this proactive approach will enable us to meet our business goals while giving us confidence in terms of compliance. “It also has benefits in terms of driver hours as our headquarters will, in effect, also be our dealer workshop, so no time or resource will be required to travel to or from Thurrock.” .

RHA calls for patience over Cartel compensation Commercial Motor / November 3, 2016 The Road Haulage Association (RHA) said operators should not expect immediate results from its pursuit of compensation from truck manufacturers that acted as a cartel and co-ordinated factory prices between 1997 and 2011. Giving details for the first time about the nature of the action, the RHA said it has applied to act on behalf of UK hauliers as a representative bringing collective proceedings to the Competition Appeal Tribunal under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Speaking exclusively to Commercialmotor.com, RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said that since the European Commission (EC) had issued a €2.9bn (£2.61bn) fine it had been “exploring and understanding more about the approach we needed to take as an association” in regards to seeking compensation, and it was only now that it was ready to discuss the matter further. Burnett said: “It will be a long, drawn-out process and it’s fair to say that hauliers are not going to get an immediate pay-out; or indeed that there will be a guarantee of any pay-out at all. However, it would appear that based on the high-level evidence received that the prospects for compensation look encouraging. “We understand there is an enormous amount of detail behind this and working through this detail will take 
the largest amount of time.” He said it could be in excess of two years before operators saw any form of compensation, depending on how the case progressed through the Competition Appeal Tribunal, settlement discussions or a trial. The RHA is seeking legal counsel from competition law experts Exchange Chambers. Barrister David Went told 
Commercialmotor.com that it would appoint an economist who was a specialist in competition law to see how co-ordinating on gross list prices has filtered down to hauliers via dealers. “We need to understand that and see what harm has been suffered. That is vital,” he said. On 19 July the EC issued a record €2.9bn fine to five major truck manufacturers after it was found that they co-ordinated truck pricing and colluded on passing on the costs of compliance with emissions rules in the late 1990s and early 2000s. MAN, Volvo Group (comprising Volvo Trucks and Renault Trucks), Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler, Iveco and Daf were all found to have broken EU competition rules. MAN avoided a fine, having alerted the EC to the cartel. Daf, Daimler, Iveco and Volvo Group all received reductions in fines for co-operating with the investigation. Scania remains under investigation.

Scania is a high successful bus manufacturer. And that success........has Mack roots.

Scania Group / November 3, 2016 Scania continues to reinforce its position in the Indonesian bus market. Transjakarta has now placed an order for 150 low-entry city buses in addition to the previously ordered 110 3-axle Scania buses that will be delivered later this year. The public transport operator in the Indonesian capital already has 108 articulated Euro 6 Scania gas buses in its network. The Transjakarta Bus Rapid Transport system is considered to be the world’s longest busway, serving more than 10 million passengers monthly. The forthcoming delivery of low-entry buses will replace the existing, highly polluting, old buses that operate outside the busway corridors. The new Scania buses, delivered by United Tractors and bodybuilt by Laksana, will feature wheelchair ramps. On announcing the order, Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama particularly highlighted the greater accessibility and said, “this is the world-class bus we expect to have. Jakarta has never before had low-entry buses.” Scania, through its Indonesian partner United Tractors, has established the bus depot workshop facilities and parts supply systems in Jakarta needed to uphold an uptime of over 90 percent. United Tractors is the leading and the largest distributor of heavy equipment in Indonesia, providing products from world-renowned brands, including Scania. The partnership between United Tractors and Scania was established in 2004, initially focusing on heavy-duty trucks for the Indonesian mining industry. Scania is major supplier of buses for BRT systems throughout the world. “We are convinced that bus systems offer the quickest and most cost-effective solution for cities to increase urban mobility and alleviate traffic congestion,” says Karin Rådström, Head of Buses and Coaches. “The Jakarta BRT system serves as a model for many growing cities.” .

DAF Trucks / November 3, 2016 DAF in 2016 celebrates 50 years of truck production in Belgium. This is an impression of the festive family day for the DAF employees in Westerlo. .

Ron, the fleets used to like ASF, Holland and Simplex, and Fontaine sold a lot of wheels to everyone else. But the best 5th wheel ever made was, and still is, the Jost. Believe me.

Three states suspend hours of service regulations for gas haulers Overdrive / November 3, 2016 Governors in two other states have issued executive orders to suspend hours of service regulations for gas haulers. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed the order Nov. 1 to suspend the regulations for 14 days through midnight on Nov. 15 for drivers hauling gas into the state. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed an executive order to extend the state of emergency he issued during Hurricane Matthew. “The Colonial Pipeline disruption is a transportation challenge, not a production challenge,” McCrory said in a news release. “With my executive order, we are waiving certain state requirements to facilitate truck transport of gasoline and to protect consumers from price gouging.” Colonial Pipeline hasn’t said when gas will begin flowing through the ruptured line again, but initially said it could be down for up to a week. In the wake of the September spill that disrupted the Colonial line to the East Coast, Illinois-based fuel hauler Dave Marti (pictured), whose small fleet runs leased to Transport Service Inc., noted the pipeline disruption presented opportunities for tank haulers but that, in his case, getting away from primary work on short notice just wasn’t possible then given the farming community his trucks serve. “We just can’t get away,” he said in September. With harvests slowed significantly since then, opportunities might arise for haulers within the relative orbit of the explosion. Original story follows: Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley issued Tuesday an emergency declaration following an Oct. 31 explosion of a gasoline pipeline in Helena, Alabama, effectively relaxing hours-of-service regulations for gasoline haulers operating in the state. The pipeline that exploded is part of the same Colonial Pipeline that leaked in September that caused gas shortages in several states along the East Coast. The pipeline runs from Texas to New York and New Jersey. Several states issued emergency declarations as a result of that leak. Bentley’s State of Emergency declaration suspends hours regulations for any drivers or carriers providing aid through pipeline repair or fuel transportation for 30 days through Dec. 1, unless the order is canceled sooner. Colonial Pipeline representatives said the gasoline pipeline, Line 1, will likely remain shut down the rest of this week. Line 2, which transports diesel, jet fuel and other distillates, was restarted late Oct. 31 and is expected to remain in operation. Colonial says the incident occurred at approximately 3 p.m. local time Oct. 31, when a crew working on a permanent fix for the gasoline pipeline struck the pipeline with a trackhoe, sparking a fire and explosion that killed one worker and injured four others. The fire has since been contained.

Capitol Tree Is Cut, Loaded Onto Kenworth T680 for 4,000-Mile Journey Transport Topics / November 3, 2016 An 80-foot Englemann Spruce tree, chosen for its perfectly cylindrical shape, was loaded onto a Kenworth T680 truck Nov. 2 to begin its 4,000-mile journey to Washington, D.C., where it will serve as the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. The tree was harvested from the Payette National Forest in Idaho and is being driven across the country, with stops in 27 communities, by Gary Amoth, owner of Twin Falls, Idaho-based Gary Amoth Trucking. The Kenworth T680 features a 76-inch sleeper, 485-horsepower Paccar MX-13 engine and an Eaton Fuller Advantage 10-speed automated transmission. The tree is scheduled to arrive at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on Nov. 27, and the lighting is expected to occur in early December. SkyBitz provides an interactive map that traces the tree’s journey; go to trackthetree.com. .

Early Class 8 Order Numbers Flat for the Month Heavy Duty Trucking / November 3, 2016 Class 8 truck orders are projected to be essentially flat in October when compared to September, according to preliminary numbers from analysts. Market analyst FTR is projecting net orders of 13,800 units for the month, similar to Sept. but subdued in what is usually a stronger order month. The reported net order number was negatively impacted by a significant cleanup of long-term excess orders by on OEM. With the backlog factored in, net orders would have been closer to 21,300 units. That would have made for the best monthly order activity since Dec. 2015. “The adjusted number of 21,300 was fueled by the big fleets placing their requirement orders for the first half of 2017,” said one analyst. “This indicates the freight markets are stabilizing and the fleets are confident enough to replace older trucks.” Medium-duty Class 5-7 are projected to be 18,400 units for the month, down 10% from Sept. and 18% compared to Oct. 2015. “That result was somewhat below our expectations, though not drastically out of line with our expectation that Class 5-7 production will be down slightly in 2017,” said another analyst.

Transport Topics / November 3, 2016 Orders for Class 8 trucks in October reached 13,900, according to analyst’s initial findings, which will be revised if necessary later in the month. The volume reflects a familiar a story — lingering overcapacity from too many Class 8 tractors being purchased relative to freight availability last year and into early 2016. One analyst called the orders weak. “Considering that October is a month when big fleets start placing orders, the number is very disappointing. To put that in perspective, the 13,900 order number compares to expectations that were in the 18,000 range,” Credit Suisse analyst Jamie Cook wrote in a note to investors. October's total was down from 19,500 in the same month last year and flat with September's 13,880 total. The research company FTR pegged preliminary Class 8 net orders for October at 13,800 units. The number for the month was negatively impacted by a significant cleanup of long-term, excess, orders by one OEM, it said. With this backlog adjustment factored out, FTR said net orders would have been closer to approximately 21,300 units, much above industry expectations and would have been the best monthly order activity since December 2015.

Nikola to Officially Unveil Hybrid-Electric Truck on Dec. 1 Heavy Duty Trucking / November 3, 2016 Upstart commercial vehicle maker Nikola Motor Company is on track to unveil its flagship product, the Nikola One electric Class 8 truck, at a launch event on Dec. 1st. In addition to the Nikola One, the company will also reveal its plans for its network of hydrogen fueling stations in the U.S. to support its hybrid-electric truck. “Over 300 planned stations are going to be announced at the Dec. 1 event,” said Trevor Milton, Nikola’s CEO. “Nikola will have the largest hydrogen network in the world. We are proud to be on the forefront of this clean energy revolution.” The Nikola One is a hydrogen-powered electric vehicle that is projected to have a range of 800 to 1,200 miles between fillups with an effective fuel economy of 15-20 mpg under full load. The vehicle will also produce zero emissions, according to Nikola, surpassing the government’s standards including the EPA’s new Phase 2 greenhouse gas standards. By using hydrogen to power its electric motor and batteries, the Nikola One can hoffer an extended range over a traditional plug-in electric vehicle while generating fewer emissions than a comparable diesel or alternative fueled hybrid, per the company. “Nikola will begin selling hydrogen to non-Nikola customers for around $3.50 per kg, nearly half the current market price,” said Milton. “We believe that hydrogen power generation is a better deal per mile than plugging in for electricity.” In a move that mirrors Tesla Motors, the company has been taking reservations for the unreleased Nikola One truck, which the company says has totaled nearly $3 billion in the first 30 days of availability. .

1981

Renault purchased the heavy truck side (Renault Vehicule Industriels ), but this van is produced by the light vehicle side, Renault Group, i.e. the Renault-Nissan Alliance. GM already buys the Chevrolet City Express compact van from the Renault-Nissan Alliance, which is a rebadged Nissan NV200. An additional global van option GM has at its fingertips is the slightly smaller mid-sized Vauxhall/Opel Vivaro, which is a rebadged Renault Trafic. http://www.vauxhall.co.uk/vehicles/vauxhall-range/vans/vivaro/overview.html?intcid=van_overview_vivaro The Movano competes with the Transit and Sprinter. The Vivaro competes with VW's ever popular Transporter, and Ford Transit Custom.

Cummins working on two medium- and heavy-duty PHEV projects; Class 6 truck, Class 7 and 8 buses Green Car Congress / November 3, 2016 At the SAE 2016 Range Extenders for Electric Vehicles Symposium this week in Knoxville, Gary Parker, Director of Electromobility programs for Cummins, Inc. outlined two of the plug-in hybrid projects in which the engine manufacturer is currently involved. The first project, in partnership with the Ohio State University, Paccar, NREL and Argonne National Laboratory and funded with $4.5 million from the DOE, is to develop a Class 6 commercial plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that can reduce fuel consumption by at least 50% over conventional Class 6 vehicles. (Earlier post.) Cummins researchers will optimize the powertrain by selecting the engine with the best architecture to use as an electric commercial vehicle range extender, using the engine to manage the charge level of the all-electric drive battery pack. The range extender will be integrated, using advanced vehicle controls, with the electrified powertrain and other applicable technologies. The second project, in partnership with TM4, STL (Société de transport de Laval, the public transit system in the city of Laval, Québec) and IVI (Innovative Vehicle Institute, a non-profit research center), is developing two different models of a plug-in hybrid bus, using different battery chemistries and charging schemes.) The plan with this project, said Parker, is to let the two different chemistries—LTO and NMC—compete head to head for more than a year, and see which one wins. LTO is a power battery, handles high C rates and has good durability, Parker said. NMC has double the energy capacity and is attractive from a cost point of view, but carries risk in performance and durability. Both chemistries meet the performance targets. Parker drew an analogy to this approach with Cummins’ history. In 1934, Clessie Cummins brought two cars to the Indianapolis 500—the two-stroke Nº 5 and the four-stroke Nº 6—to test effectiveness of 2-cycle versus 4-cycle diesel engine designs for durability and efficiency. After the race and the post-race tear-down, Cummins settled on 4-cycle engines. One bus will be LTO, the other bus will be NMC. We’ll be watching these chemistries and learning from them. We might say both are needed for the market, or we might say that one is a clear winner. —Gary Parker The buses will use an on-board 20 kW charger for off-duty charging; for an external in-route fast-charger, the team will use a 450 kW charger. For range-extending engines, Parker said, Cummins looked at the bottom half of its portfolio: engines from 2.8 liters up to the 6.7-liters. For both the DOE project and the Laval bus project, Cummins is opting to develop its 4.5-liter engine as the genset. The team is considering fuel-flexibility as well (e.g.,CNG). In the North American transit market, the 8.9 liter is the major engine in the space, Parker noted; Cummins is basically cutting the displacement requirement in half with the PHEV configuration. The duty-cycle requirements for the plug-in buses are rigorous: 13-20 hour days Route cycle of 11-66 minutes Fast charge time of 5 minutes Daily mileage of 135-351 miles % idle time of 24-60% Daily stops: 957-1,131 Daily traction energy: 580-890 kWh The combination of regeneration, grid charging and genset power will fulfill driver demand, Parker said. Cummins is well positioned to take electromobility across markets. The PHEV range extender will be a robust solution in certain markets—we certainly see that in bus. Truck and bus have a different set of customers, different expectations; we’ll be trying to understand that better. Building the right charging infrastructure will be important. —Gary Parker

The Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana are dinosaurs. But if GM wanted to jump into the game, they already have an impressive and competitive player in the form of the Vauxhall/Opel Movano, a rebadged version of the popular Renault Master. http://www.vauxhall.co.uk/vehicles/vauxhall-range/vans/movano-ng/overview.html Like the European market Transit, the Movano is available with either rear-wheel drive OR front-wheel drive to meet each customer's exact needs. (The European Transit is also available with all-wheel drive....altogether 3 drive configurations, but Americans only get RWD) http://www.opel.ie/vehicles/opel_range/vans/movano-ng/highlights/chassis.html Cab & chassis models - http://www.vauxhall.co.uk/vehicles/vauxhall-range/vans/movano-ng/conversions.html Video - http://www.opel.ie/vehicles/opel_range/vans/movano-ng/index.html .

BMT ...........Simply the best knowledge base on trucks (and engines) the world over.

Sounds good. I remain neutral on AXL. Far better ways to invest money.

FBI examining fake documents targeting Clinton campaign Reuters / November 3, 2016 The FBI and U.S. intelligence agencies are examining faked documents aimed at discrediting the Hillary Clinton campaign as part of a broader investigation into what U.S. officials believe has been an attempt by Russia to disrupt the presidential election. U.S. Senator Tom Carper, a Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, has referred one of the documents to the FBI for investigation on the grounds that his name and stationery were forged to appear authentic. In the letter identified as fake, Carper is quoted as writing to Clinton, “We will not let you lose this election.” The fake Carper letter is one of several documents presented to the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice for review in recent weeks. As part of an investigation into suspected Russian hacking, FBI investigators have also asked Democratic Party officials to provide copies of other suspected faked documents that have been circulating along with emails and other legitimate documents taken in the hack. An FBI spokesman said the agency was “in receipt of a complaint about an alleged fake letter” related to the election. The FBI is also examining other fake documents that recently surfaced. U.S. intelligence officials have warned privately that a campaign they believe is backed by the Russian government to undermine the credibility of the U.S. presidential election could move beyond the hacking of Democratic Party email systems. That could include posting fictional evidence of voter fraud or other disinformation in the run-up to voting on Nov. 8, U.S. officials have said. Russian officials deny any such effort. In addition to the Carper letter, the FBI has also reviewed a seven-page electronic document that carries the logos of Democratic pollster Joel Benenson’s firm, the Benenson Strategy Group, and the Clinton Foundation. The document, identified as a fake by the Clinton campaign, claims poll ratings had plunged for Clinton and called for “severe strategy changes for November” that could include “staged civil unrest” and “radiological attack” with dirty bombs to disrupt the vote. Like the Carper letter, it was unclear where the fraudulent document had originated or how it had begun to circulate.