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"Eighty percent of the workforce, these fast food places - 80 percent of people of color, two thirds...are women, the majority are breadwinners and we have the opportunity to reward that contribution, reward that sacrifice and stabilize an industry in turn. What a remarkable moment."According to Bloomberg, Newsom pushed for Panera Bread to be exempt from the new minimum wage law. Flynn, a billionaire restaurant franchisee, is a Newsom donor and was involved in business dealings with the California Governor.
In 2014, Flynn, who is the largest franchisee in the US with thousands of brands including Applebee's, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Wendy's, acquired a Napa Valley resort that was managed by Newsom's hospitality firm, according to disclosure forms.
Flynn has a net worth valued at $1.1 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He has donated at least $164,800 to Newsom's campaigns.
Michelle Korsmo, head of the National Restaurant Association, told an industry conference last year that "everyone's scratching their head" about the bread exemption. "You may be celebrating or you may be lamenting the bakery exemption," Korsmo was quoted as saying by Bloomberg. "But remember, all of that comes through relationships."
Flynn quietly lobbied Newsom's aides to reconsider whether Panera Bread can be considered fast food, according to Bloomberg News.
The exemption for bread sellers was inserted into the legislation after the union that was pushing for the hike in minimum wage accepted it as a concession aimed at getting the governor's support, the report stated.
Earlier this month, Chipotle executives warned that consumers in California should expect to see "significant" price hikes due to the minimum wage hike.
Jack Hartung, Chipotle's chief financial and administrative officer, told investors on an earnings call that the price hikes are necessary to keep up with increasing labor costs.
McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski warned in October that the Big Mac maker would also need to hike the price of its menu items in California. The chain has increased prices nationwide amid rampant inflation, including charging $18 for a Big Mac meal.
Earlier on Wednesday, Panera Bread agreed to pay $2 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused the chain of misleading customers about fees and menu prices for delivery orders.
Shocking moment man ON FIRE runs down London streetMeanwhile in the last 2 days over in Germany and Poland:
This is the shocking moment a man on fire runs down a street in London before bystanders help put the flames out.
Footage which has emerged online shows the man shouting as he runs down a street in Edgware Road with bright orange flames on his chest area.
He then drops to the floor and witnesses help pat him down with jackets, managing to put the fire out.
Ambulance crews said they rushed to the scene last night before taking the man to a major trauma centre.
Police have confirmed the incident is not being treated as suspicious.
Apartment block fire in China's Nanjing city kills at least 15A day prior, on the 23rd of February, Mainichi reported:
The blaze started on the first floor where electric bikes had been placed, according to officials, but the cause is still unknown
At least 15 people were killed and 44 injured in a fire at a residential building in eastern China's Nanjing city, local authorities said.
The building is located in the Yuhuatai district of Nanjing, a city of more than 8 million about 260km north-west of Shanghai.
By 6am (2200 GMT) the fire had been extinguished, and a search-and-rescue operation ended about 2pm Friday, authorities said.
The 44 injured people were sent to hospital for treatment, they added.
China has seen a spate of deadly fires in recent months, prompting calls from President Xi Jinping last month for "deep reflection" and greater efforts to "curb the frequent occurrence of safety accidents".
In January dozens died after a fire broke out at a store in the central city of Xinyu, with state news agency Xinhua reporting the blaze had been caused by the use of fire by workers in the store's basement.
That fire came just days after a late-evening blaze at a school in central China's Henan province killed 13 schoolchildren as they slept in a dormitory.
A teacher at the school told the state-run Hebei Daily that all the victims were from the same third-grade class of nine- and 10-year-olds.
Domestic media reports suggested the fire was caused by an electric heating device.
In November, 26 people were killed and dozens sent to hospital after a fire at a coal company office in northern China's Shanxi province.
The month before, an explosion at a barbecue restaurant in the north-west of the country left 31 dead and prompted official pledges of a nationwide campaign to promote workplace safety.
In April, a hospital fire in Beijing killed 29 people and forced desperate survivors to jump out of windows to escape.
Fire engulfs 2 buildings in Spain, killing at least 4 people. Nearly 20 missingIt seems that scarcely a week goes by at the moment without a building, but, more often, a factory, exploding or bursting into flames:
A fire engulfed two residential buildings in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia on Thursday, killing four people and leaving 19 others missing hours after the blaze started, authorities said.
The fire sent fleeing residents onto balconies where some were rescued by firefighters, officials said.
Firefighters rushed to the scene on the outskirts of the city center as flames burst from windows of the 14-story residential building where the blaze apparently started. Residents could be seen waiting for rescue on balconies, and firefighters used a crane to lift two residents from one of the balconies.
Valencia's assisetant emergency services director, Jorge Suarez told reporters that four people were confirmed dead and that some six hours hours after the blaze started firefighters were trying to cool down the outside of the building before attempting to go inside.
Soldiers from Spain's Military Emergency Unit also were deployed and medics set up a large tent to tend to the injured on the scene.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but news reports said it might have spread rapidly owing to materials used in the building's structure.
The fire sent clouds of black smoke billowing skyward that could be seen from afar. Spain's weather agency, Aemet, reported winds of up to 60 kph (40 mph) at the time.
The fire began in the early evening and spread to an adjacent building, state news agency Efe reported. Emergency service reports said that besides the four people killed, at least 13 were injured, most with fractures, burns and smoke inhalation. The 13 included six firefighters.
It was not immediately clear how many people were in the buildings or how many were rescued.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez posted a tweet on the X platform saying he was "shocked by the terrible fire in a building in Valencia," adding that he had offered the city "all the help that is necessary."
"I want to convey my solidarity to all the people affected and recognition to all the emergency personnel already deployed at the scene," Sanchez said.
Comment: While it seems doubtful that AI will ultimately benefit humanity, you can't really fault Musk for trying to steer it in that direction.
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