Month: November 2024

In a move widely expected, Spirit Airlines announced Monday that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, saying they intend to spend the next year attempting to reboot and recover after the pandemic caused a lapse in travel. Spirit also faced issues after an airplane engine recall, and its high-profile failure to merge with JetBlue Airways.

Spirit has lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020 and faces looming debt payments totaling more than $1 billion over the next year; the airline said they expect to operate as normal as it works its way through a “prearranged, streamlined” Chapter 11 bankruptcy process and that customers can continue to book and fly without interruption.  Spirit employee’s wages or benefits will not be affected from the Chapter 11 process, adding that vendors and leaseholders would continue to be paid.

The budget airline becomes the first U.S. carrier to file for bankruptcy protection since American Airlines more than a decade ago. Spirit said in a statement: “Spirit expects to continue operating its business in the normal course throughout this prearranged, streamlined Chapter 11 process. Guests can continue to book and fly without interruption and can use all tickets, credits, and loyalty points as normal.”

Shares of Miramar, Florida-based Spirit dropped 25% on Friday after The Wall Street Journal reported that the airline was discussing terms of a possible bankruptcy filing with its bondholders. It was just the latest in a series of blows that have sent the stock crashing down by 97% since late 2018 — when Spirit was still making money.

Spirit’s stock dropped 25% last week after the The Wall Street Journal reported that the airline was discussing terms of a possible bankruptcy filing with its bondholders.

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One person is dead and over a dozen others were hospitalized due to an E. coli outbreak connected to recalled organic carrots.

California grower Grimmway Farms issued a nationwide recall of multiple sizes and brands of baby and whole organic carrots tied to the outbreak, which they produced for some of the country’s leading supermarkets over an E. coli outbreak, which includes Trader Joe’s, Albertsons, Kroger, Publix, Walmart and Whole Foods, amongst others.  Grimmway Farms shared on its website that organic whole carrots sold without a “best-if-used-by” date between Aug.14 and Oct. 23, 2024, and organic baby carrots with “best-if-used-by” dates from Sept. 11 to Nov. 12, 2024. Consumers are urged to check their refrigerators and dispose of any recalled carrots immediately.

The recall comes after reports from 18 states documenting nearly 40 cases connecting its baby carrots with the illness, which led to one death and 15 hospitalizations. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement: “Interviews with sick people and traceback findings show that organic whole and baby carrots sold by Grimmway Farms are making people sick. Multiple brands and sizes of bagged organic whole and baby carrots were recalled. These products are no longer for sale at stores but may still be in people’s homes. Check your refrigerators and throw them away.”

The carrots have been removed from retailers, but the CDC has warned consumers to not eat recalled bag carrots and to check their refrigerators or freezers and throw away any carrots that fit the description. Per the CDC, most of those infected with E. coli lived in New York, Minnesota and Washington, followed by California and Oregon, although infections have been reported in states throughout the country.

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The attorney for former Fox News host Pete Hegseth — President-elect Donald Trump’s candidate for defense secretary — confirmed to NBC News on Sunday that Hegseth paid a woman an undisclosed amount after she accused him of sexual assault in 2017, as part of a settlement agreement.

Timothy Parlatore, Hegseth’s attorney, said in a statement: “In 2023, Hegseth paid the complainant as part of a civil confidential settlement agreement and maintains his innocence. This is a situation where a consensual encounter occurred and, unfortunately, the woman had to come up with a lie to explain why the woman had not come back to her husband’s room that night. It wasn’t reported until days later until there was pressure from her husband. It was fully investigated by police and video surveillance as well as multiple eyewitness statements show that she was the aggressor.”

Parlatore’s statement comes after The Washington Post reported that a friend of Hegseth’s accuser sent a memo to the Trump transition team detailing the allegations.  Parlatore confirmed that the memo was related to an encounter Hegseth and the unnamed woman had in Monterey, California, during a conference of the California Federation of Republican Women.

Parlatore said that that Hegseth settled the matter because he feared his career would suffer if her allegations were made public, and that Hegseth was the victim of “blackmail and false claims of sexual assault … knowing that it was the height of the MeToo movement and any public accusation would result in his immediate termination from Fox, Mr. Hegseth ultimately decided to enter into a settlement for a significantly reduced amount.”

In a post on X, Stephen Cheung, Trump’s communications director, said that the president-elect is standing by Hegseth:  “Mr. Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed. We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense.”

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Officials confirmed that President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to lift restrictions to allow the use of U.S.-provided long-range missiles to strike deep into Russian territory. The easing of restrictions would allow Kyiv to use the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, to hit targets inside Russia. The move also comes as some 10,000 North Korean troops were deployed to the Kursk region of Russia to support Russian troops fighting Ukrainian forces.

U.S. officials had previously resisted the use of the long-range weapons, citing concerns over limited stockpile and the repositioning of Russian assets outside of ATACMS range.  Biden secretly gave Ukraine permission to use American weapons to strike Russia just over the border back in May; at that time, Ukraine was prohibited from using longer-range weapons to strike deeper into the country.

President-elect Donald Trump has said he plans to limit U.S. support for Ukraine in the hopes of ending their war against Russia. As the U.S. has already provided $175 billion in aid to Ukraine – more than any other country – a withdrawal of support would become a major blow to Ukraine defense against Russian attacks.

In an interview with Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would like to end the war with Russia next year through “diplomatic means.”  He added that the war will end “sooner” than it otherwise would have, once Trump becomes president: “It is certain that the war will end sooner with the policies of the team that will now lead the White House. This is their approach, their promise to their citizens.”

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