Raphael Stevens

Ford Motor said it will reinstate its regular dividend in the fourth quarter, more than a year and a half after suspending the payments during the early days of the Covid pandemic.
The fourth-quarter dividend of 10 cents per share on outstanding common and Class B stock will be paid on Dec. 1 to shareholders of record at the close of business Nov. 19, the company said.
The quarterly cost of the dividend will be about $400 million, CFO John Lawler said.

DETROIT — Ford Motor will reinstate its regular dividend starting in the fourth quarter, more than a year and a half after suspending the payments during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
Ford said the fourth-quarter dividend of 10 cents per share on outstanding common and Class B stock will be paid on Dec. 1 to shareholders at the close of business Nov. 19. The company announced the dividend Wednesday when it released its third-quarter earnings, which beat Wall Street’s expectations.

Ford shares jumped by more than 9% during after-hours trading. The stock closed Wednesday down by 2.7% to $15.51 a share.

2022 Ford Maverick

“The strength of the business gives us the confidence to reinstate the dividend at this point,” CFO John Lawler told reporters Wednesday during a call.
Lawler said the company is not capital-constrained and is confident it can finance an aggressive turnaround plan, which it calls Ford+. The plan includes investing billions in electric and autonomous vehicles as well as paying the dividend.
The quarterly cost of the dividend will be about $400 million, according to Lawler.
Ford was quick to cut the dividend to shore up cash as the coronavirus pandemic caused the automaker to shutter plants and dealerships last year to stop the spread of Covid.
General Motors, which cut its dividend a month after Ford, has not reinstated its dividend.

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Starbucks will raise wages for its U.S. baristas at least twice in 2022, bringing its pay floor to $15 an hour by the summer.
The restaurant industry has been struggling to find enough willing workers as demand rebounds, putting pressure on sales.
In addition to raising pay, Starbucks said it will offer $200 referral bonuses and add recruiters across all U.S. markets.

A ‘We’re Hiring!’ sign is posted at a Starbucks on August 06, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.
Mario Tama | Getty Images

Starbucks announced Wednesday it will raise wages for its U.S. baristas at least twice in 2022, bringing its pay floor to $15 an hour by the summer.
The announcement comes as bars and restaurants struggle to find enough willing workers to staff their eateries as demand rebounds. Domino’s Pizza, McDonald’s, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Popeyes’ owner Restaurant Brands International said they faced labor challenges during the third quarter, putting pressure on their U.S. sales. Industry experts and economists have pointed to a number of factors that could explain the lack of workers, including concerns about Covid-19, child care difficulties and moving to jobs with higher pay, like an Amazon warehouse.

Starbucks is also facing an effort to unionize by a handful of Starbucks cafes in Buffalo, New York. Employees are seeking to form a union to address issues that include chronic understaffing.
Starbucks said it would give baristas who have worked at the coffee chain for at least two years a raise of up to 5% in late January. Employees with at least five years experience could receive a pay hike of up to 10%.
The company is planning a second pay hike for summer 2022, which will bring its average wage up to $17 an hour. Current average hourly pay is $14 an hour. The new pay floor will be $15, while employees in some markets can earn as much as $23 an hour.
The coffee chain last raised wages for its workers in December. At that time, CEO Kevin Johnson said the company would bring pay to $15 an hour over the next three years. With Wednesday’s announcement, that milestone will be reached earlier than planned.
In addition to raising pay, Starbucks said it will offer $200 referral bonuses and add recruiters across all U.S. markets. The company is also working on innovations to make the job easier for baristas.

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The assistant director who handed Alec Baldwin the prop firearm that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins told authorities he did not check all the rounds inside the revolver before declaring it a “cold gun” on the New Mexico set of the film “Rust.”
David Halls picked up the gun and brought it over to the production’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez, to be checked prior to a rehearsal for an upcoming scene, according to a search warrant filed in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court.
Halls said that he only recalled seeing three rounds in the chamber ahead of passing the gun over to Baldwin.

A bouquet of flowers hung on a barb wire near Bonanza Creek Ranch where actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on movie set and killed cinematographer Halyn Hutchin, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States on October 24, 2021.
Mostafa Bassim Adly | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

The assistant director who handed Alec Baldwin the prop firearm that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins told authorities he did not check all the rounds inside the revolver before declaring it a “cold gun” on the New Mexico set of the film “Rust,” a new warrant filed Wednesday revealed.
Assistant director David Halls admitted to investigators he should have inspected all the rounds in the handgun before last Thursday’s shooting, the warrant said.

Halls picked up the gun and brought it over to the production’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez, to be checked prior to a rehearsal for a scene last Thursday, according to the search warrant filed in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court.
“I check the barrel for obstructions, most of the time there’s no live fire, [Hannah] opens the hatch and spins the drum, and I say cold gun on set,” Halls said, according to the document.
Halls said that he only recalled seeing three rounds in the chamber ahead of passing the gun over to Baldwin.

“He advised he should have checked all of them, but didn’t, and couldn’t recall if [Gutierrez] spun the drum,” the warrant said.
After Hutchins was fatally wounded and director Joel Souza was injured when the gun held by Baldwin fired, Halls picked up the gun from a pew in the church where they were filming, according to the warrant.

He brought the firearm to Gutierrez, who opened the gun to see what was inside.
Halls said he could only remember seeing at least four “dummy” casings with a hole on the side and one without a hole, the warrant reveals. He said this round did not have a “cap” on it and was just the casing.
Halls previously was fired from the set of “Freedom’s Path” in 2019 after a crew member incurred a minor and temporary injury when a gun unexpectedly discharged, a producer on the project told NBC News.
According to the warrant, Gutierrez explained that when the crew broke for lunch ahead of rehearsing the scene in the church that all firearms were brought into the on-set prop truck and secured in a safe. The ammo was left on the cart on set and not secured.
After lunch, on-set property manager Sarah Zachary retrieved the guns from the safe and handed them to Gutierrez, the warrant said. Gutierrez told authorities that no live ammo is ever kept on set.
“Joel [Souza] said as far as he knows, no one gets checked for live ammunition on their person prior and after the scenes are being filmed,” the document said. “The only thing checked are the firearms to avoid live ammunition being in them. Joel stated there should never be live rounds whatsoever near or around the scene.”
The search warrant was disclosed less than an hour after Santa Fe County investigators told reporters that they believe they found the lead projectile that caused Hutchins’ death. Authorities said the object was recovered from the shoulder of Souza.
The investigation has also turned up the gun and spent casing that is believed to have been used in the accidental shooting, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said.

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The more than 1.2 million vaccine doses will be ready to distribute within the first week after the shots get approved, said Dr. Erica Pan, the state’s epidemiologist.
“We have around 4,000 sites that are ready to administer and over 1,000 providers across the state enrolled to vaccinate,” Pan said. “And more than 860,000 doses of vaccine have already been ordered.”

Family members look on as Jack Frilingos, 12, is inoculated with Pfizer’s vaccine against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after Georgia authorized the vaccine for ages over 12 years, at Dekalb Pediatric Center in Decatur, Georgia, U.S. May 11, 2021.
Chris Aluka Berry | Reuters

California health officials said Wednesday the state will have 4,000 sites ready to administer 1.2 million Covid shots to children 5 to 11 years old as soon as the vaccines receive full approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The announcement came just a day after the Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee recommended vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech for that age group. The more than 1.2 million vaccine doses will be ready to distribute within the first week after the shots get approved, said Dr. Erica Pan, the state’s epidemiologist.

“We have around 4,000 sites that are ready to administer and over 1,000 providers across the state enrolled to vaccinate,” Pan said. “And more than 860,000 doses of vaccine have already been ordered.”
More than 3.5 million children ages 5 to 11 live in California, roughly 9% of the state’s population, Pan said. The vaccine rollout to young kids could begin as soon as CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky authorizes the shots, which she’s expected to do after the agency’s advisory panel meets Tuesday.
California’s Department of Public Health is already working with schools to administer vaccines, said Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the state’s Health and Human Services Agency. Some schools in California are collaborating with pharmacies and other health-care providers to give out shots, Ghaly said, adding he expected to see more clinics at education centers appearing in November.
“By the middle of next month, CDPH, working with a lot of local health jurisdictions and other partners, have planned many vaccine locations at schools,” Ghaly said.

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California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Oct. 1 a vaccine mandate for all public grade school students returning to in-person classes once the FDA issues full approval for each age group. The requirement was the first of its kind nationwide. Pfizer’s currently distributing its vaccine under emergency approval. If it receives final regulatory approval before the end of the year, Newsom said it could take effect for students over 12 as soon as Jan. 1

Newsom’s plan will unfold in two phases, starting with kids 12 to 17 once the FDA fully clears vaccines for that age group. The order will then expand to kids 5 to 11, pending the FDA’s approval. The FDA is expected to clear the shots for the younger age group as early as this week with full approval expected to take several months longer. White House officials have said the country has a stockpile of doses to immunize all 28 million of the country’s 5 to 11-year-olds.
If the agency doesn’t fully approve vaccines for those over 12 by the end of the year, Ghaly said the mandate’s starting date would be pushed from January to July. The FDA fully approved Pfizer’s vaccine for everyone 16 and older in August and cleared it for emergency use in adolescents 12 to 15 in May. Moderna and J&J’s vaccines are currently approved for use in adults only.

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Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey said he expects to see sporadic shortages through 2022.
Like other food and beverage companies, Coke is dealing with supply chain challenges and higher inflation.
Shares of Coke were up 2% in afternoon trading after the company’s earnings and revenue topped Wall Street’s estimates.

James Quincey, the CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, speaks during an interview with CNBC on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange, December 9, 2019.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters

Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey said Wednesday he expects to see sporadic shortages on grocery shelves through 2022.
Like other food and beverage companies, Coke is dealing with snarls in the supply chain and higher commodity costs, which have resulted in some shortages.

“My analogy would be it’s a bit like an earthquake,” Quincey said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.” “You get further shock waves coming through, but they tend to be of diminishing magnitude.”
He added that while shortages may persist through next year, they will likely decrease in significance over time as the situation improves.
Quincey said the company uses its global scale and long-term partnerships to navigate issues within its supply chain. However, it’s not possible to mitigate all challenges. He presented a second analogy, comparing the supply chain headaches to a game of whack-a-mole.
“Some issues are ongoing and structural, and some issues appear for a quarter and disappear again,” he told CNBC’s Sara Eisen.
On a call with analysts, he listed issues like labor shortages, spiking gas costs in Europe and a plastic plant in Brazil that burst into flames.
Shares of Coke were up 2% in afternoon trading after the company’s earnings and revenue topped Wall Street’s estimates and it raised its forecast for fiscal 2021.

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Investigators probing the fatal movie set shooting by Alec Baldwin believe they have found the lead projectile that caused the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The lead projectile was recovered from the shoulder of director Joel Souza.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said while Hollywood has a history of following safety procedures when it comes to on-set firearms and prop weapons, there seems to have been “complacency” on the set of “Rust.”
Investigators are still collecting evidence and the district attorney is not yet ready to determine if charges should be brought in the case. However, criminal charges are not off the table.

Investigators probing the fatal movie set shooting by Alec Baldwin said Wednesday that they believe they have found the lead projectile that caused the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Authorities said the object was recovered from the shoulder of director Joel Souza, who was injured during the incident Thursday on the New Mexico set of the Western film “Rust.”

The investigation has also turned up the gun and spent casing that is believed to have been used in the accidental shooting, said Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza during a joint news conference Wednesday with New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies.
Mendoza said 500 rounds were located on the set, which were a mix of blank ammunition, dummy rounds and, possibly, live rounds. Mendoza declined to comment on how live rounds may have gotten on the set. Evidence collected will be submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation crime lab in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis, he said.
Other items collected from the set included clothing, accessories and three firearms. One is a long Colt revolver, which authorities believe is what was used in the shooting. The others were a single-action revolver that may have been modified and a plastic prop gun that was described as a revolver.
Mendoza said investigators are still collecting evidence and are not yet ready to determine if charges should be brought in the case.
“We are not at that juncture yet,” said Carmack-Altwies about the possibility of bringing charges against any members of the “Rust” crew. However, criminal charges are not off the table, she told The New York Times on Tuesday.

“If the facts in evidence and law support charges, then I will initiate prosecution at that time. I’m a prosecutor that was elected in part because I do not make rash decisions and I do not rush to judgment,” she said.
Mendoza said that while the film industry has a history of following safety procedures when it comes to on-set firearms and prop weapons, there seems to have been “complacency” on the set of “Rust.”
“The people that inspected or handled the firearm when it was loaded before it got to Mr. Baldwin — we’re interviewing. And there [are] some follow-up questions that we need to do,” Mendoza said.
Representatives for Baldwin and Souza declined to comment to NBC News.
This update comes just a day after the producers of “Rust” hired a high-profile law firm to interview cast and crew about the accidental on-set shooting.
Court documents released Friday show Baldwin was handed a loaded weapon by Dave Halls, an assistant director. Halls had retrieved the gun from a cart, where it had been placed by the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed. Halls indicated it was safe to use moments before Baldwin fatally shot Hutchins and wounded Souza.
A search warrant filed in a Santa Fe court shows that the assistant director did not know the prop gun was loaded with live rounds.
Halls had previously been fired from the set of “Freedom’s Path” in 2019 after a crew member incurred a minor and temporary injury when a gun unexpectedly discharged, a producer on the project told NBC News.
There were also reports that the gun that killed Hutchins was used by crew members for live-ammunition target practice. The Wrap was the first to report this detail.
Additionally, a person familiar with the matter told NBC News that half a dozen camera crew workers walked off the “Rust” set in protest of working conditions just hours before the shooting took place. Among their concerns were multiple accidental discharges of the prop gun.

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