Already in use at roughly 100 Taco Bell eateries in 13 states, the company’s rollout plans come after testing the technology for about two years. Benefits include improved order accuracy, cutting wait times and “providing a consistent, friendly experience,” according to the company, which operates 7,400 stores across the U.S. 

“With over two years of fine-tuning and testing the drive-thru voice AI technology, we’re confident in its effectiveness in optimizing operations and enhancing customer satisfaction,” Lawrence Kim, Yum’s chief innovation officer, stated in a news release. 

KFC, also owned by Yum, is trying out the technology in five locations in Australia, the statement noted.

Last year, Yum’s digital sales approached $30 billion, with more than 50% coming through digital channels as of the first quarter of 2024, according to the company, which added that its digital business has more than doubled since 2019. 

Taco Bell’s move to broaden its AI footprint comes as a big-name competitor encountered difficulties deploying automated voice ordering in a pilot run in partnership with IBM. 

McDonald’s last month said it was pulling the plug on the AI ordering technology the fast-food chain had been testing at more than 100 U.S. drive-thrus in the wake of customer complaints about orders. One of multiple viral videos showed an AI cashier mistakenly adding nine sweet teas to a TikTok user’s order. 

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Starbucks sued Workers United in federal court in Iowa Wednesday, saying a pro-Palestinian social media post from a union account early in the Israel-Hamas war angered hundreds of customers and damaged its reputation.

Starbucks is suing for trademark infringement, demanding that Workers United stop using the name “Starbucks Workers United” for the group that is organizing the coffee company’s workers. Starbucks also wants the group to stop using a circular green logo that resembles Starbucks’ logo.

Workers United responded with its own filing, asking a federal court in Pennsylvania to rule that it can continue to use Starbucks’ name and a similar logo. Workers United also said Starbucks defamed the union by implying that it supports terrorism and violence.

On Oct. 9, two days after Hamas militants rampaged across communities in southern Israel, Starbucks Workers United posted “Solidarity with Palestine!” on X, formerly known as Twitter. Workers United – a Philadelphia-based affiliate of the Service Employees International Union – said in its lawsuit that workers put up the tweet without the authorization of union leaders. The post was up for about 40 minutes before it was deleted.

But posts and retweets from local Starbucks Workers United branches supporting Palestinians and condemning Israel were still visible on X Wednesday. Seattle-based Starbucks filed its lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, noting that Iowa City Starbucks Workers United was among those posting pro-Palestinian messages.

In a letter sent to Workers United on Oct. 13, Starbucks demanded that the union stop using its name and similar logo. In its response, Workers United said Starbucks Workers United’s page on X clearly identifies it as a union.

“Starbucks is seeking to exploit the ongoing tragedy in the Middle East to bolster the company’s anti-union campaign,” Workers United President Lynne Fox wrote in a letter to Starbucks.

In its lawsuit, Workers United noted that unions often use the company name of the workers they represent, including the Amazon Labor Union and the National Football League Players Association.

Starbucks said it received more than 1,000 complaints about the union’s post. The Seattle-based coffee giant said workers had to face hostile customers and received threatening phone calls. Vandals spray-painted Stars of David and a swastika on the windows of a Rhode Island store.

Some lawmakers, including Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, called for boycotts of Starbucks.

“If you go to Starbucks, you are supporting killing Jews,” Florida state Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican, tweeted on Oct. 11.

Starbucks’ official statements on the war have expressed sympathy for innocent victims in both Israel and Gaza.

“Starbucks unequivocally condemns acts of hate, terrorism and violence,” Starbucks Executive Vice President Sara Kelly wrote in a letter to employees last week.

Workers United hasn’t issued its own statement. But its parent, the SEIU, said Tuesday that it has many members with family on both sides of the conflict and believes “all Israelis and Palestinians deserve safety, freedom from violence, and the opportunity to thrive.”

Starbucks Workers United has been operating under that name since August 2021, a few months before it unionized its first Starbucks store in Buffalo, New York. Since then, at least 366 U.S. Starbucks have voted to unionize. The campaign helped kick off a wave of labor protests by Amazon workers, Hollywood writers and actors and auto workers.

But Starbucks doesn’t support unionization and hasn’t yet reached a labor agreement at any of its unionized stores. The process has been contentious, with workers organizing multiple strikes. Federal district judges and administrative judges with the National Labor Relations Board have issued 38 decisions finding unfair labor practices by Starbucks, the NLRB said, including delaying negotiations and withholding benefits from unionized workers.

The post Starbucks, union in legal battle over pro appeared first on My Blog.

Consumers in possession of these cookies are being urged by the supermarket to throw them away or return them to any Trader Joe’s store for a refund.

“If you purchased or received any donations of Almond Windmill Cookies and/or Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies, please do not eat them,” the company said.

The cookies are no longer on the shelves, the company said, noting: “All potentially affected product has been removed from sale and destroyed.” It’s not clear how many boxes are affected or how the rocks got into the cookies.

The affected products include: 

Almond Windmill Cookies (SKU #98744) with “sell by” dates of Oct. 19 through Oct. 21, 2023.Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies (SKU #82752)  with “sell by” dates of Oct. 17 through Oct. 21, 2023.

Shoppers can contact Trader Joe’s Customer Relations at (626) 599-3817, Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. through 9:00 p.m. Eastern time, or email the company through its contact form, for more information.

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Lindell, a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the auction comes after MyPillow lost $100 million in revenue due to big retailers halting sales of the company’s products. He blamed the move by customers to pull back on “cancel culture.”

In an interview with CBS Minneapolis, Lindell said the auction reflects a change from big box and mall store sales to a direct-to-consumer approach. He said MyPillow had to work quickly after stores like Walmart and Bed Bath & Beyond “canceled” his product and that the company has a large amount of inventory to deal with. 

“It was a massive, massive cancellation,” Lindell told the Star Tribune. “We lost $100 million from attacks by the box stores, the shopping networks, the shopping channels, all of them did cancel culture on us.”

Walmart’s online site doesn’t show listings for MyPillow products, and the retailing giant last year said it had stopped selling the items in its brick-and-mortar locations.

Other retailers had also suspended sales of MyPillow products, with Lindell in 2021 noting that Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl’s, H-E-B and Wayfair had dropped his products. 

Lindell said the company is now consolidating its operations. He didn’t respond to a request for comment from CBS MoneyWatch, but told CBS Minneapolis that Menards, Fleet Farm and some other big-box stores still carry his company’s pillows.

That followed the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, when Trump supporters violently broke into the Capitol Building. Many of the rioters championed conspiracy theories that the presidential election was stolen, although none of those claims hold up under scrutiny.

But Lindell has continued to peddle such election theories, telling CBS MoneyWatch earlier this year that President Joe Biden “didn’t win the election, that’s a fact.” 

On the hook for $5 million

Those debunked theories have caused problems for Lindell in other ways. He had offered to pay $5 million to anyone who could prove a store of computer data he had acquired wasn’t, in fact, 2020 election data. But after a computer expert quickly proved the data was bogus, Lindell refused to pay, leading to an arbitration panel ordering him to pay up the $5 million.

Lindell also faces a $1.3 billion lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems, which alleges that the MyPillow chief falsely accused the company of rigging the 2020 presidential election.

In the meantime, those in need of cheap office equipment can peruse the auction site, with the Shakopee, Minnesota-based auctioneer slated to start closing the bidding on July 18. Some of the items include several L-shaped desks, with current bids set at $5, as well as bulletin boards, stacking chairs, office chairs as well as heavy-duty equipment such as pallet wrappers and industrial sewing machines.

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The FTC and U.S. Food and Drug Administration are jointly demanding that companies that use such marketing practices immediately stop and change their products’ packaging to make clear that their contents contain tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the chemical in marijuana that makes people feel high. 

“Marketing edible THC products that can be easily mistaken by children for regular foods is reckless and illegal,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “Companies must ensure that their products are marketed safely and responsibly, especially when it comes to protecting the well-being of children.”

The FTC and FDA have sent cease and desist letters to six companies they say are selling so-called Delta-8 THC products in packaging that imitates food often consumed by children. That poses a health danger and could violate a federal law that bars unfair or deceptive acts in commerce, the agencies allege.

“Children are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of THC, with many who have been sickened and even hospitalized after eating ‘edibles’ containing it. That’s why we’re issuing warnings to several companies selling copycat food products containing Delta-8 THC, which can be easily mistaken for popular foods that are appealing to children and can make it easy for a young child to ingest in very high doses without realizing it,” FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement.

The agencies ordered the following companies to change their packaging:

Delta Munchies LLCExclusive Hemp FarmsNorth Carolina Hemp ExchangeDr. SmokeNikte’s WholesaleThe Haunted Vapor Room

According to the FTC, Dr. Smoke sells THC-infused “Doritos” that look nearly identical to Doritos Nacho Cheese Flavored Tortilla Chips. Both foods’ packaging uses the Doritos name and triangle logo, and images of the tortilla chips. 

In the letter, the FDA said it’s concerned the company’s products appeal to children and could confuse consumers as they “mimic well-known snack food brands by using similar brand names, logos or pictures on packaging.”

“Therefore, with these products there is a risk of unintended consumption of the Delta-8 THC ingredient by consumers,” the letter reads. 

Dr. Smoke did not immediately reply to CBS MoneyWatch’s request for comment. 

The FTC also took aim at a THC-containing cookie closely resembling Nabisco Oreos, called “Stoneo” cookies.

Federal regulators warned a seller of the product, North Carolina Hemp Exchange, that “Stoneo Oreo Cookies Delta-8 THC” violate the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. 

The company’s manager, Diane Becker, told CBS MoneyWatch that it immediately removed four products from store shelves, as well as its website, after receiving the FDA’s warning letter.

“We understood their concern about the packaging of those particular products and relayed their concerns to the vendor that sold the products to us,” Becker said. 

The FTC also urged consumers of cannabis edibles to keep them separate from other foods, to child-proof cabinets and drawers where edibles are stored, and to completely reseal the packaging after it has been opened.

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Mondelez said in a Monday statement that there have been three unconfirmed reports of allergic reactions to the products. 

Peanuts may have gotten into the products due to “cross-contact on a single manufacturing line,” the company said. That poses a risk to people with peanut allergies or severe sensitivity to the ingredient, who could face “serious or life-threatening allergic reactions by consuming these products,” Mondelez said. 

“We became aware of this issue during an internal manufacturing inspection, when we found the potential presence of peanut protein residue on the line used to make these products,” Mondelez said in the statement.

Below are the products that have been recalled.

BelVita Breakfast Sandwich, Dark Chocolate Creme variety

All of these recalled products have a “best when used by date” prior to and including February 25, 2024.

8.8 oz carton. Retail UPC: 0 44000 04328 514.08 oz carton. Retail UPC: 0 44000 05723 7
14.08 oz carton. Retail UPC: 0 44000 06330 6
1 lb 5.12 oz carton. Retail UPC: 0 44000 05861 6
2 lb 12 oz carton. Retail UPC: 0 44000 04602 6 1.76 oz pouch. Retail UPC: 0 44000 04070 3

BelVita Breakfast Sandwich, Cinnamon Brown Sugar with Vanilla Creme variety

These products also have  a “best when used by date” prior to and including February 25, 2024.

8.8 oz carton. Retail UPC: 0 44000 06304 7 1.76 oz pouch. Retail UPC: 0 44000 06370 2

People with peanut allergies shouldn’t eat these products and should discard any of the products listed above, the company said.

Mondelez said consumers can contact the company at 1-855-535-5948, 24 hours a day, for more information about the recall, with consumer relations employees available Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time, except for July 4, 2023. 

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The recall includes Passport SUVs from 2019 to 2023, in addition to Pilot SUVs from 2019 to 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on June 15. It also covers some Odyssey minivans from 2018 to 2023.

An “improperly manufactured” coaxial cable connector was the cause of the connectivity issues between the rearview camera images and the vehicles’ dashboard displays, Honda said in a Friday recall notice. 

“If the [Media Oriented Systems Transport] communication is lost for more than 20 seconds, the rearview camera function will fail when the vehicle is in the reverse gear, increasing the risk of a crash or injury,” Honda said in the recall notice. 

Dealers will replace the cable harness and install a straightening cover over the vehicle cable connector free of charge, the carmaker said. Car owners who have already paid to repair their vehicles at their own expense are eligible for reimbursement.

Honda expects to mail notification letters to affected car owners on July 24. Until then, customers can contact Honda’s customer service line at 1-888-234-2138. The NHTSA said Honda’s numbers for the recall are EEL and ZEM. 

The post Honda recalls nearly 1.2 million cars over faulty backup camera appeared first on My Blog.

The spacecraft manufacturer offered a software engineering position to Kairan Quazi a month ago, according to an excerpt from an email from the company the teenager posted on Instagram. The Bay Area teenager, who is set to graduate this week from Santa Clara University, will be moving with his mother to Redmond, Washington, next month, so he can take up the SpaceX job, according to a post on LinkedIn. 

At SpaceX, Kairan will be assigned to the engineering team at Starlink, the company’s satellite broadband internet service. The Starlink system is designed to deliver high-speed internet to customers anywhere on Earth using thousands of broadband relay stations in multiple low-altitude orbits. 

Kairan said he’s eager to start because Starlink is working on “problems that matter” — like using satellite technology to provide internet access to people in parts of the globe that didn’t have it before, or using satellites to make advancements in precision farming, including measuring water levels from above ground. 

“The work I’m going to be doing is so cool,” he told CBS MoneyWatch. “I’m really excited to be having an impact.”

Kairan, who declined to discuss salary details, said he will be in Washington for one year then transfer to Starlink’s office in Mountain View, California. 

SpaceX will not be violating child labor laws by employing Kairan, as he meets the minimum legal age to work under federal and Washington state law. 

SpaceX, which is owned by Elon Musk, did not respond immediately to requests for comment from CBS MoneyWatch. 

Kairan was born in Pleasanton, California, to Bangladeshi immigrants who are self-proclaimed introverts. His mother Jullia Quazi told CBS MoneyWatch that she and her husband put aside their “personal discomfort and anxiety” with moving to Washington because they want Kairan to work at a place where he’ll grow intellectually.  

“If this had been presented by any company other than SpaceX, we would not have been amenable to moving our family anywhere outside of the Bay area,” she said. “I cannot think of a second company that will give him an opportunity to challenge his learning at this level and contribute.” 

Kairan left elementary school after finishing the third grade and enrolled in community college at age 9. Kairan transferred to Santa Clara University at age 11. In college, he had a multiyear internship at Intel as an artificial intelligence research fellow, which ended this week. 

Kairan will receive his bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering from SCU on Saturday — the youngest graduate in the school’s 172-year history.

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On Thursday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration put a ground stop on departures from Philadelphia International Airport, citing low visibility, while departures from LaGuardia airport in New York City had an average ground delay of almost an hour, according to agency data.

The FAA tweeted Wednesday morning that it would “likely need to take steps to manage the flow of traffic safely into New York City, DC, Philadelphia and Charlotte.”

In addition to the ground stop on departing flights from Philadelphia, the agency added that it had paused in-bound flights on Wednesday morning to Philadelphia, as well as for New York City’s LaGuardia, coming from the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Ohio due to low visibility. 

The agency also issued a ground delay for Newark airport on Thursday morning.

The delays and ground stops come after all flights to LaGuardia were paused on Wednesday, while New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport experienced arrival and departure delays. Images from New York City on Wednesday showed an apocalyptic-looking scene, with its skyline dimmed by smoke and the air a burnt-orange color. 

The Northeast has been blanketed by smoke from the Canadian wildfires, prompting warnings about air quality across the region and prompting schools to cancel after-school events and employers to tell workers to stay home. 

Passengers can check real-time flight information at the FAA’s website, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg tweeted on Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, some airlines urged travelers to check their apps and websites to monitor for delays or other problems. 

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Sorokin, who served nearly four years in prison after being convicted of grand larceny and theft of services in 2019, was previously portrayed in a Netflix series called “Inventing Anna.” Now, she’ll tell her own story in “The Anna Delvey Show.” 

“You might recognize my name as a character in a Netflix series, but now, you get to meet the real me,” Sorokin said in a trailer for the podcast, produced by by Audio Up and Reunion Audio, on YouTube. 

The show will be recorded from Sorokin’s Manhattan apartment, where she remains under house arrest. After her release from prison on good behavior, she was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for overstaying her visa and was in custody in upstate New York for one year. 

Not surprisingly, the podcast will address the notion of breaking rules as well as topics related to the law. 

“On this show, I will dive into the concept of rules and talk with the people who create or break them, from art, politics, fashion, tech, finance, law and more. ‘The Anna Delvey Show’ will share honest, unfiltered conversations that will question traditional notions of what’s right and wrong,” Sorokin said in the teaser. 

“So have you ever been to jail yourself?” she asks a guest in a preview of one segment.

Sorokin will host weekly guests from the business, media, art and entertainment industries, according to Audio Up. Guests slated to appear on the show include singer-songwriter Julia Cumming, stand-up comedian Whitney Cummings, actress Julia Fox, playwright and actor Jeremy Harris, model Emily Ratajkowski and visual artist Kenny Schachter. 

“I’m interested in examining how rule-breaking can build you up as well as tear you down while also creating a polarizing reaction from the public,” she said in a statement.

The show’s producers are hoping to capitalize on any lingering fascination with Sorokin, who was exposed for posing as a wealthy heiress; in fact, she was the daughter of a truck driver originally from the suburbs of Moscow. 

“Right or wrong, many of us find ourselves rooting for Anna’s future, and that’s what this show examines.” Audio Up’s chief creative officer, Jimmy Jellinek, said in a statement.

No date for the debut of the podcast, which will also feature Sorokin’s debut music single, has been given. 

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