Briefly Noted


Firefighter Death Linked to Migrant Influx • A New York City firefighter died of a heart attack just months after being fired as a result of budget cuts to pay for the city’s migrant crisis, leaving his family to struggle financially and without insurance.


Derek Floyd, 36, passed


away April 15, the New York Post reported. He left behind a wife and two young children. Floyd was just shy of


vesting additional medical benefits for his family and more than $600,000 worth of death benefits when he was fired. Instead, his family was left with nothing. A GoFundMe page has


been set up for people to donate and help the family. Floyd was let go by the


FDNY after Mayor Eric Adams enacted around $4 billion in budget cuts over the next year to pay for housing for illegal migrants arriving in the Big Apple.


2 Giant Pandas for San Diego • A pair of giant pandas are being sent from China to the U.S., where they will be cared for at the San Diego Zoo as part of an ongoing conservation partnership between the two nations. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said its caretakers recently visited China to meet the giant pandas, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao. Yun Chuan, a mild- mannered male who’s nearly 5 years old, has “deep connections” to California, the wildlife alliance said. His mother, Zhen Zhen,


18 NEWSMAX | JUNE 2024


was born at the San Diego Zoo in 2007 to parents Bai Yun and Gao Gao. Xin Bao is a nearly 4-year-old female described as “a gentle and witty introvert with a sweet round face and big ears.”


$1 Billion Medical Device Recall • Medical device maker Philips will pay $1.1 billion to settle hundreds of personal injury lawsuits in the U.S. over its defective sleep apnea machines, which have been subject to a massive global recall. The payout also includes


medical monitoring claims from patients who used the company’s devices and could be exposed to future risks.


Philips, the Dutch manufacturer, has recalled more than 5 million of its breathing machines since 2021 because their internal foam can break down, leading users to inhale tiny particles and fumes while they sleep. It’s one of the biggest


medical device recalls in the industry’s history, which has dragged on for nearly three years.


Narcan Deal Cuts Costs • California will purchase a generic version of Narcan, the drug that can save someone’s life during an opioid overdose, under a deal approved by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Amneal Pharmaceuticals


in New Jersey will sell naloxone to California for $24 per pack, or about 40% cheaper than the market


Feather in Cap for Chick-fil-A C


hick-fil-A — the Christian-owned restaurant chain that famously closes on Sundays, Thanksgiving, and


Christmas Day — generated more than $21 billion in sales in 2023, a stunning 14.7% increase over the previous year. According to Nation’s Restaurant News, the Atlanta-


based eatery has essentially doubled its total sales volume since 2018.


The popular franchise, launched by Samuel Truett Cathy,


a devout Southern Baptist, in 1946 in Hapeville, Georgia, outshined its competitors by a wide margin. Popeyes grew its sales in 2023 by 10% (to $5.5 billion) while


Kentucky Fried Chicken finished the year with a 1.7% increase (to $5.17 billion). The company says its purpose is “to glorify God by being


a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”


rate, allowing the state to distribute 3.2 million packs a year instead of 2 million for the same total cost. California will give away


the packs for free to first responders, universities, and community organizations through the state’s Naloxone Distribution Project.


Farmers Go Nuts Over Imports • Hawaii’s famous chocolate-covered macadamia nuts might not all have been grown in the Aloha State after all. Foreign nuts are being “marketed cleverly as Hawaiian,” said Jeffrey Clark, chief operating officer of a trust that owns


Hamakua Macadamia Nut Co. “It’s not clear to consumers what is Hawaii grown and what is foreign grown.” The influx of foreign


nuts is a major headache for Hawaii’s 600-plus macadamia nut farmers, many of whom have small operations. Growers say they can’t find buyers for their kernel, and unharvested nuts are falling from their trees. Some farmers are giving up and trying to sell their equipment. Now, state lawmakers


are considering a law that would require packages to disclose when they contain macadamia nuts grown outside of Hawaii.


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