Day: March 19, 2024

MacKenzie Scott on Tuesday gave more of her wealth away to nonprofits.

Across the country, 361 nonprofits collectively received $640 million through grants made by her donation vehicle, Yield Giving.

They had sought the donations from Scott through an “open call” that Lever for Change facilitated, Lever for Change said on its website. The open call fielded over 6,000 applications in total.

Scott said each of the nonprofits that ultimately received a grant in her latest charitable giving had been “elevated by peer organizations and a round-2 evaluation panel for their outstanding work advancing the voices and opportunities of individuals and families of meager or modest means, and groups who have met with discrimination and other systemic obstacles.”

NEW MACKENZIE SCOTT WEBSITE DETAILS $14B IN GIFTS

Recipients were located across 38 states, as well as others in Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, according to Lever for Change.

The size of the grants Scott sent were either $1 million or $2 million.

Lever for Change said the plan had originally been to dole out 250 grants worth $1 million, but “the donor team decided to expand the awardee pool and the award amount.”

Scott, whose reported net worth hovered around $35.7 billion, had provided over $17.2 billion in charitable donations through Yield Giving. She first launched the website for her philanthropic organization in December 2022.

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Her massive personal fortune stems from Amazon, the company that her ex-husband Jeff Bezos founded and that she holds a stake in, according to Forbes. The e-commerce giant had a value of $1.83 trillion on a market capitalization basis as of Tuesday.

Scott signed onto the Giving Pledge in 2019. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, his former wife Melinda French Gates and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett set up that initiative for the ultra-wealthy to give away 50% of their fortune about 14 years ago.

MACKENZIE SCOTT SOLD $10.4 BILLION IN AMAZON SHARES IN 2023

“In addition to whatever assets life has nurtured in me, I have a disproportionate amount of money to share,” she wrote at the time. “My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful.”

She said she would “keep at it until the safe is empty.”

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Chick-fil-A’s test kitchen is rolling out a variety of pizza flavors, including some topped with its fan-favorite sauce and signature chicken nuggets. 

The pizza flavors will be available at one Chick-fil-A location — at the chain’s test kitchen in College Park, Maryland.

The Maryland test kitchen — dubbed “Little Blue Menu” — offers fanatics the chance to try new innovations. 

Chick-fil-A said that the restaurant is inspired by Truett Cathy, the founder of the Atlanta-based restaurant in 1946.

CHICK-FIL-A LAUNCHING MANHATTAN RESTAURANT WITH MOBILE PICKUP AND DELIVERY ONLY

The restaurant said that Cathy tested different menu items and shared them with customers on a blue menu.

Now, Chick-fil-A is introducing an assortment of pizza pies.

Among the options is a cheese pizza with chicken nuggets, pickles and Chick-fil-A sauce, a variation with Buffalo and ranch sauces, and a more traditional pizza with toppings like pepperoni and mushrooms.

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The new menu option in the test kitchen came as creative Chick-fil-A lovers and bloggers created recipes for people to try at home.

Bloggers shared on social media platforms to create the pizza at home.

They suggested that people buy a 12-count nugget, large fries, Chick-fil-A sauce alongside cheese and a pre-made pizza crust.

“As an innovation kitchen brand, we are constantly looking at what our customers want to better serve them,” Stuart Tracy, senior culinary lead developer, said in a statement. “We’ve noticed our customers getting creative with Chick-fil-A ingredients on pizzas at home, so, we’ve decided to jump on board! Your taste buds already know the flavors, so it’s love before first bite.”

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Little Blue Menu in College Park is open 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday, but as with all Chick-fil-A restaurants, it is closed Sundays.

FOX Business has reached out to Chick-fil-A for comment.

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The head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told aerospace giant Boeing that it needs to refocus on ensuring the safety and quality of its aircraft following recent incidents.

FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker said in an interview with NBC Nightly News set to air on Tuesday that his recent trip to Boeing manufacturing facilities left him with the belief that “there are issues around the safety culture at Boeing,” according to an excerpt released by the network.

Whitaker went on to say that Boeing’s “priorities have been on production and not on safety and quality, and so what we really are focused on now is shifting that focus from production to safety and quality.”

He went on to tell NBC’s Lester Holt that Boeing’s protocols were “not what you would’ve expected if safety was the first priority.” 

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“Whenever someone comes into the FAA to brief on their company, the first thing I expect is to talk about safety because we all have to start there – if it’s not safe, then the whole system is not working the way it should,” Whitaker added.

Boeing told FOX Business in a statement, “We are taking significant action to strengthen safety and quality at Boeing. We are focused on demonstrating change and building trust one airplane at a time. This increased scrutiny – whether from ourselves, from the FAA or from others – will make us better.”

BOEING BATTERED AS INCIDENTS PILE UP

The FAA chief’s comments about Boeing come in the wake of the Jan. 5 incident in which the door plug panel of a Boeing 737 Max 9 operated by Alaska Airlines suffered a midair blowout and cabin depressurization, which forced the aircraft to return for an emergency landing. 

The door panel appeared to be missing four key bolts, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that was released in February.

BOEING SECURITY FOOTAGE OF WORK ON JET WITH FAILED DOOR PLUG IS UNAVAILABLE, NTSB SAYS

The incident prompted a grounding of 737 Max 9 aircraft operated by Alaska and United Airlines as the companies and the FAA conducted inspections to prevent a recurrence. 

That and other incidents have heightened scrutiny of the manufacturer’s processes. The New York Times reported that Boeing failed 33 aspects of the FAA’s audit of its operations, with 97 points of noncompliance, while it passed 56 points of the audit.

A separate audit by an independent panel that was commissioned by Congress after Boeing 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia, respectively. 

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That audit found that Boeing’s management and employees had a “disconnect” on safety and pressed the company to develop an action plan over 6 months to improve its safety culture.

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JetBlue has lost more than $2 billion since its last profitable year, 2019. Read More