McDonald's closes in Russia, citing "needless human suffering" in Ukraine
CBSN
Facing boycott calls and a plea from a large investor, McDonald's on Tuesday said it would temporarily shut its 850 restaurants in Russia due to the country's invasion of Ukraine.
"[O]ur values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine," McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski stated in an open letter to employees of the company that was shared with CBS MoneyWatch. The letter stopped short of condemning Russia for the attack.
The world's largest fast-food chain said it will continue paying its 62,000 employees in Russia. Ronald McDonald House Charities, the company's philanthropic arm, is now operating in Poland on the border with Ukraine to offer medical care and humanitarian aid for refugees who have fled the fighting. The group's Ukraine chapter is distributing medical supplies and offering aid throughout Ukraine, McDonald's said.
The launch of Boeing's star-crossed Starliner spacecraft on its first piloted test flight is slipping to at least June 1 to give engineers more time to assess a small-but-persistent helium leak in the capsule's propulsion system, and its potential impact across all phases of flight, NASA announced Wednesday.
Washington — As former President Donald Trump's "hush money" criminal trial in New York proceeds to closing arguments next week, the legal focus is moving south. His attorneys and longtime aide Walt Nauta appeared before Florida federal Judge Aileen Cannon, where they sparred with prosecutors during two contentious, day-long hearings on Wednesday.