Pharmacy Staff Begin 3-Day Walkout; Heavy Metal Found In Fast Food | NTD Tonight – Oct. 31

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to NTD Tonight. I'm David Zhang. Here is a preview of some of today's top stories. Hamas terrorists have nowhere to hide. The Israel Defense Forces say they are fighting terrorists underground and now in a refugee camp. Congress to vote on reducing funding for California's high-speed rail. Other transportation budgets are also on the line. The influx of migrants coming from China. These people are willing to traverse the Central American jungles to enter the U.S. illegally. Israeli airstrikes against Hamas are ramping up in intensity, this time targeting a terrorist in a refugee camp. The IDF continues to move further into Gaza with troops now entering their tunnels to fight Hamas terrorists. NTD's Jason Perry has the latest. Israel Defense Forces continue to pursue Hamas terrorists in Gaza, even if they try to hide in refugee camps. Photos from Tuesday show the destruction after a strike. An IDF spokesperson confirmed that the attack was carried out by Israeli forces. I can update you now that there was a very senior Hamas commander in that area. Sadly, he was hiding, again, as they do, within civilians. And that's all I can say at this point. The strike hit Jabalia refugee camp in the north of Gaza, and Israeli forces have been advising civilians to evacuate this area and go to the south. We know that he was killed. About the civilians there, we're doing everything we can to minimize. I'll tell you, I'll say it again. Sadly, they are hiding themselves within civilian population. And again, we are doing this stage by stage, and we're going to go after every one of these terrorists who was involved in that heinous attack on the 7th of October. Also on Tuesday, the IDF reported killing 50 terrorists, including two more Hamas commanders, both of whom helped facilitate the massacre in which over 1,400 innocent civilians were killed in Israel in a surprise terrorist attack. And now, four days into ground operations in Gaza, Israel has been fighting terrorists inside the tunnels of the Hamas network. Israel hopes to rescue hostages along the way. The Israeli military says the number of known hostages in Hamas captivity has increased again and is now over 240. But Israel is not only fighting against Hamas. It has also been engaged in cross-border fire exchanges with Iranian-backed groups in Syria, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon. And on Tuesday, another country weighed in on the conflict. A spokesperson for Yemen's Houthis said they've been launching missiles and drones at Israel. He called Israel the enemy and said the operation is in support of Palestinians. The IDF said aerial threats were detected from the area of the Red Sea, and all were intercepted outside of Israel. In January 2021, the Trump administration designated Yemen's Houthis as a terrorist organization. However, the Biden administration reversed the decision, saying the terrorist designation would make it difficult to get humanitarian aid to Yemen. Jason Perry, NTD News. In response to the recent attacks on Jabalia refugee camp, protesters took to the streets of West Bank cities, denouncing the move. And early Tuesday, Bolivia's government announced that they are cutting diplomatic ties with Israel. Bolivia's deputy foreign minister called the attack, quote, crimes against humanity. Palestinian officials say they plan to open the Rafah border crossing tomorrow to allow a limited number of injured Palestinians to travel to Egypt. Now let's take a look at other top national headlines today. U.S. Senators heard from Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin about national security. Both argued that supporting U.S. partners is vital to America's national security interests. Without swift and sustained humanitarian relief, the conflict is much more likely to spread. Suffering will grow, and Hamas and its sponsors will benefit by fashioning themselves as the saviors of the very desperation that they created. Biden has a request of $60.4 billion for Ukraine. The president has also asked for $14.3 billion for Israel and $9 billion for humanitarian relief, including for Israel and Gaza. The package also includes over $13 billion for U.S. border security and $4 billion to counter China's regional efforts in Asia. Blinken's address at the Senate hearing was repeatedly interrupted by protesters, many chanted, seize fire now. They stood up and waited for Blinken to begin his testimony before shouting at him again. Some protesters painted their hands red. Capitol Police quickly removed them from the meeting. Police said 12 people were arrested. Some of those protesters reportedly have ties to an anti-war group known as Cold Pink. It also called on the U.S. to stop sending weapons to Ukraine. FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday warned that the threat of a terror attack against Americans has been raised alarmingly due to ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The Jewish community is targeted by terrorists really across the spectrum. Homegrown violent extremists, foreign terrorist organizations, both Sunni and Shia, domestic violent extremists. And in fact, our statistics would indicate that for a group that represents only about 2.4 percent of the American public, they account for something like 60 percent of all religious-based hate crimes. Wray warned that the most immediate concern is that individuals or small groups would draw inspiration from the events to attack Americans. Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy will face a challenger for a seat in Congress. David Giglio has announced his run for California's 20th district. The businessman says on his campaign website that McCarthy, quote, has failed the American people. Giglio praised the eight Republicans who voted to remove McCarthy as speaker, calling them, quote, courageous. He accused the former speaker of not doing enough to fight a Biden administration's agenda. The border crisis, weaponization of government, and alleged corruption are among his top priorities. For detailed coverage of these stories, please visit NTD.com. The high-speed rail project to bring travelers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in under three hours may be losing funding. House lawmakers seek to block grants for the California program. NTD's David Lam reports. The Republican-led House of Representatives planned to vote on laws that could block the Biden administration from funding California's high-speed rail project, which could carry passengers at speeds above 200 miles per hour. On Monday, the White House said it opposed the bill, which would also cut funds for U.S. passenger railroad Amtrak and mass transportation programs. Under the proposal, Amtrak's annual federal funding would be cut by 64 percent and block federal support for the California high-speed rail program. California recently won $202 million in federal funds and seeking $8 billion over five years. Some critics call the project expensive and question whether it'll be used as much as passenger vehicles or airplanes. Back in 2008, voters approved an initial $10 billion bond for the rail project. The initial segment is estimated to cost $35 billion and to launch service as early as 2030. But the full San Francisco to Los Angeles project could cost roughly $90 to $130 billion. It would eventually extend to Sacramento and San Diego, totaling 800 miles with up to 24 stations. The House of Representatives is set to vote Wednesday on the U.S.'s transportation funding. David Lam, NTD News, California. Migrants go through great lengths to get to the U.S. border illegally, even traversing through a jungle. The dangerous path has grown in popularity through social media. A major influx of Chinese migration to the United States on a relatively new and perilous route through Panama's Darien Gap jungle has become increasingly popular thanks to social media. According to Panamanian immigration authorities, Chinese people were the fourth highest nationality after Venezuelans, Ecuadorians, and Haitians crossing the Darien Gap during the first nine months of this year. When we're used to seeing border crossers here, Central Americans, Mexicans, trying to avoid the border patrol. And here we have this giant mass of Asians coming in saying, please, and they make this, please arrest me. Where's the guy who's going to arrest me? It's very unusual for this area. Chinese migrants use this route to fly to Ecuador, which does not require them to have visas. They then make their way north to the U.S.-Mexico border. They say they're seeking to escape an increasingly repressive political climate and bleak economic prospects. Chen Yi Xiao said he endured a hard journey to be in the U.S. He said life had become difficult back home, with some people experiencing issues with the government and others failing in business. The government was oppressing us and trying to collect our lands with a really low price. Then they asked a bunch of gang members and their staff to beat us up and have conflicts. Chen shows a video on his mobile phone that shows what he claims is his uncle and fellow farmers from a small village in southern China being physically assaulted by government operatives. It was not easy to get here. Climbing mountains and raiding, basically went through everything. Chen says he plans to join relatives in New York and find work there. In recent weeks, illegal migrants have filled makeshift encampments in California's desert as they wait to turn themselves in to U.S. authorities to make asylum claims. Last week, Florida officials raised concerns after two dozen illegal Chinese immigrants sailed to Key Largo by boat. They were detained by Customs and Border Protection. We'll take a short break now everybody, but here's a look at what we have for you when we come back. CVS and Walgreens pharmacists are walking out. The move is trying to call attention to understaffing concerns in stores. High levels of toxic metals are found in fast food. The founder of the non-profit behind the study shares details on their findings. Evacuations in parts of Southern California for a late season wildfire. Strong winds and dry conditions pose a challenge for firefighters. Those stories and more coming up on NTD Tonight. Welcome back to NTD Tonight. I'm your host, David Zhang. Employees at major U.S. drugstore chains initiated nationwide walkouts this week. NTD's Christina Corona has more on the story. Some employees at CVS and Walgreens pharmacies launched a three-day walkout starting Monday to push the companies to improve working conditions and add more staff to their stores. The walkout, known as Pharmageddon, which was coordinated on a Facebook group page, caused store closures in New York City Monday. Shane Jarominski, a former Walgreens pharmacist and one of the organizers of the walkout, told CNN up to 5,000 pharmacy workers were expected to participate over three days, but the exact numbers were unclear due to the absence of a union. The protests aimed to address severe understaffing in stores, where employees juggled prescriptions, appointments, and walk-in immunizations. Fraser Ingerman, a Walgreens spokesperson, told CNN that just two stores closed on Monday and no more than 12 pharmacists walked out across the entire country. He did not immediately clarify whether that included pharmacy staff. However, Jarominski confirmed there were at least 25 store closures and explained that some employees, fearing company reprisals, called in sick instead of walking out. There were also plans for rallies outside CVS headquarters in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and Walgreens in Deerfield, Illinois, as shared on social media. The walkout ends on November 1st, and a GoFundMe page initially for union support has raised over $60,000 and is serving as an emergency relief fund for participating workers. Christina Corona, NTD News, Los Angeles. A hundred percent of fast food samples tested positive for high amounts of heavy metals in recent lab tests. Volunteer moms from a nonprofit group organized the study. NTD's Jason Blair spoke with the group's founder, who said the results were worse than expected. Forty-two fast food samples from 21 restaurants across the U.S. were sent to a lab to test for heavy metals. CHRISTINA CORONA, Founder, GoFundMe. But, unfortunately, 100 percent of the samples were positive for cadmium and lead. The study was done by nonprofit moms across America. They tested the top 20 fast food chains, plus In-N-Out Burger. And cadmium was the highest, actually, in In-N-Out French fries. The cadmium in In-N-Out's fries was 1,158 percent higher than what the EPA allows in safe drinking water. Second was Jack-in-the-Box fries with 970 percent higher levels. And the sample with the lowest level of cadmium was 74 percent higher than what's allowed in drinking water. For lead, the highest amount was found in a Sonic cheeseburger with 912 percent more than what the EPA allows in drinking water. Any amount of lead is not a good deal for the human brain, especially children, in the food supply. Honeycutt said 100 percent of the fast food also tested positive for the widely used herbicide glyphosate and its breakdown AMPA. And glyphosate is a carcinogen, an endocrine disruptor. It causes liver and kidney disease. It's neurotoxic. It causes nervous system damage, damage to sperm. It androgynizes baby girls. Children across America have also done lab tests in the past on other items, such as school lunches, which Honeycutt says are often supplied by fast food companies. It is a burden of toxins, a collective burden of toxins that our children are experiencing and our adults are experiencing that is contributing to widespread chronic illness. Honeycutt encourages everyone to eat organic as much as possible, as well as have more compassion for the people in their lives, because studies have linked that toxins in food and the environment can cause people stress and impact moods and behaviors. They may not be trying to be a jerk or to be rude or to be angry. They may be being impacted by the glyphosate they just ate from that croissant. Moms across America plans to do more lab tests in the future. Jason Blair, Entity News. Speaking of fast food, after California's fast food workers strike, their minimum wage will increase to $20 per hour starting next year. Now fast food chains are planning to increase the prices of their menu. Fast food chains like McDonald's and Chipotle are planning to increase their menu prices next April after the restaurant industry and labor groups agreed to increase minimum wage to $20 per hour. This means customers will pay more to offset the rise in labor costs. McDonald's did not say how much their food prices will increase by. Chipotle said that they would add 2.5 to 3 percent to its cost inflation. Chipotle already raised prices by 3 percent in October after pausing hikes for over a year, but margin benefits would be offset by higher dairy and beef costs. Assembly Bill 257 signed last year would have the power to raise the minimum wage each year through 2029. The mandatory raise would apply to all fast food restaurants in California that are part of a chain with at least 60 locations nationwide. The Highland fire burning in Southern California, a relentless wildfire stoked by fierce Santa Ana winds, rampaged through rural terrain southeast of Los Angeles. Entity News' Stephanie Sekal reports. A wildfire fueled by strong Santa Ana winds swept through rural land southeast of Los Angeles on Monday. The fire, called the Highland fire, started in dry hills near Aguanga in Riverside County. It had spread over approximately two square miles by late Monday night, leading to the evacuation of about 4,000 people from 1,300 homes. While three structures were destroyed and six damaged, it's uncertain if there were homes. So far, no injuries were reported. If you received an evacuation order, please leave. If you received an evacuation warning, please continue to pay close attention to those. If something were to change, you would receive another notification. If you do not receive notifications, please go to RivcoReady.org forward slash alert Rivco and sign up so that you can be prepared. The wind, blowing at speeds of 20 to 25 miles per hour, intensified the fire. Fire crews planned to contain the fire as the winds eased, but the windy conditions remain strong. Resources like air tankers and bulldozers are being deployed to fight the fire, one of the few large wildfires during California's year-round fire season. This marked Southern California's first substantial Santa Ana wind condition, which historically has led to major and destructive fires in the area. The National Weather Service warns of continued high winds in Riverside County, with gusts up to 40 miles per hour and extreme fire danger in parts of Los Angeles and Riverside counties through Tuesday afternoon. Stephanie Sikal, NTD News, California. Now let's check in with NTD's Tyler Castillo for a sports update. So Tyler, what's happening in the NHL world? Thank you, David. So in the NHL world, Jumbo Joe Thornton, NHL legend, first overall selection in 1997, has announced his retirement. He's played for the Boston Bruins and was traded to the San Jose Sharks in 2005, and after the Sharks, he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs and then joined the Florida Panthers. He has six in all-time games played and he leads the Sharks in assists. Joe Thornton has also won the Art Ross Trophy and the Hart Trophy as well. And unfortunately, there was a recent tragedy making waves in the hockey world. What do you know about Adam Johnson, who died after getting cut during a professional hockey game? Yeah, so unfortunately, David, Adam Johnson, a former NHL player, has passed away after taking a skate blade to the neck during a EIHL game. This has led the EIHL to make neck guards mandatory, and even the NHL and the WHL is looking into making neck guards and potentially even wrist guards mandatory for players in the upcoming seasons. This isn't the first time a player has gotten cut during a game. There was a goalie in the 80s who got his neck cut, and then there was another player during the early 2010s on Florida that had his neck cut as well. Luckily, they both survived, but this has led to the discussion of whether neck guards should be mandatory, which I believe so. You know, our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones, and you know, he's just a great guy, a great teammate, had an awesome attitude while he was here. Yeah, that's very tragic. Tyler, thank you for your reporting. Of course. Thank you, David. That's all we've got for you tonight. We would like you to join us again on NTD Tonight every weekday at 9 p.m. I'm David Zhang. Have a wonderful evening.