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Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, October 26, 2021:
FACEBOOK PROFIT
Facebook may have all the problems in the world, except for the one that matters most to its bottom line: the company just keeps on printing money. Facebook’s latest earnings report showed a record profit in the third quarter -- $9 billion on revenues of $29 billion, up 35% over last year. More importantly, despite concerns that fewer young people are logging onto the main Facebook service, the total user base for its family of apps rose to 3.58 billion people, nearly half the world’s population. Mark Zuckerberg used the earnings call to defend Facebook against the onslaught of new reporting based on internal leaks, calling it a “coordinated effort to selectively leak documents to paint a false picture of our company.” CNN
COVID TRAVEL POLICY
The White House has laid out the new travel restrictions that will apply for foreigners coming into the U.S. when borders reopen on Nov. 8. Vaccinated travelers will have to show proof of vaccination in addition to a recent negative Covid test and contact tracing info in order to board a plane bound for the U.S. There will be a notable exception for people traveling from countries with low supply of vaccines; if they aren’t on a tourist visa, they can come with just a negative test. Children under 18 are also exempt from the vaccination rule as long as they provide a negative test. USA TODAY
NOR'EASTER(S)
After the West Coast got pummeled by a series of severe storms, it’s the East Coast’s turn to take a beating. The first nor’easter of the season is bringing heavy rain and wind to an area from Appalachia to New England, with effects lasting through tomorrow. NYC is under a flash flood watch today with 4-8 inches of rain expected. Wind gusts up to 80 mph are forecast for Boston. Once this nor’easter moves out, another one is on deck that could make for a wet Halloween weekend across the Northeast. ACCUWEATHER
GREENHOUSE GAS RECORD
Despite the hopes that the pandemic lockdowns would have significantly slowed greenhouse gas emissions, emissions actually rose to a record level in 2020, according to the World Meteorological Organization. The report comes as world leaders prepare to travel to Glasgow for next week’s high-stakes COP26 climate summit. Democrats are rushing to strike a deal on President Biden’s economic agenda ahead of that meeting so that the president can deliver something concrete on his climate pledge. NPR
SUDAN COUP
A coup is underway in Sudan, where the military just seized power, arrested the prime minister and dissolved the civilian government. Protesters have taken to the streets in the capital city of Khartoum but the internet has been cut, severing communications across one of the largest countries in Africa. The coup -- the country’s second in two years -- puts to bed the hopes that Sudan’s fledgling democracy might have grown into something substantial. AP
TESLA WORTH A TRILLION
Tesla’s market cap crossed $1 trillion for the first time after Hertz announced it would buy 100,000 Teslas by the end of next year, the largest-ever order for electric vehicles of any kind and a cool $4.2 billion in revenue for Tesla. The company’s stock has been on fire, closing above $1,000 for the first time after rising ten-fold over the course of the pandemic. The sweetener: Tesla’s Model 3 just became the top-selling car in Europe, the first time an electric car has outsold gas-powered vehicles on the continent. CHEDDAR
GOOGLE COMES FOR IPHONE
Google’s new Pixel 6 is getting rave reviews from tech columnists who have been toying with the device ahead of its launch on Thursday. The new Pixel is the first Google phone to come with Google’s proprietary Tensor chip, making it much faster than other Android devices and able to do advanced tasks like real-time language translation and voice transcription. It’s also completely redesigned, with a “camera bar” on the back that allows the phone to sit flat on a table. The kicker, though, is the price: the Pixel 6 starts at $599, making it $200 cheaper than the base iPhone 13. GIZMODO
CHAPPELLE SPEAKS
Dave Chappelle is addressing the ongoing controversy over his latest Netflix special in a new stand-up routine. In a clip posted to his Instagram, the comedian says he’s open to meeting with transgender Netflix employees who have called for the streamer to remove The Closer from the platform, but said that he won’t bend “to anybody’s demands.” Chappelle also claims that an upcoming documentary that he made is being excluded from the film festival circuit and credited Netflix chief Ted Sarandos for sticking by him. VARIETY
SPOTTED...
...Princess Mako of Japan, marrying her commoner boyfriend and officially leaving the royal family in the process: SEE PICS
…JoJo Siwa, with a new brown ‘do. The DWTS contestant dyed her trademark blonde locks amid reports she split with girlfriend Kylie Prew: SEE PIC
...Yosemite Falls, roaring back to life after days of heavy rain: SEE IT
LEFTOVERS: BURGER MATH
A&W Restaurants is promoting a new burger that pokes fun at a notorious marketing fail from the 1980s. It was then that A&W tried to compete with McDonald’s new, wildly popular Quarter Pounder by launching a ⅓ Pound Burger for the same price. The burger was a giant flop because consumers wrongly thought that ⅓ was less than ¼, and the fiasco went down as a legendary case of overestimating Americans’ ability to do simple math. Now A&W is bringing the menu item back, this time marketing it as the 3/9 Burger: WATCH THE AD
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