Get the Need2Know newsletter in your inbox every morning! Sign up here!

Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, October 29, 2021:

FACEBOOK GOES META

Facebook shall now be known as Meta. Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the rumored corporate rebrand during a presentation focusing on the company’s bet on the “metaverse,” a blending of the digital and physical worlds that he sees as the future. Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook (the platform) will keep their names and brands, but under the Meta umbrella. Executives, including Zuckerberg, have denied that the rebranding is an attempt to distance the company from its various reputational problems. CHEDDAR

STILL NO DEAL

President Biden landed in Rome overnight for a series of global summits with his economic agenda hanging in the balance back in Washington. Before he left, the president unveiled a new $1.8 trillion framework for his social spending bill in the hopes that it would satisfy the party’s centrist holdouts. The biggest chunk of that bill is $550 billion for climate change programs, which Dems had hoped would be signed into law by the time Biden arrives in Glasgow for COP26. POLITICO

VAX SHOWDOWN

A big test for strict vaccine mandates starts today in NYC. After a state judge refused to block a police union’s request to pause the city’s mandate, the entire municipal workforce -- the biggest in the country -- must have had at least one shot or they’ll be placed on unpaid leave starting Monday. The latest statistics from the city show a quarter of NYPD and EMS employees and a full third of FDNY and sanitation workers have not shown proof of vaccination, leading to worries that there could be a significant shortage of essential workers. NY TIMES

CUOMO CHARGED

Former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been charged with a misdemeanor sex crime for allegedly groping a female aide at the executive mansion in Albany last year. The criminal complaint stemmed from one of the women whose accusations of sexual harassment led to Cuomo’s resignation this summer. The former governor’s lawyer denied the charge and accused the local sheriff of carrying out a political hit job. The charge has a penalty of up to one year in jail, and Cuomo will have to appear in court for an arraignment on Nov. 17. NBC NY

SUMMER SLOWDOWN

The U.S. economy grew at a sluggish 2% over the summer, for the weakest rate of growth since the recovery started. Third-quarter GDP was expected to be disappointing given the resurgence of Covid combined with the supply-chain bottlenecks that zapped consumer spending. Many economists expect economic growth to pick up this quarter, but the supply-chain remains the biggest question mark ahead of the holidays. CNN

WAGE HIKES

Starbucks and Costco are the latest chains to institute a new minimum wage in a bid to hire and retain workers in a historically tight labor market. Costco has raised its minimum wage to $17/hour, and Starbucks has put in a floor of $15/hour for its employees. Costco’s pay raise comes just eight months after it hiked starting wages to $16, while Starbucks’ hike will kick in next summer, when baristas will earn up to $23/hour. NPR

HOCKEY SEX ABUSE SCANDAL

The head coach of the Florida Panthers has resigned in the fallout of a sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the NHL. Joel Quenneville was the coach of the Chicago Blackhawks during the team’s 2010 Stanley Cup run, when Hawks prospect Kyle Beach claims he was sexually assaulted by the team’s video coach, Brad Aldrich. Beach came forward this week, revealing himself as the “John Doe” in that case. A league investigation found that Quenneville was aware of the incident at the time even though he claimed as recently as Wednesday that he didn’t learn about it until recently. CHICAGO TRIB

ZAYN & GIGI SPLIT

Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik have reportedly split up amid an alleged dispute between Malik and Hadid’s mother, Yolanda. TMZ, citing unnamed sources, is reporting that Yolanda Hadid claimed that Malik “struck” her and that she was “seriously considering” going to the police. Malik issued a short statement vehemently denying that accusation. According to People, the singer and supermodel have decided to go their separate ways and will continue to co-parent their baby, Khai. PEOPLE

SPOTTED...

...Matt Damon, hawking cryptocurrency in a commercial for Crypto.com that debuted during Thursday Night Football: WATCH

 ...a Roman villa with the world’s only Caravaggio ceiling mural, up for auction at a starting price of $547 million. $360 million just gets you the painting: SEE IT

…Sen. Mitt Romney, dressed as Ted Lasso, warming up for Halloween in a bit with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema: SEE PICS

LEFTOVERS: EXTINCTION EVENT

Did the pandemic actually drive a strain of the flu to extinction? That’s a distinct possibility, according to new findings from Australian researchers. Scientists studying influenza say they have been unable to detect any signs of the B/Yamagata lineage of the virus anywhere in the world since April 2020. Their published study suggests that the various measures put into place around that time -- lockdowns, border closures, social distancing, masking, etc. -- may have effectively wiped that strain of flu off the map for good. COSMOS

Listen to the N2K Podcast! Looking for more context and analysis on the big stories of the day? Check out our podcast! Hosts Jill and Carlo break down the headlines, every weekday morning Listen on Apple or Spotify, or watch on YouTube, and send us your feedback!

Share:
More In Culture
Plant-Based Way to Quit Smoking; Innovation in Stroke Therapy
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: CEO of Achieve Life Sciences discusses a new plant-based compound that's being used to fight nicotine addiction; President & CEO OF DiaMedica Therapeutics explains a new ischemic stroke treatment option that expands the window for effective therapy for stroke patients; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Asteroid Rush.'
Pressure to Settle $1 Billion Claim From Nassar Survivors Against FBI
Survivors of Larry Nassar, including Olympian Simone Biles, are seeking $1 billion in damages from the FBI due to its failure to investigate the former gymnastics team doctor convicted of committing years of serial sexual abuse of minors. Jack Queen, a senior reporter at Law360, joined Cheddar News to break down the legal grounds of this case. "This is one of the biggest black eyes that the Bureau has faced in generations, quite frankly, and the FBI has taken full responsibility and admitted that it completely botched this investigation," he said. "So, there's a lot of pressure to settle."
Elevate Prize Foundation Wants to Create 'Fanbase for Good' With $10K Awards
The Elevate Prize Foundation is donating $10,000 to different grassroots organizations based on a theme every month to help scale their work, focusing on a different theme each time. Upcoming prizes will help uplift an organization supporting the LGBTQ community and one mobilizing to help end gun violence. The foundation's CEO Carolina Garcia Jayaram joined Cheddar to discuss the initiative and why it's important to uplift these grassroots organizations. "We are identifying social entrepreneurs around the world to help them scale their work. but the ultimate purpose of that is to create the first-ever fanbase for good," she said. "We're trying to make good famous and by inspiring people to think about the role they can play in doing good in the world."
Stephanie Shojaee on Paving the Way for Women in Real Estate
With real estate being a largely male-dominated industry, Stephanie Shojaee, vice president and chief marketing officer at development company Shoma Group, joined Cheddar News to discuss how she took on the gender gap for women to achieve leadership roles, starting at her own company. “It's been very important to teach all the women that work here, especially the younger ones, that they shouldn't change themselves," she said. "You need to be happy with who you are and just keep breaking barriers."
Hot summer could lead to rolling blackouts
We are already starting to feel the effects of summer. Heat waves in Texas and California are already sending temperatures soaring. That could spell trouble for the nation's power supply. there are new concerns about outages in many areas of the country. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier explains the two main causes of blackouts, and what states are doing to keep the lights on and the air conditioning running.
U.S. traffic deaths hit 16 year high
If you have been on the road this past year, you've probably seen more accidents on the road than you ever have. You're not wrong. Traffic fatalities are not only increasing they are hitting historic highs. Almost 43,000 people died in motor vehicle accidents in 2021. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier investigates - and finds out why.
U.S. Stocks Closed at Session Highs Tuesday
U.S. stocks close Tuesday at session highs after a subpar start to the trading day. Tim Chubb, Chief Investment Officer at the wealth advisory firm, Girard, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. 'We're starting to see the moderation of three core things -- we've seen the moderation of prices, we've seen the moderation of wage growth we've seen in the labor market, and we've also seen a moderation of job openings,' he says.
Gymnasts Seek $1 Billion From FBI Over Larry Nassar Case
The victims from the USA gymnastics sexual abuse scandal continue to seek justice. Survivors of Larry Nassar are seeking more than one-billion dollars from the FBI for failing to stop the convicted sports doctor when the agency first received allegations. According to a report released by the Justice Department's Inspector General, FBI agents knew in July of 2015 that Nassar was accused of abusing gymnasts; however, Nassar wasn't arrested until December of 2016. The group that filed the claim includes Olympic medalist Simone Biles and around 90 other women. Louise Radnofsky, sports reporter at The Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Kat Tat on Becoming 'Elite' Black Woman Tattoo Artist in Unwelcoming Industry
Tattoo artist Katrina "Kat Tat" Jackson, famous for starring in the VH1 hit series "Black Ink Crew: Chicago," is also the first Black woman to own a tattoo shop in Beverly Hills. She joined Cheddar News to discuss her trailblazing work, the stigma BIPOC tattoo artists face in the industry, and the way the space has changed for artists of color since her start. "In the beginning, I remember walking into a tattoo shop just like, hey, I wanna learn, I wanna be a tattoo artist and kind of just being laughed at, not taken seriously," she said. "Even with the tattoo conventions, a lot of African American tattoo artists were almost scared to go to conventions because it's not a welcoming environment."
Load More