Need 2 Know: Trump Visits Iraq, Border at the 'Breaking Point'
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
* **Trump in Iraq:** The president and first lady arrived in Iraq for a surprise visit to greet troops, the first trip to an active war zone of Trump’s presidency. Speaking to about 100 enthusiastic soldiers at an airbase near Baghdad, Trump defended his skepticism over foreign intervention, saying the U.S. is no longer “the suckers of the world.” He also attacked Democrats over the border wall, a highly unusual tactic for presidents speaking to troops overseas. Read more [here](https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/trump-visits-us-troops-in-iraq-for-first-trip-to-a-conflict-zone-1.562190).
* **Border Changes:** Homeland Security Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen said the border is at a “breaking point,” a day after a second migrant child died in U.S. custody. She said in a statement that border agents will now do mandatory medical checks on all children under 10 in custody and Coast Guard medical personnel will be deployed to help. Read more [here](https://abcnews.go.com/beta-story-container/Politics/nielsen-us-borders-pushed-breaking-point-seek-open/story?id=60017621).
* **Winter Storm:** A major snowstorm is bringing whiteout conditions to the Plains and up through the Midwest, with blizzard conditions expected in the Dakotas today. The storm has already dumped inches of snow in some places. Parts of New England are expected to have snow, sleet, and freezing rain tonight. Read more [here](https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/2018-12-26-winter-storm-eboni-snow-wind-plains-midwest-wet-new-england-christmas).
* **Kevin Spacey:** There’s reportedly video evidence in the sexual assault case against actor Kevin Spacey. According to a Massachusetts State Police report, there’s video of Spacey touching the front of the alleged victim’s pants. The video is reportedly from Snapchat. Read more [here](https://www.masslive.com/news/2018/12/sexual-assault-case-against-kevin-spacey-includes-video-evidence-massachusetts-state-police-report-says.html).
* **Santa Claus Rally:** The Dow broke a record Wednesday ー this time a good one ー surging over 1000 points for the largest single-day point gain ever. The massive rise follows the Dow’s worst Christmas Eve in its history. The Dow and S&P indexes are still down nearly 20 percent on the year, just shy of bear market territory. Read more [here](https://www.cheddar.com/videos/dont-buy-this-market-analyst).
* **Snapchat for the Dogs:** Snapchat unveiled new filters for man’s best friend in a bid to increase use of its beleaguered app. The augmented reality lenses will make it look like there’s a butterfly on your pup’s nose, frame their head in a pepperoni pizza, or give them hipster glasses. Read more [here](https://www.pcmag.com/news/365628/snapchats-new-dog-lenses-give-your-pup-an-alter-ego).
* **Serena:** Tennis great Serena Williams has been voted AP Female Athlete of the Year ー for the fifth time. Rounding out the top five were gymnast Simone Biles, basketball player Arike Ogunbowale, snowboarder Chloe Kim and swimmer Katie Ledecky. The AP Male Athlete of the Year will be announced today. Read more [here](https://apnews.com/c93b33278c8c464983db9b7a9a6c998d).
* **Spotted:** Beyonce, Jay-Z and their three kids at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, showing Jay-Z’s grandmother a bench named in her honor. Read more [here](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-6530829/Beyonce-Jay-Z-EXCLUSIVE-Power-couple-enjoy-Christmas-New-York-park-family.html).
* **Macaulay Culkin x 2:** Actor Macaulay Culkin has a new middle name after putting it to a vote. The actor will now be Macaulay “Macaulay Culkin” Culkin. The middle name “Macaulay Culkin” beat out “TheMcRibIsBack,” which came in second and “Kieran” which came in third. Read more [here](https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2018/12/26/macaulay-culkin-new-middle-name-poll-results/2413495002/).
* **Airborne Christmas:** An Ohio father booked six flights so that he could spend Christmas in the air with his flight attendant daughter. The story went viral after a passenger caught wind of it and posted a photo to social media. Read more [here](https://people.com/human-interest/dad-booked-six-flights-to-join-flight-attendant-daughter-on-christmas/).
Cheddar's Hena Doba gets into the latest.
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A Senate bill unveiled on Wednesday looks to tackleonline safety for children by regulating Big Tech and social media platforms to deter users from content that can harm their mental health. Irene Ly, a policy counsel for the age-based ratings and review organization Common Sense Media, joined Cheddar News to break down the potential of the Kids Online Safety Act. "We can't be imposing such a big burden on parents to be doing it all on theirselves," Ly said. "I think you also have to keep in mind that parents often didn't grow up with social media, so they don't understand what it's like to be addicted to social media or really understand how they work."
While many still remain skeptical about the metaverse, big tech firms and even one big bank are ready to expand their virtual worlds. Facebook parent company has pivoted so hard it will now call its employees 'Metamates,' and even JPMorgan Chase has created its own digital lounge on one virtual platform. While the sector remains young, there seems to be significant investment opportunity, especially with companies like Nvidia. Adam Johnson, a portfolio strategist at Adviser Investments, joins Closing Bell to discuss which companies could win in this space, consumer appetite, and more.
Marc Blinder, Co-Founder and CEO of Aikon, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he discusses how his company is helping businesses use blockchain applications without needing to learn the intricacies of the new technology.
The Federal Reserve minutes from its January meeting are indicating it's sticking to an interest rate hike in March, but what does the report coupled with ongoing inflation mean for investors going forward? Scott Brown, a market strategist at LPL Financial, joined Cheddar News to break down the minutes and talk about how investors might navigate the rest of the year. "it seems like the market is kind of inclined to trade off these headlines, really, through the first half of the year," he said. "And then, oh, don't forget, we've got midterm elections, which always tend to add a little bit of volatility in the second half of the year." Brown noted that the path forward for stock investors in 2022 would be "rockier" than last year.
Season 13 "Shark Tank" contestant Tania Speaks secured a $400,000 deal for her Speaks Organic Skincare brand with "Shark" Mark Cuban while also being named one of the best pitches in the history of the show — all at 19 years old. Now 20, Speaks joined Cheddar News to talk about the skincare line, the clean beauty industry, and the moment that host Cuban was moved by her pitch. "I couldn't believe that he got emotional. I'm surprised I held back my tears that long," the young entrepreneur revealed. "It's just amazing for someone else to be inspired by your story, especially Mark Cuban himself."
The media giant formerly known as ViacomCBS has officially rebranded itself as Paramount Global with a focus on its streaming service, Paramount Plus. Naveen Chopra, chief financial officer at Paramount, joined Cheddar to discuss the company’s name change and streaming wars. "There are components of content licensing that we continue to do, either historical arrangements or opportunities to license content that don't really impinge on what we're trying to do with our owned and operated services and that continues to be an important ingredient in our broader financial model," he said. "But our number one priority is putting our best assets on Paramount Plus." Chopra also discussed theatrical release windows before feature films hit its service and the platform's subscription goals.
The recent 7.5% year-over-year increase in consumer prices is the highest since 1982, and drew some strong reactions from investors, with speculations that the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates by 50 points instead of 25. But other analysts believe that the Fed will stick with its original plan of 25 points next month. Chris Vecchio, Senior Analyst, at DailyFX broke down how the Fed could potentially react to the historically high inflation data.
