Eva Longoria — actress, director, advocate, mother, and wife — has been busy during the coronavirus pandemic like many adults. In her case, stay-at-home orders led her to spend more time at home, caring for her young son and cooking. Longoria said she has been lucky to be able to take this time away from her career, but recognizes that many people, especially women, have been struggling to juggle additional responsibilities with work outside of the home. Now she is encouraging women to find ways to protect their mental well-being..
"I am, of course, very privileged to be able to stay home and be with my baby. There are so many people that don't have that luxury and still have to go to work and still have to be in danger without PPE," Longoria said.
In addition to family duties, this summer the Desperate Housewives star emerged as part of a women-led ownership group behind Angel City, the new Los Angeles-based team in the National Women's Soccer League.
"It was really exciting because it was a venture capital group that is by women, looks for women. I mean, it's all-around a holistic approach to having representation," Longoria said.
The urge to be part of a groundbreaking moment, in sports and soccer history in particular, according to Longoria, was sparked by the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, whose years of domination on the field was often coupled with demand for equal pay.
"We should have equal representation in government, in companies, in life, in media. So, this was a good way to exercise that," she said.
Longoria has long been recognized as an advocate and activist, and this year she was selected to be the host for the first night of the virtual Democratic National Convention.
"I wasn't there as a celebrity or as a famous person. I was there as an American. I was there as the daughter of a veteran, the daughter of a teacher, as a small business owner," she explained.
Now, Longoria has a new project underway: a campaign with Tillamook Creamery to draw attention to the country's agricultural needs, especially as food insecurity becomes a growing concern amid the pandemic.
"They're going to donate 10 percent of their sales, up to a donation of $1.6 million dollars, to the American Farmland Trust. That's to help farmers in many ways, whether it's protecting their farmlands, improving their farming methods, so many things," she said.
The actress, who admits to being a fan of the co-ops' ice cream, also noted the public campaign that encourages social media users to thank farmers and use the tags #AllForFarmers and #Sweepstakes. Tillamook will randomly select 10 lucky consumers to win a year's worth of free ice cream.
Healthcare workforce management platform ShiftMed
recently announced a $45 million funding round.
The company's platform connects nurses and healthcare professionals to hospitals and other healthcare providers.
ShiftMed's new funding comes amid widespread labor shortages in the healthcare sector. The company's CEO Todd Walrath joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Universities like UCLA, Yale, and Duke have announced they're implementing remote learning amid the COVID omicron variant surge, despite President Biden recommending that K-12 schools should continue in-person education. Jared C. Bass, senior director for Higher Education at American Progress, joined Cheddar to break down what institutions of higher education might be considering differently. "I think some universities are allowing periods of a bit of a respite to allow students to get testing and make sure when they do return back to campus that they're healthy," he noted.
The typical holiday rush to malls and other retail outlets on "Super Saturday" fell by 26 percent compared to 2019. Melissa Gonzalez, CEO and founder of retail strategist Lionesque Group, told Cheddar that shopping habits had already been changing. "I just think there's a shift in general. And then there's just a lot more pre-planning, and I don't think that's going to go away," she said. "You saw a lot of holiday gift guides go out earlier and deals go out earlier, so I think that's just going to be a trend going forward." She also discussed how cryptocurrency is going to play a role in retail in 2022.
Jeanenne Tornatore, travel expert, media personality, content creator, and former Orbitz senior editor, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she runs through items flyers should be mindful of this holiday season as the omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread.
With only two days left until Christmas, last-minute shoppers are facing major issues caused by supply chain shortages and the rising omicron variant. Kristen Gall, president of Rakuten Rewards, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Waze launched its first-ever "Year in Rear View" survey. Andrew Stober, Waze Head of Public Partnerships and Carpool, takes a look back at the year in travel to see the places we drove the most, the books and music that kept us entertained, and what we can expect in 2022.
Juan Perez Jr., education reporter for Politico, breaks down why Black Americans are leaving Chicago and how political controversy is impacting representation.
