These are the headlines you Need 2 Know. * **Massive Hack:** Marriott revealed its Starwood reservation system was breached, involving the personal information ー including passport and credit card numbers ー of 500 million guests. The company is saying the guest database may have been compromised since 2014. This would be the biggest security breach since Yahoo had all of its user data hacked, though this has likely exposed more sensitive information. Read more [here](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-30/marriott-found-unauthorized-starwood-database-access-since-2014-jp3xbq64). * **Russia Plea:** Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer, made a surprise appearance in federal court where he pleaded guilty to a charge from the special counsel’s investigation into Russian collusion. Cohen admitted to prosecutors that he negotiated on behalf of Trump to build a tower in Moscow well into the 2016 campaign, and that he lied about it to Congress to protect his former boss. Trump responded by calling Cohen “a weak person.” Read more [here](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/individual-1-trump-emerges-as-a-central-subject-of-mueller-probe/2018/11/29/e3968994-f3f7-11e8-80d0-f7e1948d55f4_story.html?stream=top&utm_campaign=sendto_newslettertest&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=.e1edb3f59bf5). * **Russia Gift:** At the heart of Cohen’s plea agreement is a bombshell report that President Trump’s company planned to gift a $50 million penthouse in that Moscow tower to Vladimir Putin, in order to entice other wealthy Russians to move in. Trump responded on Twitter that he “lightly looked at” doing a development in Moscow and running his business while running for president was “very legal & very cool.” Trump has repeatedly said he had “nothing to do with Russia. Read more [here](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/anthonycormier/the-trump-organization-planned-to-give-vladimir-putin-the?ref=bfnsplash). * **Trump Cancels on Putin:** President Trump canceled his planned meeting with Vladimir Putin that was scheduled for this weekend at the G20 summit. Trump said he wouldn’t meet with Putin until a maritime skirmish between Russia and Ukraine was resolved. He tweeted the cancellation an hour after telling reporters he thought it was a “very good time” to have a meeting with the Russian leader. Read more [here](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/29/trump-putin-g20-meeting-buenos-aires). * **Payless, Paymore:**Payless Shoesource opened a mock luxury store to fool influencers ー and it worked. The discount footwear company opened up the temporary store in Santa Monica, filled it with its $20 and $40 shoes, named it “Palessi” and marked the shoes up ー as high as $645 a pair. People purchased the shoes, complimented the quality and later learned they’d been duped. Read more [here](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/payless-sold-discount-shoes-at-luxury-prices-and-it-worked/). * **Starbucks Porn:** Starbucks says it will start blocking porn and illegal content on its Wi-Fi network in stores. The company first said it would do so two years ago, but still has not implemented Wi-Fi filters. Read more [here](https://www.npr.org/2018/11/29/672028823/starbucks-moves-to-block-porn-from-free-wi-fi-networks). * **G20:** The gathering of leaders from the world’s 20 biggest economies is underway in Buenos Aires, amid concerns about climate change, the war in Yemen, and a trade war between the U.S. and China. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman will be in attendance, his highest profile public appearance since the death of Jamal Khashoggi. Read more [here](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-46395758]). * **Steph Curry:** NBA superstar Steph Curry personally responded to a 9-year-old California girl who wrote him a letter asking why his Curry 5 sneakers weren’t available on the girl’s section of the Under Armour website. Curry said: “We are correcting this NOW!” and sent the girl a pair of the sneaks for free. Read more [here](https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2018/11/29/18117984/steph-curry-shoes-letter-girl-sizes). * **Chopra/Jonas Wedding:** Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra are getting married this weekend at a palace in India. The wedding is a three-day event that will reportedly include two services: one is a traditional Indian wedding and the other a Christian service. Read more [here](https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/priyanka-chopra-nick-jonas-details-epic-day-indian-59495827). * **Crypto Scheme:** DJ Khaled and Floyd Mayweather Jr. were charged with fraud by the SEC for promoting a cryptocurrency offering without revealing to potential investors that they were being paid. The music producer and boxer settled with regulators and will not be able to promote any investments for two to three years. Read more [here](https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/29/tech/dj-khaled-floyd-mayweather-coin-crypto-sec/index.html). * **Southwest Apology:** Southwest Airlines has apologized after a gate agent allegedly made fun of a 5-year-old passenger’s name: Abcde. The girl’s mom says the agent took a photo of the child’s boarding pass and posted it on social media. Read more [here](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/southwest-airlines-apologizes-employee-laughing-5-year-old-passenger-named-n941766). Cheddar's Hena Doba gets into the latest. Subscribe to the Need 2 Know newsletter [here](https://theneed2know.com).

Share:
More In Business
Stocks Close Lower to Begin Week as Russia-Ukraine Tensions Weigh on Sentiment
Art Hogan, Chief Market Strategist at National Securities, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says investors are taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the situation between Russia and the Ukraine and elaborates on the impact higher oil prices stemming from the conflict would have on the market.
Cannabis Industry Shut Out of Super Bowl Ad Frenzy
Kyle Jaeger, senior editor for Marijuana Moment, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why a stigma still exists for the cannabis industry in advertising and social media after NBC rejected Weedmaps' ad for the big game even though more states across the country are legalizing cannabis.
Bipartisan Bill Targets Social Media Misinformation, Addiction, and Mental Health Impacts
A bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) aims to tackle the spread of misinformation on social media platforms, as well as the addictive nature of the sites and negative mental health impacts they have on users. The 'Nudge Act' would require studies to find and compile potential interventions that platforms could use to encourage people to think before they share a post, or log off after spending too much time on an app. The FTC would create rules based on these findings, and hold the platforms accountable. But will it work? Jesse Lehrich, co-founder of Accountable Tech, joins Closing Bell to discuss the bill, whether real results and regulations could come from it, and more.
Cryptocurrencies Blitz Super Bowl With Ad Campaigns
We know that the Los Angeles Rams emerged as Super Bowl champions, but the crypto industry also came out a winner on Sunday with several notable companies getting airtime in primetime. However, Richard Smith, author of the Risk Rituals Newsletter, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says the campaigns were a 'disappointment' and adds that crypto companies would be wiser spending their resources on creating value.
Deepdub Raises $20 Million to Bring A.I.-Based Dubbing to Global Market
A.I.-based entertainment company, Deedub, recently raised $20 million in a Series A round, led by Insight Partners. Deepdub uses A.I. technology to automate the dubbing process for foreign-language movies or TV shows, while using actors' original voices. The company says it can take just two to three minutes of data from an actor's voice and transform the voice into a different language. The funding comes as foreign-language films and shows like Netflix's 'Squid Game' have recently become more popular with audiences in the U.S. and around the world. Oz Krakowski, Chief Revenue Officer at Deepdub, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Energy Vault Begins Trading on the NYSE Following SPAC Merger
Energy Vault, the company developing sustainable, grid-scale energy storage solutions, is now trading on the New York Stock Exchange following the completion of its business combination with Novus Capital Corporation II. Energy Vault develops sustainable, grid-scale energy storage solutions designed to advance the transition to a carbon free, resilient power grid. Robert Piconi, co-founder and CEO of Energy Vault, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to disucss.
Load More