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
GM CFO Says Chip Availability Is Getting Better, Good News for Electric Vehicle Goals
General Motors reported its Q4 earnings Tuesday. While chip shortages impacted sales and revenue last quarter, Paul Jacobson, GM Chief Financial Officer, told Cheddar chip availability has gotten better since Q3. This is crucial as GM has pivoted its focus toward electric vehicles. It recently announced it will be building a new battery plant in Michigan, making $35 billion in EV investments, and producing a million electric vehicles by 2025.
Google and AARP to Provide Digital Skills Training for Older, Low Income Workers
Google’s philanthropy arm, Google.org, recently announced a $10 million grant for the AARP Foundation to aid in teaching digital skills to low income older workers. As the implementation of hybrid work expands, a greater emphasis is being placed on helping workers 50 years old and up — especially among women and people of color — to be digitally literate in order to keep the workplace generationally diverse. Lisa Marsh Ryerson, president of the AARP Foundation, joined Cheddar News to talk about the curriculum of the partnership. "Those of us who are 50 and older are not digital natives, so we do have a learning curve that we have to address," she noted.
AT&T Investors Digest WarnerMedia Spinoff Merger With Discovery for $43 Billion
AT&T announced earlier today it is spinning off its media properties in WarnerMedia in a merger with Discovery in a $43 billion deal.Scott Rostan, founder and CEO at Training The Street, joined Cheddar to talk about what the unwinding of the telecom giant's Time Warner media properties means for investors. "I think the investor sentiment is they're digesting the new information, and they're looking into the dividend, especially the reduction of the dividend," said Rostan, noting the transaction allows AT&T to focus on its core telecommunications business.
End of an Era: Tom Brady Announces Retirement From NFL
Greg Bishop, Senior Writer for Sports Illustrated, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says Tom Brady's legacy is all about 'progress' and expects the future Hall of Famer to bolster his entrepreneurial ventures following his retirement.
Stocks Close Near Session Highs to Begin February
Anthony Saccaro, Founder and President of Providence Financial, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he elaborates on why he is excited that the market is beginning to rebound and believes February has the potential to be a good month after a turbulent January.
Energy Storage Solutions Company Leclanché Powers EV Fleets to Reduce Emissisions
A 2021 report from UK Research and Innovation found that the shipping industry makes up at least 2.5 percent of the world's total CO2 emissions. It's a problem that energy solutions company, Leclanché, is trying to solve. Founded in 1909, the company has been developing and producing batteries for more than 100 years. Today, Leclanché's lithium-ion battery is used to electrify not just ships, but also railroad locomotives, trucks, and specialty vehicles. Cheddar News spoke with Pierre Blanc, chief technology and industrial officer of Leclanché, to discuss.
Load More