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
Predictions for Bitcoin As it Plunges Below $40,0000
Bitcoin plunged below the $40,000 mark on Monday, hitting its lowest price since September. The world's most valuable cryptocurrency has had months of hot and cold streaks, and the latest drop now has investors wondering just what 2022 will have in store for bitcoin and the crypto space as a whole. Ben McMillan, CIO at IDX Digital Assets, joined Cheddar Movers to discuss.
Walmart, FedEx Order GM's Electric Delivery Vans
You could be seeing more electric delivery vans on the road soon. Walmart and FedEx have inked deals with GM's all-electric brand BrightDrop to add thousands of vehicles to their fleets. Walmart has reserved 5,000 vans for the first time, while FedEx is expanding an initial order of 500 vehicles. Michael Zimmerman, partner and head of logistics at Kearney, joined Cheddar to discuss what this means for the electric vehicle market moving forward.
Toyota Dethrones GM as Nation's Top-Selling Automaker
After nearly a century, General Motors is no longer the top-selling automaker in America. Toyota has dethroned the long-reigning champ to become the leader in U.S. auto sales for the first time, and the first non-domestic automaker to take that title. The Japanese automaker outsold GM by about 114,000 vehicles, or 5% more, in 2021. Al Root, senior writer for Barron's, joined Cheddar to discuss the meaning behind these numbers.
The State of the Global Semiconductor Chip Shortage
This year's worldwide semiconductor shortage limited the supply of everything from new cars to smart phones. Looking ahead, several experts in the chip industry expect the shortage to continue deep into 2022, and maybe even 2023. Syed Alam, Accenture's Global Semiconductor Lead, joined Cheddar Movers to discuss.
Tesla Under Investigation Over Vehicle Game Feature
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating roughly 580,000 Tesla vehicles due to their front touch screen 'passenger play' gaming feature amid concerns over possible distracted driving. The investigation covers Tesla models ranging from the years 2017-2022. Brian Moody, Executive Editor at Autotrader, joined Cheddar Movers for more.
Calls for More Delays 5G Deployment Delays as Airlines Warn of 'Catastrophic Disruption'
After a two-week delay of 5G deployment at airports due to the airline industry's claims it will cause "catastrophic disruption," AT&T and Verizon are set to roll out the service on January 19. Michael Boyd, CEO of aviation consultancy Boyd Group International, joined Cheddar to discuss the concerns being voiced by the airlines. "If the airline industry thinks it's going to be something to disrupt our system or impair safety, it shouldn't roll out at all, period," Boyd said, noting that the telecom giants should rethink the activation over safety and security.
Income Inequality Among Influencers, Closing the Racial Pay Gap
A recent study by MSI uncovers a vast racial divide in influencer marketing. The research found a 35% racial pay gap between white and black influencers. This gap is extremely wider than the gap in other industries such as education, business, and finance. The research also suggests that brands and agencies have the power to close this gap. Tiffany Hardin, founder and CEO of Gild Creative Group, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Load More