Get the Need2Know newsletter in your inbox every morning! Sign up here!

Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, January 5, 2022:

"I HATE U" VARIANT

Move over Omicron and "Flurona": France has reported a new variant named “IHU,” which may harbor as many as 46 mutations. The variant has so far infected 12 patients in southeastern France, with the first linked to a fully-vaccinated person who had just traveled from Cameroon. IHU is currently being monitored to assess how infectious or dangerous it could be. INDEPENDENT UK 

NO SCHOOL

A battle between teachers and the mayor of Chicago means students are getting a surprise day off today. The teacher's union voted to switch to online learning due to record COVID-19 cases, but Mayor Lori Lightfoot is against the plan. Parents are still waiting to hear how their kids will be learning in the days ahead. Other cities including Cleveland, Milwaukee and Atlanta have switched to remote learning. NY TIMES

THE BIG QUIT

4.5 million workers voluntarily left their jobs in November, the highest number on record. While much focus has been on white-collar workers, in what is being heralded as “The Great Resignation,” the Labor Department found many of the quits were reported in the hotel and restaurant sectors, which tend to offer lower pay. The lagging report showed a rebound in the job market, although it's unclear how the post-Thanksgiving Omicron surge has affected these industries. AP

TRUMP NIXES JAN. 6 EVENT

Former President Donald Trump has canceled a press conference he had scheduled for January 6, exactly one year after supporters stormed the Capitol while Congress was certifying the results of the 2020 election. Trump says he's bowing out of this year's planned event because of the House Select Committee's “total bias and dishonesty” in the insurrection investigation. Fear not - Trump still plans to share his thoughts during a press conference coming up on January 15. AXIOS

COLD, COLD HIGHWAY

Rescuers in Virginia spent all day Tuesday trying to dig out hundreds of drivers stranded on I-95. Monday's winter storm brought traffic to a stop and everyone stuck on an icy 40-mile stretch of highway had to hunker down for the night in frigid temperatures. Among the weary travelers: Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, who was on his way to Capitol Hill to work on voting rights. The Virginia Department of Transportation said everyone was cleared from the highway by Tuesday night and miraculously no serious injuries or deaths were reported. CBS NEWS

WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM NAME DO-OVER

The Washington Football Team will reveal its permanent new name on February 2. The team finally dropped the name "Redskins" in 2020 after years of critics complaining it was offensive. Now the social media crowd is trying to guess whether we'll be cheering for the Armada, Presidents, Commanders, or something else next. ESPN

5G DELAY

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg convinced AT&T and Verizon to briefly postpone their 5G rollouts over worries that the new wireless service could interfere with plane safety. The airline industry says its concerned 5G, which relies on radio signals, could cause problems with pilot communications. Both companies had planned to launch the service today, but will now delay for two weeks, following Buttigieg’s call. CHEDDAR NEWS

FANATICS COLLECTS TOPPS

Global sports retailer Fanatics has acquired Topps, the granddaddy of trading cards, in a $500 million deal that includes the famed collectables arm. All 350 Topps employees will shift over to Fanatics Trading Cards, with the brand already beginning its manufacturing and distribution process. Fanatics will get an immediate boost in the industry as is acquires lucrative deals Topps has with major sports leagues like Formula 1 and Major League Soccer. ESPN

ENTERTAINMENT

CHRIS EVANS: Captain America is about to show his range as he plays Gene Kelly in a yet-to-be-titled film. DEADLINE

SOCIAL SNUB: After Miley Cyrus co-hosted a New Year’s Eve special with Pete Davidson, Kim Kardashian apparently unfollowed her on Instagram. PAGE SIX

LEFTOVERS: RESOLUTION APPS

It's January 5 - how is your New Year's resolution doing? If you need help sticking to your goal for more than a few days, the answer might be right in the palm of your hand. Wired put together this handy dandy list of apps that can help resolved users to do anything from running to meditation. WIRED

Need2Know Podcast Note: The Need2Know podcast is taking a break for now. We're looking forward to bringing you more context and analysis on the big stories of the day in a few weeks. In the meantime, check out our archive on Apple or Spotify, or watch on YouTube, and send us your feedback!

Share:
More In Culture
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.
Amazon Funds Amogy to Commercialize Ammonia-Powered Cargo-Shipping Vessels, Decarbonize Transportation
Amazon is betting that ammonia could be the fuel of the future, participating in a Series A round for the Brooklyn-based company Amogy in December. Amogy aims to de-carbonize transportation with a clean energy system that uses ammonia as a renewable fuel. Amogy is partnering with Amazon on its first commercial product - an ammonia-powered cargo-shipping vessel. Amogy CEO Seonghoon Woo joins Cheddar Climate to discuss.
FedEx Announces Student Ambassador Program With Historically Black Colleges & Universities
One of the world's largest transport companies is kicking off Black History Month with a new initiative aimed at the next generation of business leaders. Today, FedEx announced the launch of its Student Ambassador Program. Participants selected from eight historically black colleges and universities will receive career guidance from FedEx executives. The program is part of FedEx's ongoing commitment to HBCUs and will also help the company expand its pipeline for diverse talent. Cheddar News welcomes senior vice president at FedEx, Jenny Robertson, and Jerryl Briggs, President of Mississippi Valley State University, to discuss.
'Sing 2' Takes Top Spot From 'Spider-Man' at UK Box Office
"Sing 2" has overthrown "Spider-Man: No Way Home" as the number one film at the UK box office. The animated sequel brought in $8.1 million, in just its two first weekends. However, "No Way Home" is still on track to beat "Avatar" as the number one grossing movie of all time.
First Black CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America on Empowering Youth With NFL
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America has been a driving force for youth mentorship since 1904. The nonprofit organization is launching its annual Big Draft campaign this month in partnership with the NFL, and Artis Stevens, the first Black CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, joined Cheddar to discuss the push for adding more "Bigs" as mentors on his one-year anniversary leading the non-profit organization. "While the NFL is recruiting and drafting more players, they're also helping us to draft more mentors and, particularly, men all the way from across February to all the way to April of this year," Stevens explained.
Supreme Court To Hear Challenge To Affirmative Action
The Supreme Court will reconsider race-based affirmative action in college admissions. The court will examine admissions policies at Harvard University and The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, which count the race of applicants as a factor in admissions. The court has upheld affirmative action policies in the past, saying it helps to create more diverse student bodies. However, the conservative Supreme Court could be skeptical and even possibly hostile to such policies. Nick Anderson, Higher Education Writer, Washington Post joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Crypto Prices Plummet, Wiping Out $1 Trillion In Global Value
The value of most cryptocurrencies have plummeted in recent months since reaching all-time highs in November, wiping out more than $1 trillion in value globally. The steep crash has some talking about the possibility of a crypto winter, a term referring to a prolonged bearish period where asset prices persistently fall over many months. This all comes as the Fed is expected to raise interest rates, and the Biden administration is working on an executive order to regulate Bitcoin and other assets. Josh Goodbody, COO of Qredo, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the crypto crash, and how the industry might recover from it.
Streaming Giants Struggle to Retain Subscribers Following Big Releases
Recent data reveals that streaming giants are struggling to retain subscribers in the months following a major release. According to data from Antenna, subscriber trends show that users will subscribe to a given streaming service just to watch a particular show, and then cancel those subscriptions shortly after. This comes as the streaming space continues to heat up as new entrants crowd the space. Jon Christian, Founding Partner + Digital Supply Chain Leader at OnPrem joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
EU Relaxes Travel Restrictions Within Bloc
The EU relaxed its Covid travel restrictions for vaccinated individuals among the union's 27 member states, doing away with testing or quarantine requirements for travelers. This comes soon after the World Health Organization said the omicron variant could help make the pandemic more manageable. The new rules take effect February 1st. Bryce Conway, Founder, 10xTravel joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Load More