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Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, March 30, 2022:

FDA OK’S BOOSTER

The FDA has given the thumbs up on a second Covid booster for people ages 50 and older. That means the feds are now recommending a total of four doses for this age group of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines (two initial jabs, + two boosters); the FDA previously only approved the fourth dose for those with severely weakened immune systems. The FDA’s vaccine chief says that getting the first booster (third shot) is a necessity, but at this point, the second booster (fourth shot) is primarily meant for those considered high-risk. The authorization comes at a time of renewed uncertainty about the rise of the BA.2 variant, though Dr. Anthony Fauci says he doesn’t expect any major outbreaks as a result of the new variant. AP


Sounds like it may be time for a chart explaining this.

TRUMP’S CALL LOG GAP

White House records show zero activity in former President Donald Trump's phone logs for over seven hours on January 6, 2021, as his supporters entered the U.S. Capitol. From 11:17 a.m. to 6:54 p.m. on the day of the insurrection, there are no records of any calls made by Trump, though there is record of conversations with at least eight people in the morning, and 11 people that evening. Now, the House Select Committee will look into whether he was communicating that day via a “burner” phone. Trump denies using backchannels, claiming he doesn’t even know what a burner phone is. WASH POST

UKRAINE UPDATE

Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have progressed, though the two sides have plenty of work to do in reaching a potential ceasefire agreement. Russia said yesterday it would scale back military operations around Kyiv and Chernihiv, but has actually continued attacks there today. So far, four million people have fled Ukraine. Russian officials say that President Vladimir Putin will be ready to meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky once a draft peace agreement is ready, though there’s no timetable on that. CNN

ROBINHOOD’S NEW HOURS

Robinhood will now allow trading from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. Previously, trading was only offered from 9 a.m. (30 minutes before the opening bell) to 6 p.m. ET (two hours after the close). Hoping to eventually become a 24-hour trading platform, Robinhood said that because many of their customers are occupied during regular market hours, this gives them more time to tend to their stock portfolios. And if those portfolios include ownership of Robinhood shares, there’s more good news. Since this announcement, shares of HOOD are up over 25%, though the stock is still in the red for the year. WSJ

CRYPTO CRAZE

BITCOIN CLIMATE CHALLENGE: Get ready for ads to start telling you that Bitcoin is harmful to the environment. Greenpeace and other climate activism groups have teamed up with crypto billionaire Chris Larsen to launch the “Change the Code, Not the Climate” campaign, which hopes to make Bitcoin transactions consume less energy. Due to the way BTC transactions are verified, the cryptocurrency reportedly uses more electricity than the entire country of Norway. Its main crypto rival, Ethereum, is undergoing a software renovation that will reportedly cut its energy consumption by 99%. According to Larsen, Bitcoin is now the outlier when it comes to eco-unfriendly cryptocurrency. THE VERGE

CROSS-BORDER CRYPTO: Crypto payment companies are taking direct aim at customers who are frustrated with high fees on cross-border transactions, which average 6.3% globally. Coinbase has launched a pilot program with payments company Remitly that allows customers in Mexico to cash out digital currencies for free through the end of the month. Cheddar’s Alex Vuocolo explains how blockchain technology is making inroads as an affordable way to move money across borders. CHEDDAR

CONDÉ NAST UNION

Over 500 employees of publishing company Condé Nast have formed a union, including staff from well-known publications like Vanity Fair, Vogue, GQ, Bon Appétit, Glamour and Architectural Digest. Employees say their reasons for unionizing include low pay, lack of workplace diversity, and career development issues. NY TIMES

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ANTI-LYNCHING BILL SIGNED

With bipartisan support, President Joe Biden has signed a federal anti-lynching bill into law. The “Emmett Till Antilynching Act” is named after a 14-year-old black boy who was lynched by a group of white men in 1955, after he allegedly whistled at a white woman. His murder caused national outrage and is considered a catalyst for the Civil Rights movement. The bill finally passed in Congress earlier this month after more than 200 tries over the years. THE HILL

NIELSEN SOLD

TV ratings company Nielsen has been purchased for $16 billion. After initially rejecting a $9 billion offer, a group of private equity firms swooped in and paid almost double, debt included. The media measurement company’s viewing data plays a big role in determining where billions in advertising dollars are spent each year. Nielsen, which essentially had a monopoly on viewership data, has been criticized for poorly handling the shift toward streaming services and viewing on multiple devices. To address this issue, Nielsen plans to launch a cross-media measurement tool by the end of the year. WSJ

MEME STOCKS RETURN

GameStop and AMC saw their stock prices experience some big swings yet again, as the market saw a mini meme stock boom. Video game retailer GameStop shares surged to $199 and then dropped to around $163, while cinema operator AMC’s stock went as high as $34 and dropped below $28 in just half an hour. Of course, with intense stock price fluctuation comes extremely high increases in the volume of shares bought and sold. GameStop saw 17 million shares traded and AMC saw 211 million, doubling and quadrupling their respective daily averages. Due to volatility, the NYSE briefly halted trading of both stocks and an official reason for the boom has not yet been reported. CNBC

That’s great. Now how do we find out about these BEFORE they happen?

TRANSIT MASK CHALLENGE

Tired of wearing a mask on the plane? You and Ron DeSantis both. Florida’s Governor announced he and attorneys from 21 other states are filing a lawsuit against the CDC to halt the federal mask mandate on public transportation. Similar lawsuits have been filed against state mandates, but this seeks to put an end to the federal mask rule immediately. Florida's Attorney General Ashley Moody claimed that the mask rule is “causing chaos” on public transportation. The TSA rule, which began in February of 2021, was recently extended through April 18. With the country largely ridding itself of Covid regulations, mask requirements on public transportation may not last much longer than mid-April anyway. ABC NEWS

SAY WHAT??

"There's something about a little bit of nihilism that can actually give you permission to just drop some of the defenses and walls that we keep up in our lives and give us permission to just be vulnerable and to kind of reflect on who we love and why."

-- Daniel Scheinert, co-director of "Everything Everywhere All At Once"

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!

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