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

Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, October 29, 2021:

FACEBOOK GOES META

Facebook shall now be known as Meta. Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the rumored corporate rebrand during a presentation focusing on the company’s bet on the “metaverse,” a blending of the digital and physical worlds that he sees as the future. Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook (the platform) will keep their names and brands, but under the Meta umbrella. Executives, including Zuckerberg, have denied that the rebranding is an attempt to distance the company from its various reputational problems. CHEDDAR

STILL NO DEAL

President Biden landed in Rome overnight for a series of global summits with his economic agenda hanging in the balance back in Washington. Before he left, the president unveiled a new $1.8 trillion framework for his social spending bill in the hopes that it would satisfy the party’s centrist holdouts. The biggest chunk of that bill is $550 billion for climate change programs, which Dems had hoped would be signed into law by the time Biden arrives in Glasgow for COP26. POLITICO

VAX SHOWDOWN

A big test for strict vaccine mandates starts today in NYC. After a state judge refused to block a police union’s request to pause the city’s mandate, the entire municipal workforce -- the biggest in the country -- must have had at least one shot or they’ll be placed on unpaid leave starting Monday. The latest statistics from the city show a quarter of NYPD and EMS employees and a full third of FDNY and sanitation workers have not shown proof of vaccination, leading to worries that there could be a significant shortage of essential workers. NY TIMES

CUOMO CHARGED

Former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been charged with a misdemeanor sex crime for allegedly groping a female aide at the executive mansion in Albany last year. The criminal complaint stemmed from one of the women whose accusations of sexual harassment led to Cuomo’s resignation this summer. The former governor’s lawyer denied the charge and accused the local sheriff of carrying out a political hit job. The charge has a penalty of up to one year in jail, and Cuomo will have to appear in court for an arraignment on Nov. 17. NBC NY

SUMMER SLOWDOWN

The U.S. economy grew at a sluggish 2% over the summer, for the weakest rate of growth since the recovery started. Third-quarter GDP was expected to be disappointing given the resurgence of Covid combined with the supply-chain bottlenecks that zapped consumer spending. Many economists expect economic growth to pick up this quarter, but the supply-chain remains the biggest question mark ahead of the holidays. CNN

WAGE HIKES

Starbucks and Costco are the latest chains to institute a new minimum wage in a bid to hire and retain workers in a historically tight labor market. Costco has raised its minimum wage to $17/hour, and Starbucks has put in a floor of $15/hour for its employees. Costco’s pay raise comes just eight months after it hiked starting wages to $16, while Starbucks’ hike will kick in next summer, when baristas will earn up to $23/hour. NPR

HOCKEY SEX ABUSE SCANDAL

The head coach of the Florida Panthers has resigned in the fallout of a sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the NHL. Joel Quenneville was the coach of the Chicago Blackhawks during the team’s 2010 Stanley Cup run, when Hawks prospect Kyle Beach claims he was sexually assaulted by the team’s video coach, Brad Aldrich. Beach came forward this week, revealing himself as the “John Doe” in that case. A league investigation found that Quenneville was aware of the incident at the time even though he claimed as recently as Wednesday that he didn’t learn about it until recently. CHICAGO TRIB

ZAYN & GIGI SPLIT

Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik have reportedly split up amid an alleged dispute between Malik and Hadid’s mother, Yolanda. TMZ, citing unnamed sources, is reporting that Yolanda Hadid claimed that Malik “struck” her and that she was “seriously considering” going to the police. Malik issued a short statement vehemently denying that accusation. According to People, the singer and supermodel have decided to go their separate ways and will continue to co-parent their baby, Khai. PEOPLE

SPOTTED...

...Matt Damon, hawking cryptocurrency in a commercial for Crypto.com that debuted during Thursday Night Football: WATCH

 ...a Roman villa with the world’s only Caravaggio ceiling mural, up for auction at a starting price of $547 million. $360 million just gets you the painting: SEE IT

…Sen. Mitt Romney, dressed as Ted Lasso, warming up for Halloween in a bit with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema: SEE PICS

LEFTOVERS: EXTINCTION EVENT

Did the pandemic actually drive a strain of the flu to extinction? That’s a distinct possibility, according to new findings from Australian researchers. Scientists studying influenza say they have been unable to detect any signs of the B/Yamagata lineage of the virus anywhere in the world since April 2020. Their published study suggests that the various measures put into place around that time -- lockdowns, border closures, social distancing, masking, etc. -- may have effectively wiped that strain of flu off the map for good. COSMOS

Listen to the N2K Podcast! Looking for more context and analysis on the big stories of the day? Check out our podcast! Hosts Jill and Carlo break down the headlines, every weekday morning Listen on Apple or Spotify, or watch on YouTube, and send us your feedback!

Share:
More In Culture
BET's Kimberly Paige on Her Accomplishments and Inviting Diverse Audiences
Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Kimberly Paige at TV network BET joined Cheddar News to talk about leadership, the projects she was pivotal in building, and her approach to leadership and "inviting" diverse audiences rather than "targeting" them. "if you think about when someone says, 'I'm targeting you,' you're generally in someone's kind of crosshairs, if you will," she said. "And so I use the notion of who are we inviting to participate in the brand in a meaningful way. I think it's a nuance, but it has huge implications."
Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter on Going Solo With New Country Single 'Easy'
Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter joined Cheddar News to talk about fatherhood and his solo work on a new crossover song called "Easy," featuring country singer Jimmie Allen. "What I love about country music is the lyrics, the melodies, the stories that are in them as well," he said. "And you know, you hear it's just pretty simple and pretty easy."
First Look at Oscar Stembridge New Music Video for 'Am I the Only One'
Oscar Stembridge, the youngest musician to have signed with Universal Music Sweden, has a passion for spreading awareness of climate activism as well as music. Cheddar News got an exclusive first look at the video for the new song, "Am I the Only One" and spoke with the 14-year-old singer about his young career and advocacy work. "Basically it all kind of started when, inspired from Greta Thunberg, I wrote my first kind of song called 'We March,' which is about my generation not wanting to pay the price of the older generations' inaction," he said.
Rising Office Vacancy Rates Have Big Impact on Broader Economy
The office real estate market might be in trouble, as vacancy rates in major cities remain across the country, even as COVID restrictions continue to fall away. Ryan Severino, the chief economist for real estate and investment management firm JLL, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the latest office trends and why some may be concerning for the broader economy. "There are knock-on ramifications for a lot of the ancillary industries that support office workers," he said. "If you think about coffee shops, places that someone might go out to get lunch or a drink or dinner after work, those are obviously still feeling the brunt of people not being physically back in office spaces the way that they were before the pandemic."
Texas Man Sues Robocall Operators to Win $100K
According to tracking services, Americans get inundated with more than 130 million robocalls every day. One man decided that he had enough and started suing telemarketers. Daniel Graham joins Cheddar News to share how he won more than $100,000 in settlements.
'Slow and Steady Wins the Race' for Netflix Gaming, Says Arkadium Co-Founder
Streaming giant Netflix has thrown its hat into the ring with some video game offerings of its own so far, but the hurdles to gaining market share in the space might be daunting despite recently acquiring its third game development studio. Kenny Rosenblatt, the president and co-founder of casual game maker Arkadium, joined Cheddar to offer his view of where things are headed for Netflix. "Microsoft entered the video game market in 1990, years ago with 'Windows Solitaire. It has taken them that long to become the player that they are today," he said. "So I like what Netflix is doing. Slow and steady wins the race."
Load More