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

Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, January 21, 2022:

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS

IVANKA: The Jan. 6 House Select Committee wants to talk to Ivanka Trump. The committee released a letter yesterday seeking her cooperation and revealing new details about President Trump’s actions leading up to and on the day of the Capitol attack. The letter says the president attempted to pressure VP Mike Pence to go along with a plan that would throw out electoral votes for Biden. A spokesperson for Ivanka has not revealed whether she will comply with the committee’s request. NY TIMES

GEORGIA: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is requesting a special grand jury for her investigation into former President Trump’s effort to overturn the state’s 2020 election result. Specifically, Willis is asking for help obtaining evidence and subpoenaing witnesses that may include Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. The special grand jury can help them gather that information, but won't be able to hand down indictments. ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION

U.S. DIGITAL CURRENCY

Is the U.S. on the way to getting its own digital currency? The jury is still out, but the Federal Reserve released its long-awaited white paper on the issue Thursday. The central bank plans to use this non-committal doc as a jumping-off point to get public feedback, but stressed it would not go through with any plan if the president and Congress don't fully support it. It did touch on cryptocurrencies and stablecoins, calling on Congress to establish new rules to bring crypto under federal regulations. CHEDDAR
 

Too bad this white paper doesn’t tell us how to make enough money to invest in these things. 

NORTH KOREA RETHINKS NUCLEAR PAUSE

North Korean officials are rethinking their pause on nuclear and long-range missile tests over what they say are “hostile” moves made by the U.S. This comes after the Biden administration imposed sanctions over a missile launch spree that included four tests in the past month alone. Kim Jong Un pulled back on the tests amid President Trump's diplomatic efforts. Despite the new rhetoric, some experts say the Supreme Leader is just toying with the U.S. to get politicians to lay off his latest missile-test barrage. CBS

HAVANA SYNDROME UPDATE

A CIA probe into the unknown illness that keeps affecting overseas diplomats and spies determined cases were not caused by a sustained, global effort from hostile foreign powers. There have been more than 1,000 cases of ‘Havana Syndrome’ reported, a sickness that brings on strange sounds, dizziness, and memory loss. The CIA said many of the reported cases could be related to pre-existing medical conditions, environmental factors, or stress. The Department of Defense and an individual panel of experts are also investigating the illness, but haven’t released their findings as of yet. THE GUARDIAN

GHISLAINE MAXWELL REQUESTS NEW TRIAL

Ghislaine Maxwell is asking a federal judge to grant her a new trial, stating that one of the jurors who found her guilty did not disclose that he was a victim of childhood sexual abuse during jury selection. Maxwell was convicted of five felonies last month for her role in sex trafficking minors for Jeffrey Epstein. After the trial, the juror told the media he convinced jurors to find Maxwell guilty by talking to them about the abuse he experienced. Federal prosecutors have asked for an inquiry into the juror’s statements. If her attempt for a new trial doesn’t work out, Maxwell will be sentenced in June. ABC

OUT OF TOUCH

Some Ivy Leaguers are in for a rude awakening. Nina Strohminger, a Wharton School business school professor at the University of Pennsylvania, tweeted that a quarter of her students believe the average American worker makes over six figures a year, with one student even guessing $800K annually. The real number? $45,000. The tweet went viral, bringing an array of reactions and memes in response. Some blamed the assumption on the prominent, privileged society at the Ivy League, chiding that a six-figure salary is only “average” to what they know. NEWSWEEK
 

We can’t wait until they get their first job offers. 

PELOTON SLOWS DOWN

Peloton is temporarily halting production of its popular bikes and treadmills, in an attempt to control costs as consumer demand wanes. According to internal documents, Peloton said demand has seriously fallen and now it's left with warehouses full of equipment that is no longer flying off the shelves. The company’s shares fell over 20% after news of its standstill broke. CNBC
 

Sounds like they’re the ones who need instructors telling them what to do. 

WOKE M&Ms

M&M’s iconic candy characters are changing their look. The company announced a modern makeover to its candy personalities, focused on creating a sense of belonging and community with their candies. The redesign incorporates key changes to both their green and brown M&Ms that focus on positivity and empowerment. The formerly anxious orange M&M will find confidence, while the red M&M is working towards a kinder attitude. M&M hopes the changes will reflect on the significance behind "self-expression and power of community." THE HILL

Giphy

AARDMAN AND NETFLIX COLLAB

The legendary Aardman characters are back. Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run will be returning to the screen, but this time in two separate projects produced by Netflix. Wallace and Gromit will star in a new film with the BBC and Netflix, while Ginger and Rocky will have their own sequel on the streaming service. Chicken Run is scheduled to return in 2023, while the new Walter and Gromit is slated for a 2024 Christmas release. VARIETY

SPOTTED..

... The NFL unveiled its new hype video for the 2022 Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show, announcing that Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar will all share the stage Feb. 13. WATCH

… Amazon released new deets about the Lord of the Rings reboot, including a trailer and it's name - The Rings of Power, which is set to premiere in September. WATCH

**LOVE **HATE **ATE

One thing we love: When you wake up before your alarm and can go back to sleep.
 
One thing we hate: Short weeks that feel super long. 
 
One thing we ate: Homemade chicken soup. So good during all of these winter storms.

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
Women to Watch in 2022 Winter Olympics; 'Jeopardamy' Making History
On this episode of ChedHER: Avery Cyrus, one of TikTok's top LGBTQ creators discusses her partnership with Space Hero to become a citizen astronaut, and how she's using her platform on social media to give back; Boss Women Media Founder breaks down how she's empowering female entrepreneurs with 'Boss Business Showers;' Palmly Co-Founder explains how she's building a social networking app for Christians.
GameStop Meme Stock Home WallStreetBets Loses Momentum One Year Later
A year after the r/WallStreetBets community on Reddit drove GameStop and other meme stocks to unprecedented heights, the subreddit seems to be losing its luster among retail investors. Caitlin McCabe, markets and retail trading reporter from The Wall Street Journal, joined Cheddar to talk about the waning popularity of the group “Users are going on to find the next GameStop, and instead, they're seeing many of the new users who have joined the subreddit still talking about GameStop and AMC," McCabe noted. "And, they've become frustrated as they're ready to move on from those original meme stocks."
Beyond Meat Expands McDonald's Deal As Fast Food Reign Continues
Plant-based meat giant Beyond Meat's reign over the fast food world continues, as McDonald's announced that it is expanding its test of Beyond's McPlant burger, to nearly 600 restaurants, an increase from the eight that it's been testing in since November. This comes less than two weeks after Beyond Fried Chicken made its nationwide debut at KFC restaurants, the first time that plant based chicken has been widely distributed in a fast food capacity. Arun Sundaram, Senior Equity Analyst at CFRA Research explains why these latest collaborations may be proof that Beyond Meat products could slowly be becoming an unlikely staple in the fast food and chain restaurant world as consumers opt for more healthy food options.
Citi Teams Up With Tracy Anderson Method to Get Customers Cash Back on Fitness
Citi recently began collaborating with fitness entrepreneur Tracy Anderson to promote its Custom Cash Credit card. Pam Habner, CEO of U.S. Branded Cards for Citi, along with Tracy Anderson, creator of The Tracy Anderson Method, joined Cheddar to discuss how health and fitness matched up with a cash back credit card. "The fact that Citi is going 'hey if you lead a healthy lifestyle, we're going to help you out. We understand that it's more expensive and we're going to give you cash back for living your best life,'" Anderson said about the partnership, which also includes a custom promotional Spotify playlist.
Crowdbotics Raises $22M Series A to Enable Anyone to Turn Ideas Into Apps
Low-code app development platform Crowdbotics raised $22 million in a Series A funding round led by Jackson Square Ventures. Crowdbotics has helped more than 14,000 customers launch apps without having to learn how to code. The company can offer a team of expert developers to help companies launch custom apps, or provide the means for companies to develop apps themselves. Crowdbotics CEO Anand Kulkarni joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Load More