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Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, November 5, 2021:

VAX-OR-TEST DEADLINE

Companies with more than 100 employees have until Jan. 4 to mandate vaccines or start weekly testing of their workers. That’s the deadline from the White House, which has invoked emergency workplace safety powers over large private employers. The mandate will affect about 84 million people, 30 million of whom are still unvaccinated, but won’t take effect until after the holidays. (A separate mandate for healthcare workers -- with no test-out option -- also goes into effect on Jan. 4.) Two dozen state attorneys general have threatened to sue the government over the plan. NPR

ALMOST THERE?

There could be some significant movement on the infrastructure and social safety net bills in Congress today. Speaker Pelosi is planning to hold votes on both those pieces of legislation after House Democrats made some headway, though some moderate Dems are still non-committal on the bigger social spending bill. Paid family leave and work permits for undocumented immigrants are back in play, though the Senate could strip out some of those provisions. AP

UPSET OF THE YEAR

The most shocking upset of this week’s elections came by way of a truck driver for Raymour & Flanigan. Edward Durr, a Republican unknown who works as a commercial trucker in South Jersey, ousted Stephen Sweeney, the second-most powerful politician in New Jersey, in a state senate election. Durr spent a grand total of $153 on his campaign, about half of which went to donuts and coffee for staff. He shot his announcement video on a smartphone. His defeat of Sweeney upends the NJ legislature and points to the problems Dems face in the suburbs. NJ.COM

AMERICAN HERO

A 34-year-old California man died this week in an act of heroism that likely saved the life of a stranger. Joaquin Romero was working as a zipline operator at the La Jolla Indian Reserve outside San Diego when a woman he was helping get hooked in slid down the zipline. According to witnesses, Romero grabbed the woman’s harness to keep her from sliding, but was pulled onto the line with her. The pair dangled 70 feet above ground when Romero let go, reportedly because he was worried their combined weight would snap the line. He was severely injured in the fall and died two days later. The customer was unharmed. PEOPLE

FOOD PRICES

Global food prices are the highest they’ve been in a decade, according to new data from the UN’s food agency. Prices of cereals and vegetable oils led the 3% rise in the food price index for October, the third straight month of gains. This Thanksgiving is expected to be the most expensive ever with everything from turkey to pie costing more than usual. AXIOS

UBER POOL COMEBACK

Uber is preparing to bring back a carpooling option that it shut down at the onset of the pandemic. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi hinted in Uber’s earnings call that a shared ride option could be released soon as a way to combat higher prices for rides. Uber prices are up about 20 percent over last year, slightly less than they were over the summer but still significantly higher than pre-Covid. THE VERGE

DARK PASSENGER RETURNS

One of TV’s great antiheroes makes his comeback this weekend. Dexter: New Blood debuts Sunday night on Showtime, eight years after the original Dexter series ended with what is widely considered one of the worst finales of all time. Michael C. Hall is back in the role of the titular serial killer for the new episodes, which are being helmed by the same showrunner behind the early, critically acclaimed seasons. THE RINGER

ROCK BANS GUNS

Dwayne Johnson says he will no longer allow real guns to be used on the set of any movie he’s involved with, following the accidental killing of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by Alec Baldwin. Johnson announced that going forward, his production company will switch to rubber guns and “take care of it in post.” VARIETY

SPOTTED...

...Eric Adams, NYC’s mayor-elect, saying he’ll take his first three paychecks in the form of Bitcoin: SEE TWEET

…a gigantic mutant potato, dug up by a couple in New Zealand. The spud weighs more than 17 lbs. and is thought to be largest on record: SEE IT

LEFTOVERS: GRAND OPENING, GRAND CLOSING

Jay-Z has officially joined Instagram. Jay-Z has also officially left Instagram. The rapper-mogul opened an Instagram account on Wednesday, followed Beyonce, became the first and only account she’s ever followed, posted something about a movie he produced, amassed more than 2 million followers, then deactivated the account the next day. Jay has been famously absent from social media for most of his career, and will apparently remain so. CBS NEWS

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!

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