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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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Elizabeth Holmes Fraud Conviction Might Yield Five to Seven Years in Prison
The six-month trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has come to an end with the former tech startup star found guilty of four out of 11 counts of fraud. Michael S. Weinstein, Esq, chair of the white collar criminal defense practice at Cole Schotz, and former Department of Justice trial attorney, joined Cheddar News Wrap to discuss what happens next for the former mogul. "Do I think it's going to be more than five or seven years? Probably yes. I think that's probably a fair range at this point," he said about her potential prison sentence.
CES 2022 Begins on Wednesday
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California Starts Largest U.S. Food Waste Recycling Program
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Sweetgreen Launches Salad Subscription Service 'Sweetpass'
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Severe Snowstorm Blankets D.C., Mid-Atlantic Region
Washington DC and the surrounding areas saw a record breaking snow storm Monday as a strong storm system works its way across the eastern U.S. The extreme weather event caused extensive damage in the greater Washington area, leaving thousands in the region without power. Jonathan Porter, Chief Meteorologist, AccuWeather, joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss the fierce storm.
Over 3,000 Flights Canceled on Monday Over Severe Weather, Crew Shortages
Airlines canceled more than 3,000 flights on Monday over severe weather and crew shortages. The cancellations come on one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season, and is a continuation of the industry-wide disruption that started before Christmas. Thomas Pallini, Aviation Reporter for Insider joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss.
End of Child Tax Credit Could Mean Slide Back Into Increasing Child Poverty
Millions of Americans with young children have relied on the child tax credit since the federal government began issuing checks in July 2021. The last round of payments was sent out just before the Christmas holiday — at the same time as the omicron variant surged. Leah Hamilton, associate professor of social work at Appalachian State University, joined Cheddar to discuss what the end to the tax credit means as the U.S. sees the end of many relief programs and its highest number of COVID cases since the start of the pandemic. "It'll become harder for families to meet their basic needs, increasing national childhood poverty rates and the proportion of families who have difficulty putting food on the table, maintaining stable housing, and paying their bills," Hamilton said. She also pointed to research that the credit as a long-term investment in children offsets claims that it contributes to macroeconomic impacts like inflation.
NYT Piece Claims Silicon Valley Investors and Founders Contorted Legal Tax Break to Avoid Taxes on Investment Profits
Several Silicon Valley insiders are being accused of contorting a 1990s-era tax break to avoid taxes on millions of dollars of investment profits. The tax break is known as the qualified small business stock exemption, and it allows early investors in certain companies to avoid half of the taxes on up to $10 million in capital gains. A piece recently published in the New York Times says venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz replicated the tax exemption by giving shares of companies to friends and family, who would otherwise face a 23.8% capital gains bill. The CEO of Roblox is also accused of replicating the tax break for his family members at least 12 times. Although the loophole known as 'stacking' is considered to be legal, the Times piece implies that the exemption has been manipulated for the ultra-wealthy to become more wealthy. Greycroft co-founder and Chairman Emeritus Alan Patricof joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
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