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

Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, April 27, 2022:

VP TESTS POSITIVE

Vice President Kamala Harris has tested positive for Covid-19. Fresh off a visit to her home state of California, the 57-year-old is not experiencing any symptoms after testing positive on both rapid and PCR tests at the White House Tuesday morning. Harris has not been in close contact with President Joe Biden since the White House Easter Egg Roll on April 18. Harris, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, will isolate at home before returning to the White House pending a negative test result. CHEDDAR

Maybe it’s time for another booster. 

RUSSIA ESCALATES TENSIONS

Another day of war transpired, as heavy fighting continued in eastern Ukraine, another mass grave was found in the besieged city of Mariupol, and the city of Kherson fell to Russian control. On the economic front, Russia will suspend gas supplies to Poland in a move that further worsens tensions with the West. Poland and Bulgaria are the first countries to have gas completely cut off by Europe’s main supplier since it began the invasion on Feb. 24. As the world seeks solutions, the U.N. chief met with Russia's Putin in Moscow and is scheduled to meet with Ukraine's Zelensky in Kyiv later this week. WASH POST

COVID PILL EXPANSION

The Biden administration is expanding access to free Covid-19 oral antiviral treatments by doubling the number of locations where Paxlovid, Pfizer’s antiviral pill, is available. The pills are currently offered at 20,000 locations nationwide, a number expected to reach 40,000 in coming weeks now that pharmacies can order them directly from the U.S. government. Demand for Paxlovid has been unexpectedly low due mainly to confusion surrounding eligibility requirements, as well as reduced testing as pandemic fear wanes in the U.S. REUTERS

Pfizer makes it. Shocking. 

BIDEN’S FIRST PARDONS

Marking “Second Chance Month,” President Joe Biden issued the first pardons of his presidency, fully pardoning three people while commuting the sentences of 75 others serving time for nonviolent drug offenses. The White House also announced a $145 million partnership between the Justice and Labor departments to invest in job training and reentry programs for the formerly incarcerated. So, who are these three getting full pardons? Abraham W. Bolden Sr., an 86-year-old former Secret Service agent who says, in retaliation for his activism, he was falsely charged with attempting to sell a Secret Service file; and Houston native Betty Jo Bogans, 51, and Dexter Eugene Jackson, 52, of Georgia, both jailed for nonviolent drug offenses. FOX NEWS

Can we get a pardon in advance? 

ROBINHOOD LAYOFFS

Robinhood is laying off 9% of its full-time employees. The fintech company’s number of employees grew from 700 to 3,800 in a period of major growth during the pandemic lockdowns. But what goes up must go down: Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev told employees in a blog post that the rapid growth has led to duplicate roles, which will now be reduced by way of layoffs. In 2021, the brokerage saw a surge of new customers and cash, going public through an IPO in July. Yesterday, coinciding with the news of impending layoffs, Robinhood’s stock reached an all-time low, down 75% from last year’s IPO. CNBC

We’re still waiting on Robinhood to give to the poor.

AUSSIES SUE UBER

Uber is paying a $19 million fine for misleading Australian customers about ride fare estimates and cancellation fees. The ride-sharing company admitted to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that during a “free cancellation period,” Uber warned customers they would be charged fees for canceling rides even though they were entitled to a no-fee cancellation. Though Uber argued most users canceled these rides anyway, some paid for rides they might have wanted to cancel. The ACCC also found that the company’s Uber Taxi option, which shows comparable taxi fares, inflated the price of competitors' rides to make Uber’s fare appear lower. YAHOO

The blunder Down Under. 

FIDELITY GOES NEXT-GEN

Fidelity is working to cement itself as the investment service provider of the next generation. Last week, the company broke into the metaverse, opening a virtual eight-story building that offers financial education. Fidelity also has its own Reddit subthread and Tik Tok account to target young investors. Now, Fidelity is allowing investors to launch a Digital Assets Account in their 401(k)s so they can allocate some of their retirement savings to Bitcoin, becoming the first investment company with that option. The push for youngsters is working: In 2021, investors aged 18 to 35 opened 3.8 million new Fidelity brokerage accounts. WSJ

Your monthly statement is a GIF. 

MUSK, TWITTER AND … CRYPTO

Elon Musk bought Twitter with clear intentions: a focus on reducing content moderation and getting rid of bots. But questions surrounding the topic of crypto remain. Twitter and Musk have track records of being in — but not all in — on crypto. Twitter has allowed NFT profile pictures though the app, but limited which types. Musk once allowed Bitcoin as a Tesla payment option, but retracted it because of Bitcoin’s environmental implications. He also hinted at the prospect of Twitter Blue accepting Dogecoin as payment for subscriptions. So where does cryptocurrency fit into the picture as Musk and Twitter unite? Cheddar’s Alex Vuocolo breaks down what the recent takeover means for the crypto world. CHEDDAR

A Twitterstorm AND a sh*tstorm. 

[Giphy]

ELEC-TRUCK

The EV wave continues: The Ford F-150 Lightning, the electric version of the iconic American truck, is officially hitting the market. Plenty of hype has built around the first ever full-size electric pickup truck, as Ford has already been forced to halt reservations for F-150 Lightning purchases and doubled its production. Ford has expanded its production capacity to build 150,000 EV pickups annually, on track to deliver more than 2 million total electric vehicles a year by 2026. In the midst of a landmark week, Ford will announce Q1 earnings after the market closes today. THE VERGE

Mullet not included. 

SPOTTED…

… Bad Bunny getting his own Marvel movie. The Grammy winner will star as El Muerto, a superpowered wrestler who is a foe-turned-friend of Spider-Man. It will be Marvel's first superhero film with a Latino lead. DEADLINE

Bad Bunny. Good Idea.

[Giphy]

                                                                                        

… Lil Nas X going on tour. The boundary-pushing pop star will make stops across North America and Europe for the “Long Live Montero” tour. Presale tickets will be exclusively available on CashApp starting today at 10 a.m. VARIETY

SAY WHAT??

"The latest research shows that over 50 percent of this generation has engaged in either selling or purchasing something at resale." 

— PacSun CEO Alfred Chang on why the retailer started Pre-Loved Pac, a resale program that allows customers to clean out their closets for credit that can be used directly on PacSun's website

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
Stocks Close Near Session Highs in Another Strong Day for Markets
U.S. stocks closed Tuesday's session near session highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 350 points, after rising more than 400 points at its session high. Shares were also impacted positively by optimism around peace talks in Ukraine. Nancy Prial, Co-Chief Executive Officer & Senior Portfolio Manager of Essex Investment Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Online Used Furniture Marketplace Kaiyo Raises $36 Million
Food, paper, and plastic are known to be major factors when it comes to America's trash; but furniture is high on that list, as well. According to the EPA, furniture makes up twelve million tons of waste in landfills every year. It's a problem that one online furniture store is trying to solve. Alpay Koralturk, Founder & CEO of Kaiyo, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Bitcoin & Other Major Cryptocurrencies Are Rallying
Bitcoin surged to its highest level on Monday since January 2nd. The gains also come after a late Sunday rally for the cryptocurrency, when it surpassed the key price of $45,000, and also turned positive for 2022. Matt Hougan, CIO of Bitwise Asset Fund, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss what is behind the recent rallies for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Takisha Clark on Being First Black Woman to Own a Postal Franchise
Founder and CEO of Capital Postal & Mail Box Service, Takisha Clark, joined Cheddar News to talk about being the first black woman to own a postal franchise, the obstacles she faced when launching her business, and how she overcame them. “I ran into just dealing with lack of resources, dealing with just being a black woman, just trying to become this entrepreneur and be inspiring to others, so it's been a journey," she said. "It's been hard, and I've just been maneuvering through the cracks."
Brooke Shields Joins Prospect Farms as Chief Brand Officer
Actress, model, author, and entrepreneur Brooke Shields has joined organic CBD company Prospect Farms as its chief brand officer. She joined CEO Brad Tipper to talk to Cheddar News about her coming aboard. Shield’s explained how her involvement with Prospect Farms stemmed from a discussion about her lack of sleep. “I started learning about the positive effects and the different ways that CBD can be introduced to a person's life, and I was just sort of fascinated because it all feels so new to me," she said.
'Everything Everywhere All At Once' Directors on Telling an Asian American Sci-Fi Story
The co-writers and directors of the movie "Everything Everywhere All at Once" Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert joined Cheddar News to discuss their new sci-fi action-comedy starring Michelle Yeoh now in select theaters. The filmmakers talked about bringing the multiverse-traversing plot to life, as well as getting the chance to tell an Asian American story following in the footsteps of successful films like "Crazy Rich Asians." "We like to make films that we want to see on the screen, and even if that means they don't exist or even that means that the world might not be ready for them," said Kwan. "That's what we're chasing. Luckily for us, the movie took so long to make that by the time it was finished or by the time now that it's done, so much has changed."
Importance of Service Dogs
Paul Mundell, Executive Director of the American Service Dog Access Coalition, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss why emotional support, therapy, and service dogs are important.
How Much Plastic Is Really In Our Bodies?
Plastic has become the face of global pollution. To date, humans have produced 8.3 billion metric tons of it. Once discarded, plastic doesn’t biodegrade. Instead, it fragments into microplastics smaller than the size of a sesame seed and further into nanoplastics. These tiny particles of plastic end up everywhere, deep in the ice of Antarctic glaciers or even inside our bodies. So how much plastic is inside of us? And what does it mean for our health? Let’s find out.
Need2Know: Deadly Snow Squall in PA, Walmart Pulls Cigarettes, and More
Catching you up on what you Need to Know on Mar 29, 2022, with updates on the snow squall in Pennsylvania that caused a pileup killing three, the teacher's strike in Sacramento heading into week two, Walmart no longer selling tobacco products in select stores, and what meme stocks are up to this week.
Load More