Steve Bannon's Date with Robert Mueller, Facebook's News Feed Makeover
The Hive co-host Kristen Scholer discusses the five biggest news stories in politics and tech. From Steve Bannon cooperating with Robert Mueller, to Facebook's new algorithm, we have it all covered on The Hive.
Steve Bannon has been summoned by Special Counsel Robert Mueller to answer questions relating to the Russia investigation...and he's planning to fully cooperate. What does this mean for President Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner? Gabe Sherman talks about Bannon's relationship with Donald Trump Jr. compared to his broken relationship with Kushner. T.A. Frank says Bannon will try to protect Donald Trump Jr. because he'll always be loyal to the cause of Trump, even if he's not loyal to the man himself.
And Mark Zuckerberg is making some big changes at Facebook. Bess Levin talks about the impact of switching the algorithm to show more content from friends and family, rather than publishers. She notes that Zuckerberg becoming a father for the second time may have softened him and caused his change of heart.
Plus, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink sent a stern warning to clients: do good deeds! The billionaire investor is strongly encouraging his clients to invest in charity. Bess Levin questions his tactics, saying she's not sure how much it will help.
Looking ahead to 2020, who could President Trump potentially run against? Vice President Mike Pence is said to be running a "shadow campaign" in the White House. Gabe Sherman says the Trump base is skeptical of Mike Pence, because they see him as a vehicle for the big business style of conservatism. However, Bess Levin says Jamie Dimon has come out with his description of a dream candidate...and that candidate sounds an awful lot like himself.
Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) have introduced a new bill to afford greater protection to minors on social media. The genesis of the Kids Online Safety Act came from a Facebook whistleblower case exposing the harm apps can have on the mental health of young girls.
Ride share competitors Uber and Lyft both posted their fourth quarter earnings days apart from each other. Both companies have been trying to get back on their feet after taking some pandemic-related hits, but the Omicron variant had other ideas as the year came to a close, with each company taking a hit in ridership in December. Lance Ippolito, head trader at The Future of Wealth explains how Uber and Lyft measured up this earnings period and why Uber may still have an edge over the competition.
Parallel Systems has been selected to receive $4.5 million from the Department of Energy for an advanced testing program of its autonomous, battery-electric rail vehicles. The startup, which has raised more than $53 million to date, was founded by former SpaceX engineers to reimagine the rail system by creating a more efficient, decarbonized freight network. Matt Soule, Co-founder & CEO of Parallel Systems, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss what the company hopes to achieve.
