VF Hive editor Jon Kelly, Kristen Scholer and the rest of the Hive Panel discuss the biggest stories of the week in politics, business and technology. Emily Jane Fox reports on her story on the rise of Hoda Kotb to Matt Lauer's former spot on the 7am and 8am hours of the Today Show on NBC. She discusses the notion that this role would have traditionally gone to a male. The panel also discusses a report on Fox that NBC had access to data indicating Matt Lauer's favorability had been declining for years.
Nick Bilton joins the discussion to weigh in on Uber's recent $20 billion haircut with latest investment from Softbank. They also talk about how this could impact a potential return for former CEO Travis Kalanick.
Bess Levin reports on the resurfacing of Anthony Scaramucci and what may be next for him. They debate the likelihood of a return to the White House for The Mooch. Tom Frank joins in to discuss Trump's use of Twitter in his feud with Kim Jong-un. Nick Bilton weighs in to talk about how far the social media platform has become, and the unfortunate things it can now be used for.
Emily Jane Fox returns to report on the recent trouble for Donald Trump Jr. in the Russia investigation. They discuss whether President Trump can protect his son and create separation from Don Jr. and Jared Kushner.
Matt Hayden, vice president of govtech solutions at Exiger and a former assistant secretary of cyber at Department of Homeland Security, joined Cheddar to discuss the surprise phone call initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin to President Joe Biden, ahead of January security talks about the rising tensions over Ukraine. "We're hoping to hear that we're able to talk about the aggression and the leadup of the Ukrainian militarization," Hayden said. "But we're also looking to hear is how the Kremlin leveraged their talking points to try to test their negotiation stance with the United States leading into this January 10th meeting."
The No Surprises Act begins implementation on January 1, 2022. The legislation is meant to curb the practice of unexpected billing for care from providers the patient was unaware were out-of-network from their insurance. Patricia Kelmar, director of health care campaigns for U.S. PIRG joined Cheddar to describe the hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars charged to unsuspecting patients and how things will change under the new law. "If we are picking an in-network doctor and an in-network hospital, we should not see those added costs from anesthesiologists, radiologists, scrub-in surgeons," she said. "The other area it protects you is in air ambulances — not ground ambulances, unfortunately — but the helicopters or the airplanes you might need to transport you in an emergency situation."
President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladmir Putin are expected to have another conversation surrounding escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Ariel Cohen, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, joined Cheddar's Ken Buffa to discuss the ongoing tensions and why Putin's request for a conversation with Biden comes now. "This is very serious. This is the worst security crisis we had since the collapse of the Soviet Union," Cohen told Cheddar.
Stocks closed mixed on Wednesday, but two indexes - the Dow and the S&P 500 - ended the session with a new record. Akshata Bailkeri, Equity Analyst at Bruderman Asset Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she says there is a consensus for robust consumer spreading in 2022, especially as the Omicron variant is proving to be milder than other COVID-19 strains.
John Quelch, Dean of Miami Herbert Business School, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says the retail giant is acting in accordance to President Biden's new law banning goods from China's Xinjiang region. Quelch also elaborates on the importance of China in Walmart's overall strategy.
