Abbaye du Mont des Cats, as we all know, is a cheese made by monks in a monastery of the same name in the town of Godewaersvelde, which is easy for you to say, near the Belgian border in northern France. It also sounds a bit like a strong command to follow a feline dictatorship. The secret ingredient? Toxoplasmosis! Meanwhile, I've officially run out of easy cheese names for cheese puns, so we're drifting into the intermediate levels of the fromageosphere. Just wait until we get to "Xynotryro," a Greek whey cheese cured in animal skin bags, just like this newsletter. I'm gonna need both my cerebral hemispheres to be firing on that day, brie-lieve me. Now, the cheddlines! Miaow! —Matt Davis, Need2Know Chedditor P.S. We've got a robot with six-pack abs and arms on our 'gram. |
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"We're one of America's most popular speech platforms." — TikTok |
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1. CEO Shooting Manhunt Ends—Where Else?—in a McDonald's |
Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old originally from Maryland, has been taken into custody on gun-related charges, and is being questioned about the high-profile murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson that took place in Midtown Manhattan last week.
Mr. Mangione was apprehended early yesterday morning at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after an employee who recognized him from photos disseminated by the police called in to report his presence.
Joseph Kenny, NYPD's chief of detectives, said Mangione was found "just sitting there eating" at the time of his arrest. There's no word on what he was eating, sadly, which shows that today's reporters have forgotten every journalism professor's perennial advice to "always get the name of the dog."
In the interests of color, then, let's picture him eating a boo bucket full of McRib sauce.
Mangione was found in possession of a firearm, a silencer, and falsified identification documents that are believed to be like those used by the alleged shooter during his time in New York. Mangione is a Maryland native who has spent time living in various cities, including San Francisco and Honolulu. He was a class valedictorian in high school and earned degrees in engineering and computer science from the University of Pennsylvania. He was also carrying a manifesto that outlined intense criticism of health care companies, accusing them of prioritizing profits over patient care, when the police interrupted his McBreakfast.
I'm not going to say Mr. Mangione was obviously guilty of this crime because he's yet to be charged or go to trial, but that's only because there are laws about this sort of thing. Perhaps he's hoping the trial will offer him the chance to publicize his ideas. There's no death penalty in New York, and Pennsylvania hasn't executed anyone since 1999. Read More |
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In a revealing interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," President-elect Donald Trump staunchly defended his proposed tariff policy, but acknowledged that he "can't guarantee" there will be no financial repercussions for American families. His candid admission comes amid heightened scrutiny over the controversial plan, which has ignited debates over its economic implications.
Trump's tariff proposal, long a cornerstone of his economic strategy, aims to impose hefty charges on imported goods in a bid to encourage domestic production and, according to him, level the international playing field. Critics argue, however, that the direct impact of such tariffs would inevitably fall on American consumers, leading to increased prices on a wide array of products.
"I can't guarantee anything. I can't guarantee tomorrow," Trump said, responding to queries concerning the potential cost hike for Americans due to the impending tariffs. His statement appears to soften earlier narratives suggesting that the tariffs would have no negative impact on consumers.
Notably, Trump pointed to the pre-Covid era as a golden age of economic prosperity under his administration, a time characterized by significant tariffs, particularly against China. "We took in hundreds of billions of dollars, and we had no inflation," he claimed. This assertion stands in contrast to analyses pointing out the $80 billion cost to regular Americans due to tariffs imposed during his first term.
Nevertheless, NBC's Kristen Welker countered Trump's assertions, highlighting the consensus among economists that tariffs, in fact, burden American companies that import goods, and these costs are subsequently passed down to consumers. Trump's retort? A simple, "I don't believe that."
As the writer Philip K. Dick once said, "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Read More |
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| Are we sure we're not in Westworld? 😳
Clone's Torso 2 is claimed to be the most advanced android ever made. It features an actuated lumbar spine and full abdominal muscles. The torso is covered in transparent skin, with 910 muscle fibers, 164 degrees of freedom, and 182 sensors for feedback control. |
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3. Two Giant Advertising Groups Merge to Create New Giant Advertising Group |
Omnicom Group is buying Interpublic Group, creating the world's largest advertising agency. The $15 billion all-stock takeover, expected to conclude in the second half of 2025, heralds a new era of advertising, uniting two of the industry's powerhouses into a colossal entity with over 100,000 employees and an anticipated $25 billion in annual revenue, which is only slightly more than United Healthgroup made in profits in 2023. The merger comes at a critical time for the advertising sector, which has seen a significant transformation over the years, moving from traditional channels to digital.
Omnicom's clients include Apple, AT&T, Chanel, Disney, McDonald's, Nissan, PepsiCo, Pfizer, Unilever, and Volkswagen. Meanwhile, Interpublic's clients include Accenture, American Express, CVS, General Mills, GoPro, Johnson & Johnson, Levi Strauss & Co, Mattel and Netflix. That's a lotta brands!
Omnicom's chief executive, John Wren, emphasized that the merger aims to "harness the significant opportunities created by new technologies in this era of exponential change." The merger is also poised to bring substantial benefits to shareholders, with Omnicom identifying opportunities for $750 million in annual cost savings. I think that means they're going to fire a bunch of people.
After facing sluggish growth and losing key clients, Interpublic's side of the merger could provide the necessary impetus for "renewal" and "expansion." Although again, I think that means they're going to fire a bunch of people.
What will the new organization be called? I'm really hoping they go with "Omni Consumer Products" after the baddies in Paul Verhoeven's 1987 movie, "Robocop."
Regulatory scrutiny is anticipated, especially in a climate where large-scale mergers are closely examined for antitrust concerns. Yet there's also cautious optimism that Donald Trump's policies may favor business and deal-making of this kind. My gut feel says it will. How about yours? Read More |
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4. TikTok Makes Its Last Legal Stand |
As TikTok finds itself teetering on the brink of a nationwide ban in the United States, scheduled for January 19, the social media titan is pursuing every legal avenue at its disposal to forestall what could be an inevitable fate.
A federal law, upheld by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, demands TikTok sever its ties with ByteDance, its Chinese parent company, or face a nationwide ban. The court's ruling last week comes in the wake of escalating concerns over data privacy and national security, casting a long shadow over TikTok's operations in the U.S.
The social media giant has responded by filing an emergency injunction, labeling itself as one of the nation's "most popular speech platforms." TikTok's plea emphasizes the irreparable harm not only to its 170 million U.S. users but also to the broader economic landscape, citing a staggering contribution of more than $24 billion to the U.S. GDP in 2023 alone. Hey, that's almost as much as United Healthcare made in raw profit last year!
The looming ban has prompted brands and creators to reassess their digital strategies; many have started to explore alternatives like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Guys, if you need to re-spend your advertising budgets you should consider partnering with this newsletter. Eight billion eyeballs! That's what we offer! Read More |
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5. Fed Chair Will Stay Fed Chair (for Now) |
President-elect Donald Trump has said that he will not attempt to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell upon assuming the Oval Office in January. Trump and Powell have a storied past, marked by several public feuds over the Fed's interest rate policies. During his first term as president, Trump was vociferously critical of the central bank and its leadership, arguing they were hindering economic growth with higher interest rates — despite his having appointed Powell in 2017.
Trump has since repeatedly discussed the possibility of dismissing Powell, who held his ground, asserting that the law does not permit arbitrary dismissal of Fed governors before their terms end. As the Fed eyes its next policy meeting on December 17–18, traders are anticipating a rate cut as recent data points to a cooling labor market. A projected quarter-percentage-point reduction would bring the Fed's policy rate down to the 4.25%–4.50% range.
Despite their acrimonious past, Trump's latest stance suggests a reluctant embrace of Powell's ongoing tenure. It aligns with decades-long precedent of presidents (easy for you to say) abstaining from direct attacks on the Federal Reserve's decisions, respecting its operational independence under Congressional oversight. Although as we all know, precedent is something Trump likes to embrace vigorously only under certain, extremely rare circumstances. Read More |
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