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| Hello, N2K’ers! | The theme of Cheddar’s world-famous News Haiku™ competition this week is that only 54% of Americans now drink alcohol — a record low reflected in N2K readership — the majority of whom are “rethinking” their drinking, according to last week’s poll. Send me a haiku on the subject by Thursday at noon ET right here. Winner gets glory — lots of glory, and a GIF! | Now, let’s talk about the news you Need2Know? | —Matt Davis, Need2Know Chedditor | News You Need2Know | | If you like this newsletter, why not forward it to a friend so they can subscribe here? If you don’t, why not forward to an enemy? Thank you! |
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| | What’s the stock market up to, eh? | $SPX ( ▼ 0.59% ) $DJI ( ▲ 0.02% ) $NDX ( ▼ 1.46% ) | | Companies mentioned in today’s newsletter | Key Investment Group, $SHCO ( 0.0% ) , $CMCSK ( 0.0% ) , MSNBC, $INTC ( ▲ 6.97% ) , $SFTBY ( ▼ 7.28% ) | | Trump Meets Zelenskyy at White House | | President Donald Trump welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders to the White House this week to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine and its potential resolution. The meeting, which followed Trump’s recent Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, aimed to hammer out security guarantees for Ukraine and explore diplomatic solutions to the nearly four-year conflict. | British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the White House discussions as making “real progress,” highlighting agreements among a 30-nation “Coalition of the Willing” to enhance Ukraine’s security. “That’s really important for security in Ukraine, for security in Europe, and for security in the United Kingdom,” he said. | A major development was Trump’s proposal for a bilateral meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin, with the possibility of a trilateral meeting involving Trump afterward. Let’s hope Putin doesn’t bring any “special teacups” laced with Polonium to the meeting, eh? | “Ukraine must be at the table,” Starmer emphasized when discussing critical issues like territorial disputes and the return of abducted children. However, European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, stressed that a ceasefire must precede substantive talks. Macron stated, “We cannot hold discussions under bombs,” while acknowledging Trump’s optimism about his ability to broker an agreement with Putin. | Zelenskyy reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness for dialogue. “I believe unconditionally we should meet and think about the further development of this path to the end of the war,” he said, while noting plans to purchase $90 billion in U.S. weapons as part of Ukraine’s security guarantees. | The summit also underscored lingering tensions. Trump’s dismissal of immediate ceasefires as unnecessary drew criticism, with Macron warning that Europe must prepare to increase sanctions should diplomacy falter. Despite the challenges, Finnish President Alexander Stubb reflected a shared determination among attendees, stating, “There was real unity today.” | | | Song of the day: Alison Goldfrapp, ‘Sound & Light’ |  | Alison Goldfrapp - Sound & Light (Official Audio) |
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| From her new album “Flux,” the track is about “the excitement of an open vista and wanting to embrace a new feeling of emotional freedom,” she says. If you prefer closed vistas and emotional imprisonment, I’d say take a pass. | | Free yourself from advertising forever! | Now you can sign up for an optional ad-free version of Need2Know! Subscribe for just $5 a month, or $50 a year, and you can continue to enjoy this reasonably high-quality newsletter uninterrupted. Bonus: The immense satisfaction that comes from supporting journalism*! | | Big investors are buying this “unlisted” stock | | When the founder who sold his last company to Zillow for $120M starts a new venture, people notice. That’s why the same VCs behind Uber and eBay also backed Pacaso. They made $110M+ in gross profit to date. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO. Now, you can join, too. | Invest for $2.90/Share | Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals. | *This counts as journalism, right? |
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| | FTC sues ticket reseller over Swift tix limits | | The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched a lawsuit against Baltimore-based ticket reseller, Key Investment Group, accusing the company of bypassing ticket purchase limits for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and other live events, according to a complaint filed in Maryland federal court on Monday. | The FTC alleges that Key used thousands of fake or purchased Ticketmaster accounts to buy tickets in bulk, violating purchase limits. For a single Swift concert in Las Vegas in March 2023, the company reportedly used 49 accounts to grab 273 tickets — despite a six-ticket limit — and reaped over $119,000 in revenue from resales. During 2023, the firm allegedly made more than $1.2 million from reselling 2,280 Swift tickets. | FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson emphasized the government’s stance on such practices. “The lawsuit puts ticket sellers on notice that the agency will go after those who circumvent ticketing platforms’ limits on ticket sales,” he said. | In response, Key Investment Group pushed back, stating that the FTC was misinterpreting the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act. “In an unprecedented move, the FTC has twisted the intent of the BOTS Act…into a weapon against legitimate businesses and consumers,” a company spokesperson said. | The lawsuit is part of a broader federal crackdown on exploitative ticket reselling announced by President Trump earlier this year. | | | Today on the ‘gram: Dude wore a suit |  | cheddar778K followers | |
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