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Greetings N2K reader!

Remy Zane won this week’s world famous News Haiku^TM competition with this beauty.

“I’d like to thank Ada Lovelace,” he said when I contacted him on Friday. Congrats, Remy! Here’s your celebratory gif:

This week’s world famous News Haiku^TM competition theme is that Peloton is recalling 833,000 Bike+ units after seat post failures that hurt people’s butts (and other bits). Send me your entry — to our spiffy new email address, haiku at cheddar dot com — by noon ET on Thursday for consideration by your Cheddar peers. And now for something completely different.

—Matt Davis, Need2Know Chedditor

News You Need2Know

• Starbucks faces potential holiday strike

• The president did a deal to get you cheaper weight …

• This home-swapping platform only charges you for c …

• Peloton recalls 833,000 Bike+ units after seat pos …

• Who’s up to ‘replace’ Nancy Pelosi in Congress?

• Coming Tonight — Power Players: New Episodes!

What’s the stock market up to, eh?

$SPX ( ▲ 0.13% ) $DJI ( ▲ 0.16% ) $NDX ( ▼ 0.21% )

Companies mentioned in today’s newsletter

$SBUX ( ▲ 4.07% )  $LLY ( ▼ 1.39% )  $NVO ( ▼ 1.79% )  $AIRBNB ( 0.0% )  $PTON ( ▲ 14.16% )  

Starbucks faces potential holiday strike

Starbucks baristas across the U.S. are preparing to strike on November 13, a day that coincides with the company's popular Red Cup Day promotion, unless significant progress is made in contract negotiations.

The walkout is being organized by Starbucks Workers United, which represents employees in 550 unionized U.S. stores. Workers are demanding better wages, consistent hours, and improved working conditions, despite corporate claims the company offers industry-leading benefits.

“Our fight is about actually making Starbucks jobs the best jobs in retail. Right now, it’s only the best job in retail for Brian Niccol,” said Jasmine “Tea” Leli, a strike captain from Buffalo, New York, referencing the $95.8 million pay package received by Starbucks’ CEO.

Relations between the union and Starbucks have soured, with workers alleging stalled progress under Brian “I Commute by Private Jet” Niccol. Starbucks condemned the strike, saying, “Any agreement needs to reflect the reality that Starbucks already offers the best job in retail, including more than $30 an hour on average in pay and benefits for hourly partners,” according to spokeswoman Jaci “Don’t Blame Me for This” Anderson.

While Starbucks has pledged to keep stores operational during the strike, workers remain unwavering. Mine’s a decaf Americano with a dash of regular milk. Bueller? Anyone?

Song of the day: Rosalia, Björk, Yves Tumor, ‘Berghain’

Rosalía's new song “Berghain,” featuring Björk and Yves Tumor, is a dramatic and experimental track blending classical music with avant-pop. The collaboration is noted for its theatrical and unpredictable nature, featuring operatic vocals, a full orchestra, and abrupt shifts between intense chaos and calm. While some reviews praise its ambition and fusion of styles, others have found the production to be overdone. I find it the perfect music to go nuts to. [That explains it. —ed.] I’m just not sure that’s a good thing or a bad thing. You choose!

The president did a deal to get you cheaper weight-loss drugs

President Donald Trump has struck an agreement to lower the costs of popular GLP-1 medications, including Wegovy and Zepbound, with Novo Nordisk $NVO ( ▼ 1.79% ) and Eli Lilly $LLY ( ▼ 1.39% ) voluntarily agreeing to reduce prices.

Under the new arrangement, GLP-1 drugs — which currently carry monthly price tags of over $1,000 — could drop to $250–$350 for consumers paying out-of-pocket. Medicare and Medicaid are expected to cover these treatments for eligible patients suffering from obesity or related conditions, such as heart disease or severe obesity. “People on Medicare will pay no more than a $50 copay,” according to senior administration officials.

“This is the biggest drug in our country, and that’s why this is the most important of all the [most favored nation] announcements we’ve made,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during the briefing. “This is going to have the biggest impact on the American people. All Americans, even those who are not on Medicaid, Medicare, are going to be able to get the same price for their drugs, for their GLP-1s.”

Kennedy claimed the American public will lose 125 million pounds by this time next year, saying the expanded access will have “dramatic effects on human health” in the U.S. That’s a little over 5 ounces per person.

However, medical experts remain cautious about whether the plan will benefit patients effectively. Art Caplan, head of medical ethics at NYU Langone, told NBC News, “The price reduction is important… but they’re still very expensive.” Just like, he did not add, groceries, utilities, gasoline, and streaming video subscriptions.

Post of the day: The footlong arm of the law couldn’t touch the Hurl of Sandwich

Quote of the Day

This home-swapping platform only charges you for cleaning

Tired of expensive hotels and isolating vacation rentals? Kindred, a members-only home-swapping network, is pioneering a "radically more affordable and also more human" way to travel, according to co-founder Justine Palefsky. Started in 2021, the platform operates on a strict “give to get” model: members earn nights by hosting fellow vetted travelers in their primary residences, which they can then use for stays anywhere else in the world.

Co-founder Tasneem Amina explains the company’s roots in communal values: “I think our upbringing definitely influenced this idea of give to get, and also just this, if we all share more, we’ll all have more.” To build trust, Kindred verifies both the home and the individual, including government ID checks, and encourages members to connect over video chat. This focus on primary residences ensures they aren't disrupting the housing market like cough, cough, some other short-term rental companies.

The network provides a full service layer, coordinating professional cleaning before and after each stay and offering 24/7 concierge support. It differentiates them from older swapping platforms. Tasneem highlighted the financial benefit: "On Kindred you can often take 10 trips for the price of one," she said, with a typical 7-day stay costing as little as $460 versus thousands for traditional rentals. Kindred's founders are excited to continue building a global community that unlocks "unprecedented value."

I’m basically ready to sign up today.

Should you check your 401(k) today?

👎️ 

No, ma’am.

Peloton recalls 833,000 Bike+ units after seat post failures cause injuries

The decision follows reports from three riders who fell off their bikes after their seat posts broke mid-ride, despite being under the maximum weight capacity of 297 pounds. Axios reported that those affected were all under 5'10", which goes to show it’s worth being 5’10" and a half, for some reason.

This isn’t the first time Peloton has faced safety issues with its bikes. Earlier in 2023, the company recalled over two million units for a similar problem. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 35 users were affected during that recall, with 13 sustaining injuries such as fractured wrists, cuts, and bruises. Peloton implemented a redesigned seat post for models manufactured after 2023, but persistent failures prompted this latest recall.

For affected users, Peloton is offering free seat post replacements. Riders are urged to stop using their bikes and check their serial numbers (located behind the flywheel or front fork) to verify if their model is included in the recall. "Do not resume riding until after your seat post has been replaced," Peloton strongly advises, echoing the great sages of antiquity.

Who’s up to ‘replace’ Nancy Pelosi in Congress?

After nearly four decades in Congress, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced her retirement at the end of her term in 2027, marking the end of an era. Even before her official announcement, fierce competition for her seat has begun among Democrats in San Francisco. Two candidates have already declared their campaigns, setting the stage for a heated race.

State Senator Scott Wiener, a longtime fixture in San Francisco politics, has officially entered the race after years of waiting. Wiener has been considered a moderate by city standards and is praised for his work on housing legislation and LGBTQ advocacy. "I’ll bring my commitment to solving the housing crisis to Washington," Wiener has emphasized. If elected, he would be the first out gay person to represent San Francisco in federal office. But not the first gay person in San Francisco. Obviously.

Also in the race is progressive Saikat Chakrabarti, former chief of staff to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Chakrabarti is positioning himself as a disruptor, intent on revitalizing progressive Democratic policies. Although he has clashed with Pelosi in the past, he says his campaign is about restoring values, not personal grievance. “Voters are ready for new leadership,” he said.

Other potential names, including Pelosi’s daughter Christine Pelosi, are rumored to be contenders. Because that’d be classy. Have a nepo baby in the job. Sure.

Poll of the day: Swapsies!

Coming Tonight — Power Players: New Episodes!

We’ve got three new episodes coming up of our Power Players show, which will air wherever you watch Cheddar at 8 p.m. ET tonight. From Karandeep Anond, the CEO of Character.AI, an AI chatbot platform allowing user interaction with AI characters based on various personalities, to Justine Palefsky and Tasneem Amina, co-founders of house swapping platform Kindred, and Baiju Bhatt, the Founder of Aetherflux, which is using space lasers to beam solar energy back to earth after collecting it in orbit — get up close and personal with the founders of these companies! 

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