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Greetings !

The theme of this week’s world famous News Haiku™ competition is that Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her fight for democracy in the country. I’ve already had one entry in Spanish. Email me your entry by today at noon Eastern for your chance to be voted winner by your Cheddar peers! Now let’s talk about today’s news you Need2Know, shall we?

—Matt Davis, Need2Know Chedditor

News You Need2Know

• Wood you believe it? ‘Superwood’ is stronger than …

• Group buys Aligned Data Centers for $40 billion

• Amazon will hire 250,000 elves for Santa

• Air traffic controllers work without pay

• Luxury fashion faces price fixing fine

What’s the stock market up to, eh?

$SPX ( ▼ 0.54% ) $DJI ( ▼ 0.59% ) $NDX ( ▼ 0.9% )

Companies mentioned in today’s newsletter

$NVDA ( ▲ 0.28% )  $MSFT ( ▼ 0.51% )  $BLK ( ▼ 2.3% )  $AMZN ( ▼ 0.86% )  $PPRUY ( ▼ 1.04% )

Wood you believe it? ‘Superwood’ is stronger than steel

This has nothing to do with Taylor Swift’s new remarkably sophisticated double-entendre song about Travis Kelce. Or does it?

A revolutionary material known as “Superwood” has officially hit the market, and it’s set to transform the construction industry. Created by InventWood, a Maryland-based company co-founded by material scientist Liangbing “Man of Wood” Hu, Superwood boasts a strength-to-weight ratio up to 10 times greater than steel, while six times lighter. Hu, who began his quest to “re-engineer wood” over a decade ago, describes cellulose — a key component of plant fiber — as “the most abundant biopolymer on the planet.” By chemically treating wood to enhance its cellulose and compressing it at the cellular level, Hu has created a material that is stronger, more durable, and resistant to fungi, dents, and insects.

“It looks just like wood, and when you test it, it behaves like wood,” says InventWood CEO Alex “Man of Lumber” Lau. “Except it’s much stronger and better… in pretty much every aspect that we’ve tested.”

With Superwood’s capabilities, entire buildings could someday be constructed out of this material. Lau explains, “We’ve tested 19 different species of wood and bamboo, and it’s worked on all of them.”

Although initially, let’s say…more expensive than regular wood, Superwood’s carbon footprint is 90% lower than steel manufacturing processes. As architect Philip “Man of Twigs” Oldfield told CNN, “Wood products can be considered a long-term carbon storage system… fostering greater timber uptake.”

No word yet on how it compares to a Festivus pole:

Song of the day: TV Cult, ‘Overpressure’

This is a fast-paced, menacing post-punk track with harsh vocals and driving bass, reminiscent of bands like Joy Division and The Cure. Critics have praised the German trio for their relentless intensity, atmospheric soundscapes, and urgent, angry commentary on modern life, particularly the overwhelming nature of "bad news."

I promise tomorrow’s song of the day will be positive and upbeat to make up for it.

Group buys Aligned Data Centers for $40 billion

Nvidia $NVDA ( ▲ 0.28% ) , Microsoft $MSFT ( ▼ 0.51% ) , BlackRock $BLK ( ▼ 2.3% ) , and Elon Musk's xAI have joined forces to acquire Aligned Data Centers in the largest data center transaction in history. Aligned, known for designing and operating data centers across North and South America, is being purchased from Macquarie Asset Management.

“With this investment in Aligned Data Centers, we further our goal of delivering the infrastructure necessary to power the future of AI, while offering our clients attractive opportunities to participate in its growth,” said Larry “Man of Money” Fink, CEO of BlackRock.

Aligned operates 50 data center campuses with more than 5 gigawatts of operational and planned capacity, making it a critical player in supporting the massive hardware requirements of AI workloads. It’s also largely responsible for your higher power bills of late, I’d imagine. And all because you couldn’t be bothered to actually write anything from scratch, eh?

Today on the ‘gram: Today in weird sponsorships

Post of the day: Trimming the peacock

Quote of the Day

Amazon will hire 250,000 elves for Santa

Oligarch Watch ran a good story this week about how Amazon founder Jeff “Man of Scalp“ Bezos isn’t giving away much of his sizable fortune despite promising to do so. But his company is going to hire quarter of a million people this holiday season. Good news if you’ve lost your marketing job because of AI: Now you can work in a warehouse.

The hiring surge highlights Amazon’s ongoing efforts to handle the traditionally high volume of holiday orders, even as concerns grow about cautious consumer spending.

Amazon said the new full-time and part-time employees will earn $23 per hour with benefits, while seasonal workers will make an average of $19 per hour.

While U.S. holiday online sales are projected to grow at a slower pace, they are still expected to outpace overall sales growth, according to Adobe Analytics. This optimism is echoed by other major retailers, as companies like Walmart $WMT ( ▼ 2.91% ) and Macy’s $M ( ▲ 0.22% ) have also raised their annual sales forecasts.

Should you check your 401(k) today?

👍️ 

If you didn’t check it yesterday, then yes. If you did, then meh.

Air traffic controllers work without pay

As the U.S. government shutdown enters its third week, air traffic controllers are feeling the strain. While these essential workers are required to work to keep the skies safe, many are now receiving only partial paychecks. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association is warning that if the shutdown continues, controllers may miss their next paycheck entirely.

“The job is stressful enough as it is. Now you’re adding this factor of, ‘Hey, when am I going to get this next paycheck?’” Raymond “Man of Anxiety“ Dahlstrom, an air traffic controller, told NBC. Dahlstrom, alongside colleagues, distributed leaflets outside LaGuardia Airport in New York, urging the public to put pressure on lawmakers to end the deadlock. Similar awareness campaigns were held at Washington, D.C., and Chicago-area airports.

The impact of the shutdown is growing, with air travel delays emerging in key hubs like Nashville and Burbank last week due to staffing shortages. Dahlstrom emphasized the sacrifices controllers are making, pointing out that some are taking on second jobs, such as driving for ride-hailing services, to make ends meet. The good news is they could probably work at an Amazon warehouse over Christmas.

“We’re still showing up. Nobody is calling out sick … other than they’re sick,” Dahlstrom said.

The question is: Do you feel safe taking a flight, now? Let us know in today’s poll!

Luxury fashion faces price fixing fine

The European Commission has slapped Gucci, Chloé, and Loewe with fines totaling over €157 million (nearly US$183 million) for engaging in anti-competitive practices. The verdict follows an investigation that uncovered the luxury brands’ involvement in fixing resale prices, which restricted independent retailers’ ability to set competitive prices for high-end apparel and accessories.

Commission vice president Teresa “Woman of Trust-Busting” Ribera underscored the significance of the ruling: “The decision sends a strong signal to the fashion industry and beyond that we will not tolerate this kind of practice in Europe, and that fair competition and consumer protection apply to everyone, equally.”

Gucci, part of the Kering $PPRUY ( ▼ 1.04% ) group , bore the brunt of the fines with a €120 million penalty. The brand's cooperation during the investigation, which included revealing additional breaches, resulted in a halved fine. Kering acknowledged the issue as being tied to “past commercial practices” and emphasized that a swift resolution was achieved through a "cooperative procedure."

Chloé, fined nearly €20 million, took a proactive stance post-investigation. The French fashion house said: “We take this matter extremely seriously and acted with the utmost diligence to address it.”

Price fixing or no, their puffy-sleeved dresses still go for $7,650 at Bergdorf Goodman.

Poll of the day: Air traffic controlled or not?

Poll results: Freedom of the press

We asked: “Should the Department of Defense be able to approve journalists' writings before publication?”

You answered:

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Yes, this sounds like a great idea. (27)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 No. Journalists should be able to report freely on the U.S. military, which is funded by $1 trillion in taxpayer dollars annually. This idea sounds unconstitutional to me. (964)

991 Votes via @beehiiv polls

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