Greetings !

The winner of this week’s world famous News Haiku^TM competition is Bob Andersen, who you voted the best with this beauty about jobs numbers being delayed thanks to the government shutdown:

“It is an honor and a privilege to be recognized,” Bob wrote in an email on Friday. “Thank you. Sadly it is for acknowledging the dysfunction that lies within our government that ensures that the people causing the problems get paid while hundreds of thousands don’t.” 

Still, congrats, Bob! Here’s your airplane-themed gif, to celebrate.

I’m deadly serious when I say 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. Email me your entry by Thursday 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

What’s the stock market up to, eh?

$SPX ( ▼ 2.71% )   $DJI ( ▼ 1.9% )   $NDX ( ▼ 3.56% )

Companies mentioned in today’s newsletter

$CBS ( ▲ 1.17% )   $TSLA ( ▼ 5.06% )   $FIGR ( ▼ 12.03% )  

Fight “the ancient art of lying,” Pope urges news agencies

Pope Leo “a.k.a. Bob from Chicago” XIV has called upon international news agencies to uphold their role as defenders of truth and objectivity. He emphasized the crucial role journalists play amidst the current climate, fraught with misinformation and manipulation. “If today we know what is happening in Gaza, Ukraine and every other land bloodied by bombs, we largely owe it to them,” he said, acknowledging the vital importance of journalists' eyewitness accounts.

Bob, the first American pope, né Robert Francis Prevost, has been a vocal advocate for the protection of journalists throughout his papacy. Over the past five months, he has consistently championed the need for freedom of expression and the essential role of a free press. During his first meeting with reporters, he labeled journalism as a “precious gift of free speech and the press” and called for the release of imprisoned journalists.

Amid economic pressures threatening news agencies and the rise of, let’s say, post-truth environments, Pope Leo XIV implored journalists to resist the erosion of their integrity. “I urge you: Never sell out your authority!” he said. Highlighting the threat posed by disinformation, he invoked Hannah Arendt's warning from “The Origins of Totalitarianism” that societies are at risk when the distinction between true and false ceases to exist.

“With your patient and rigorous work, you can act as a barrier against those who, through the ancient art of lying, seek to create divisions in order to rule by dividing,” Leo told journalists. Given the stakes, he insisted that journalism is not just a profession, but a fundamental “duty of all those who long for a solid and participatory democracy.”

As we all know I’m a reasonably high quality journalist, with a postgraduate journalism diploma, no less, and I must say, I find Bob’s words very helpful. Cheers, Bob!

Song of the day: Patti Smith, ‘Gloria in Excelsis Deo’

Patti Smith has reissued her classic album “Horses” for its 50th anniversary. This is the RCA demo version of the first track on the album, and I must say, it’s a cracker.

Trump suggests canceling Xi meeting

Markets were down 2% on Friday after a period of relative calm as tensions between the U.S. and China escalated: President Donald Trump mentioned the possibility of canceling a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and threatened additional tariffs on Chinese goods.

It came in response to China’s decision to restrict exports of rare earths, vital materials used in technologies ranging from electronics to jet engines. “There seems to be no reason” for a meeting with Xi, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, further criticizing China’s “hostile” actions.

China recently imposed new restrictions requiring foreign firms to seek special approval for shipping rare earth metals and technology abroad. “These restrictions undermine our ability to develop our industrial base at a time when we need to,” said Gracelin Baskaran, director of the Critical Minerals Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. With China dominating 70% of rare earth mining and 93% of magnet production, the move is seen as a powerful bargaining chip.

While Trump’s comments rattled markets, dropping the S&P 500 $SPX ( ▼ 2.71% ) by 2%, experts warn of escalating tensions. “Mutually assured disruption … is no longer a metaphor,” said Craig Singleton from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Today on the ‘gram: Robose, Robosa, Robokusa