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The weeks news in memes
Greetings, enlightened meme lovers.
We’re back with another edition of the news in meme form, saving you time doom-scrolling online or trawling through tired doomer media trying to keep afloat of what’s happening in the world.
So sit back, relax and get stuck into the news you need to know, delivered to you via carefully crafted and curated memes.
⏰ Today's reading time is 5 minutes.
Quote of the Week
“Everything’s high risk if you’re a pussy.”
Apple pushes back on call to end DEI programme
Apple's board has asked its investors to vote against a proposal to end its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programmes.
It comes after a conservative group, the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), called on the technology giant to abolish its DEI policies, saying they expose firms to "litigation, reputational and financial risks".
Apple's directors say the NCPPR's proposal is unnecessary because the company has appropriate checks and balances in place.
Other major US firms, including Meta, Microsoft and Amazon, have rolled back DEI programmes ahead of the return to the White House this month of Donald Trump, who (surprise, surprise) has been highly critical of DEI policies in the past.
DEI initiatives were all the rage around 2020 and have gone hand in hand with the growth of ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) programmes.
But it looks like the tide is turning, with mentions of diversity in earnings calls plummeting and public appetite for corporate activism waning.
In other words,the suits are getting worried and DEI programs now face a reckoning: scaled-back rhetoric, lawsuits targeting exclusive initiatives, and declining diversity-linked executive bonuses.
But DEI isn’t dead—just evolving.
Companies will quietly adopt subtler, smarter approaches like anonymized recruitment and inclusive hiring practices.
Workers still value fairness and respect, even as the activist edge softens. The acronym may fade, but the core mission is getting a more corporate-friendly makeover.
UK inflation unexpectedly slows to 2.5% in December
December saw UK inflation dip to 2.5%, down from 2.6%—its first fall in three months.
Investors are now betting big on an interest rate cut next month, with the Bank of England potentially lowering rates to 4.5%. The dip was fueled by cheaper hotel stays and milder airfare hikes, but the cost of living still outpaces the Bank’s 2% target.
Government borrowing costs eased (after hitting a 16-year high), and the pound rallied slightly, giving Chancellor Rachel Reeves some breathing room amid growing criticism of her economic policies. Still, with rent, fuel, and used car prices climbing, households remain squeezed.
For businesses, it’s a juggling act: Businesses are warning of tough choices ahead —cutting hours, tweaking menus, or hiking prices, all while keeping customers happy.
Hey - on the bright side, the UK returned to growth in November, but only just.
Output rose by 0.1%, still short of forecasts but it’s the first bit of growth in 3 months.
We are so back (kinda).
Displaced LA-area residents face spiking rents as authorities warn of price gouging
Since the fires began, housing advocates from the Los Angeles Tenants Union have identified over 400 instances of price gouging in the area.
As reports surface of some LA rental prices skyrocketing amid the ongoing wildfires, officials are warning of legal action.
“Anyone who thinks they’re going to take advantage of people who’ve endured this tragedy will be prosecuted,” LA County Sheriff Robert Luna stated on Sunday.
At a weekend press conference, California Attorney General Rob Bonta acknowledged that some “businesses and landlords” have significantly increased rents in the past week, despite California's anti-price gouging laws. These laws prohibit rent increases of more than 10% within 30 to 180 days following a declared disaster.
One striking example involves a client of "Selling Sunset" star realtor Jason Oppenheim. The client, who lost their home in the fires, sought a rental property originally priced at $13,000/month.
They offered $20,000/month, but the landlord countered with $23,000—a nearly 75% increase.
But don’t get too down , opportunistic landlords - @amazingkitchenmakeover and 264 others are on your side!
This lot must be real fun at parties
TikTok users flock to Chinese app RedNote as US ban looms
With a TikTok ban just days away, U.S. users are flocking to a Chinese app called RedNote, dubbing themselves "TikTok refugees." The migration has catapulted RedNote to the top of Apple’s U.S. App Store, making it the most downloaded app this week.
RedNote, a TikTok competitor popular among young users in China, Taiwan, and other Mandarin-speaking regions, has embraced its new Western audience. Over 63,000 posts tagged “TikTok refugee” are helping newcomers navigate the app and even learn basic Chinese phrases.
Chinese users have joined in on the trend, humorously referring to themselves as “Chinese spies,” a tongue-in-cheek nod to U.S. officials' fears that TikTok could be a tool for surveillance and political manipulation.
TikTok, meanwhile, has adamantly resisted U.S. demands to sell its American operations. The company’s lawyers argue that a ban would violate free speech protections for its 170 million U.S. users.
Not sure the Constitution extends to the protection of algorithmically enhanced content influenced by foreign governments…
The looming ban stems from a recent bill requiring foreign-owned apps to sell their U.S. operations or face removal from app stores. ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, refused to divest, prompting TikTok to announce a complete shutdown for U.S. users on Sunday unless the Supreme Court intervenes.
While the move might seem a little melodramatic, it reflects a strategic calculus by Beijing.
TikTok is evidently more than a revenue stream for China—it’s a geopolitical asset. By shutting down TikTok rather than ceding control to the U.S., China underscores its unwillingness to relinquish such a powerful tool.
Biden announces $770 payments to California wildfire victims
President Biden announced $770 one-time payments for victims of the California wildfires as part of the efforts to provide federal support amid the raging fires.
People impacted by these fires are going to receive a one-time payment of $770, one-time payment, so they quickly purchase things like water, baby formula and prescriptions.
The president said that nearly 6,000 survivors have already registered for the program and $5.1 million has gone out.
Biden announced last week that the federal government will cover 100 percent of the costs of California’s efforts to fight the wildfires for 180 days, which will stretch well into President-elect Trump’s administration after he is sworn in on the 20th.
Meanwhile, whilst tens of thousands of lives are devastated by the still raging wildfires, Trump and California Governor Patrick Bateman Gavin Newsom have publicly bickered over who’s to blame.
Trump has called for the governor to resign over the situation, whilst Newsom has raised concerns that Trump, when he is sworn in, could withhold disaster aid to his state.
His concerns aren’t without basis, as Republicans in Congress have floated the possibility of placing conditions on California wildfire relief funds.
Here’s a link to the LA Fire Relief fund if you’d like to help.
Netanyahu says Israel will sign Gaza deal after last-minute issues resolved
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that an agreement to secure the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip has been finalized, following earlier reports from his office of last-minute obstacles in completing the ceasefire.
In a statement issued early this morning, Netanyahu said he would convene his security cabinet later in the day, with a full cabinet meeting planned for Saturday to approve the highly anticipated hostage deal.
Negotiators from Israel and Hamas formally signed the truce on Thursday, a day later than initially scheduled, raising concerns that the delay might postpone the implementation of the ceasefire. However, U.S. officials remain optimistic that hostilities could cease by Sunday.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has threatened to resign from Netanyahu’s government over the agreement, describing it as “reckless.”
Meanwhile, some protesters in Jerusalem have demonstrated against the Gaza ceasefire agreement, lighting bonfires and denouncing it as an act of capitulation.
In contrast, pro-ceasefire supporters across Israel celebrated the news of the agreement, embracing as they welcomed the announcement of the historic ceasefire and hostage deal that brings to an end to a bloody conflict.
🍻Half Pints
Quick-fire news you might have missed
Memes of the Week
Comment of the Week
RedNote users did not disappoint this week…
That’s all for today.
We’ll be back, bigger and better, next week.
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