The U.S. economy grew at a 2% annualized pace during the third quarter of 2021, the slowest pace in more than a year, likely caused by supply chain constraints creating shortages of goods that stifled consumer spending. Gross domestic product grew 0.5%, down from 1.6% in the second quarter and the weakest growth since pandemic recovery began in the spring. As the year comes to a close, the pandemic’s grip seems to be easing but supply-chain issues are not.

Consumer Spending Likely Grew More Slowly in September - The Wall Street Journal

The market is starting to price in more interest rate hikes than the Fed is indicating - CNBC

@byHeatherLong: US economy grew just 2% in Q3 -- the weakest by far in this recovery as Delta took its toll. Big declines in Federal gov't spending as stimulus starts to fade. Also big drops in biz investment, esp. weak buying of equipment and residential investment likely due to supply chain woes

Facebook Inc. has changed its name to Meta Platforms Inc., demonstrating the company’s shift from a global social network to an emerging computing platform focused on virtual reality. The change highlights Mark Zuckerberg’s desire to transition the Silicon Valley company’s focus to the next digital frontier: the unification of disparate digital worlds into the metaverse. The Facebook app that is used by almost 3 billion people around the world each month will keep its name.

Enter the metaverse: the digital future Mark Zuckerberg is steering us toward - The Guardian​​

Microsoft announces plan to cut cybersecurity workforce shortage in half by 2025 - CNBC

@evan_greer: I took a dive into the "Metaverse" and went on the BBC to talk about Facebook's rebranding and how we need to fight tooth and nail to ensure that the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world don't define and control the next generation of the Internet.

A Kaiser Family Foundation survey found 37% of unvaccinated workers say they will quit their jobs if their employers mandate vaccines or force weekly coronavirus tests, with 72% of unvaccinated workers saying they will quit if their employer does not offer the testing option. So far, 5% of unvaccinated adults have left a job due to a vaccine mandate. The Biden administration’s vaccine mandate rule for private-sector employers allows businesses to force workers who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine to pay for required weekly tests and masks.

Pandemic to endemic: How the world can learn to live with COVID-19 - McKinsey and Company

Iowa lawmakers pass vaccine mandate exemption bill - Associated Press

Air Force is first to face troops’ rejection of vaccine mandate as thousands avoid shots - The Washington Post

Migration to rich countries plunged last year as the pandemic closed borders and businesses, but industries that rely heavily on migrant labor are reopening, signaling a rebound from worker shortages. The number of migrants arriving in its “mostly rich-country members” in 2020 fell by almost a third to 3.7 million, the largest drop since 2003, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s annual report.

Immigrants could fix the US labor shortage - Vox

Why is Amazon stock crashing? Blame supply-chain issues and labor shortages - Fast Company

@RepLouCorrea: The immigrant story is the American story. This #NationalImmigrantsDay, we honor the enormous contributions immigrants have made and continue to make to our country. We also must take action. That’s why we need to include an immigration reform in the reconciliation package.

The White House’s Build Back Better plan announced Thursday contains a $555 billion package of tax credits, grants and policies aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the largest clean-energy investment in U.S. history. The investment is part of President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion spending bill and if passed, environmental experts said the legislation could create momentum to slash pollution levels and address climate change on a...