Since it was first popularized more than a year ago by actress Alyssa Milano, the #MeToo hashtag has been used over 19 million times, and 75% of public officials accused in the U.S. of sexual misconduct will be out of office by the new year.
The big picture: #MeToo has rocked a number of institutions previously resistant to believing victims of sexual misconduct, with more expected to come.
More and more businesses like the Drybar chain of blow-dry salons don’t want your money — the paper kind at least, The Wall Street Journal's Katherine Bindley reports.
The big picture: Chain restaurants Sweetgreen and Dig Inn have stopped accepting cash at nearly all of their locations, as have a Starbucks in Seattle and some pubs in the U.K. Massachusetts is currently the only state that requires retailers to take cash, but the inconvenient and sometimes awkward frustrations caused by cash bans have prompted lawmakers in New Jersey, New York City, Philadelphia and D.C. to consider taking up similar legislation.
Sears chairman Eddie Lampert reportedly submitted a $4.6 billion bid to buy the company and potentially save it from liquidation on Friday, hours before the deadline, according to CNBC and Reuters.
The big picture: Lampert, who has received at least part of the blame for the department store chain’s demise, heads the hedge fund that is the retailer’s biggest creditor and owns equity in the company. Investors have until Jan. 4 to determine whether his hedge fund, ESL Investments, is a qualified buyer. After that, the bid will be weighed against liquidation offers to determine whether the chain will be kept alive or closed down permanently.
Teachers and public education employees in the U.S. quit at the fastest rate ever recorded in 2018, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The big picture: Historically low unemployment could be the cause, as Americans expect "they can find something better," per the Journal. But there were also a string of teacher protests around the country this year over pay and poor conditions. 83 of every 10,000 public educators quit in the first 10 months of 2018, which is the highest rate since records began in 2001, the Journal notes.
Former President Barack Obama posted his year-end list of his favorite books, movies, and music that he found "most though-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved" on Facebook Friday morning.
Details: Obama's favorite book was his wife Michelle's, "Becoming" ("obviously my favorite!" he wrote). He also gave a shout out to movies like "Black Panther" and "Eighth Grade," as well as songs such as "I Like It" by Cardi B and Prince's "Mary Don't You Weep."
