Biden hits world stage, why kids need the Covid vaccine and Facebook rebrand meta lot of mockery

To ensure delivery to your inbox add email@mail.nbcnews.com to your contacts Today's Top Stories from NBC News FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021 Good morning, NBC News readers.     President Joe Biden hits the world stage this morning as unfinished domestic politics still lurk in the background. Experts say why it's important for kids to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Plus, Facebook's rebrand meta lot of online mockery.   Here's what we're watching this Friday morning.     Biden wanted action on his agenda before jetting to Europe. Why progressives balked. President Joe Biden raced this week to stitch together a $1.75 trillion revision of his "Build Back Better" plan, personally pressured House Democrats to vote for his $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and addressed the nation on the merits of both measures just hours before he departed for a trip overseas.   A confluence of deadlines — an international climate change conference and Virginia's tight governor's race — contributed to a frenetic push that culminated in a framework announcement Thursday. But things still didn't pan out entirely as Biden would have liked. A group of recalcitrant Progressive Democrats wouldn't budge and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was forced to cancel yet another planned vote on the infrastructure bill Thursday.    Still, as far as the White House is concerned, Biden managed to flesh out a $555 climate change provision in the bill that he can tout on the world stage at both the G20 summit in Rome and the United Nations climate change conference in Glasgow.    Environmentalists applauded the revised spending bill and said that if it passes, it could be a game-changer in the effort to slash pollution levels and address the climate crisis.   Take a look at what else made it into Biden's scaled down spending bill and what was stripped out here.  For Biden, a meeting with Pope Francis is both personal and political  President Biden started his overseas trip this morning with a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican.    As just the second Roman Catholic president in U.S. history, Friday's audience at the Vatican is unlike any before between a pope and a president. The two have developed a close bond over the last decade and today's visit will mark their first meeting as peers and fellow heads of state, with an agenda that is expected to include climate, poverty and the global response to Covid-19.   Biden will also meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Rome on Friday in effort to mend fences after the recent submarine spat.    Opinion: The Biden-Pope Francis alliance is great news. But it wont make conservatives happy.  Friday's Top Stories Facebook goes Meta. And launches a thousand memes  Mark Zuckerberg announced the corporate rebrand on Thursday amid widespread public scrutiny of the social media company after thousands of internal corporate documents were revealed. Meta was instantly mocked online, inspiring puns and drawing comparisons to infamous unsuccessful rebrands. READ MORE Why do kids need the Covid vaccine? The coronavirus causes less severe illness in children, but experts say it's still important that they get vaccinated once the shots are available. Here are tips on how to make the experience as smooth as possible for needle-wary children.  READ MORE As 100 ships idle offshore, California communities see rise in toxic pollutants Cargo ships are being forced to wait outside the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach for an average of 10 days as a variety of issues impact supply chains and cause slowdowns. While they wait en masse, they emit pollutants in close proximity to the people living in these areas. READ MORE Also in the News Andrew Cuomo charged with forcible touching, a misdemeanor sex crime Police say Brian Laundrie was likely already dead when they confused him for his mother Ohio school board president to resign after refusing to vote against anti-racism resolution Guantanamo prisoner gives court first account of abuse at CIA 'black sites' North Korea's Kim Jong Un has lost weight but remains healthy, South Korea says 'Rust' armorer has 'no idea' where live rounds came from, attorney says Editor's Pick A Black chief diversity officer lost a job offer after flagging racial bias The hospital system said its incoming diversity, equity and inclusion officer was "too sensitive about race issues," as one reason it rescinded the offer. READ MORE Select While many gift baskets feature food and drinks, some offer bath salts, mugs and more. One Fun Thing NICU babies at Philadelphia hospital dress up for Halloween Families in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's NICU are celebrating the spookiest day of the year by dressing their babies in adorable Halloween costumes.  Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.    If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — send me an email at: petra@nbcuni.com   If you're a fan, please forward it to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.    Thanks, Petra Cahill     FOLLOW US     Want to receive NBC Breaking News and Special Alerts in your inbox? SIGN UP HERE Check out all of NBC Newsletters here.     Get the NBC News Mobile App   30 Rockefeller Plaza New York, NY 10112 View in browser | Unsubscribe | Manage Subscription | Contact | Privacy