Airbnb blocks D.C. reservations during inauguration, Snapchat bans Trump, and Sephora releases DE&I commitments

Hello, communicators:

Mark King, chief executive at Taco Bell, announced today that potatoes were coming back to the fast food chain’s menu in March. However, Taco Bell’s social media team put a new spin on the concept of a corporate “talking head” by overlaying a potato filter on King’s face:

https://twitter.com/tacobell/status/1349702816156282883

In his short address, King even hints at a partnership with Beyond Meat, throwing out jargon with a wink: “This year, we’re going big on our vegetarian menu. We’re going above—and beyond.”

Here are today’s top stories:

The company announced it was blocking reservations for the Washington, D.C. metro area for next week to help prevent violence planned for President-elect Joseph Biden’s inauguration. Airbnb canceled exisiting reservations on its platform and HotelTonight, which offers last-minute rooms, promising to reimburse hosts.

The announcement is an extension of Airbnb’s “Capitol Safety Plan,” which originally required guests to verify their identities and comply with additional security checks: