Get the Need2Know newsletter in your inbox every morning! Sign up here!

Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, December 2, 2021:

SCOTUS TAKES ON ABORTION

The Supreme Court likely has the five votes it needs to significantly roll back abortion rights, judging by the oral arguments presented in the case Dobbs v. Jackson. All six justices that make up the Court’s conservative majority appeared willing to the uphold the Mississippi law that would let states ban abortion much earlier than current precedent allows. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, speaking for the liberal wing, warned that the Court risks losing legitimacy and may not “survive the stench” of overturning the precedent set in Roe. NY TIMES

SCHOOL SHOOTER CHARGED

A fourth victim has died following the shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan. Justin Shilling was a 17-year-old student at the school. The suspected gunman has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and terrorism. Prosecutors say they believe the shooting was premeditated, and that the suspect used a handgun purchased by his father on Black Friday. There’s a petition to rename Oxford’s football stadium after one of the victims, Tate Myre, a star player who was shot as he tried to disarm the gunman, according to fellow students. CNN

WINTER COVID STRATEGY

President Biden is planning to announce today that people with private insurance can get reimbursed for at-home Covid tests, and that international travelers will have to test negative within a day of departing for the U.S. The mask mandate for travel is also being extended into March. The new measures are part of the White House’s strategy for containing the Omicron variant, which has now been confirmed to be in the country. The first infected patient is a fully vaccinated resident of San Francisco who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22. AP

TRUMP SUPERSPREADER

Former President Trump tested positive for Covid three days before his first debate against President Biden last September, according to a bombshell excerpt from a new book by Mark Meadows, Trump’s chief of staff at the time. Meadows reveals that Trump threw a positive test on Sept. 26, the same day he presided over the infamous Rose Garden ceremony that’s thought to have been a superspreader event. He then got a negative result with a second test, before he started to feel sick, according to Meadows. The positive test was six days before Trump announced he had Covid. In that six day window -- in addition to the debate -- Trump went to a campaign rally and presided over an indoor ceremony with Gold Star families that he later suggested could have been where he contracted the virus. GUARDIAN

WHAT'S IN YOUR WALLET

Capital One is ditching all overdraft fees, becoming the biggest consumer bank to get rid of the controversial -- and hated -- practice of charging customers about $30 when they overdraw their accounts. Capital One didn’t give a reason for the shift, and said it would cost the company about $150 million a year in revenue. Ally was the last retail bank to drop the fees, but the big banks -- Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi, Bank of America -- still have them in some form. USA TODAY

BLOCKCHANGE

Jack Dorsey’s mobile payments company Square is changing its name to Block. The new name is a nod to the blockchain and reflects Dorsey’s stated ambitions to double down on crypto. The corporate rebrand is similar to Facebook changing its name to Meta, in that it won’t affect the company’s core businesses, which include Square, CashApp and Tidal. REUTERS 

WTA PUNISHES CHINA

The women’s tennis association is pulling out of China entirely, immediately suspending all tournaments in the country in response to questions over the status of Peng Shuai, the Grand Slam champion who accused a top Chinese party official of sexual assault before disappearing from public. The head of the WTA says he still hasn’t spoken directly with Peng. The move is in contrast with a more indifferent attitude coming from the International Olympic Committee. Longtime IOC member Dick Pound says the “unanimous conclusion” of the committee is that Peng is “fine.” Beijing hosts the Winter Olympics in 64 days. ESPN

BALDWIN SPEAKS

Alec Baldwin says he “didn’t pull the trigger” of the gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust. The actor told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in an interview airing in primetime tonight that he has “no idea” how a live round got into the chamber of the prop gun. Meanwhile, investigators in New Mexico have zeroed in on the film’s ammo supplier on the theory it may have accidentally sent live rounds to the set. ABC NEWS

SPOTTED...

...President Biden’s “hot” Secret Service agent, taking the internet by storm: SEE PIC

...a brand new trailer for The Matrix Resurrections: WATCH

LEFTOVERS: LOCKOUT

MLB owners have locked out the players, starting the clock on the league’s first work stoppage in 26 years. The collective bargaining agreement between the MLB and the players union lapsed at midnight with both sides still far apart on a new labor contract. The lockout means team officials and players cannot communicate with each other, including with respect to free agency and trades. The league and union now have until March to strike a deal without impacting the start of the 2022 regular season. ESPN

Listen to the N2K Podcast! Looking for more context and analysis on the big stories of the day? Check out our podcast! Hosts Jill and Carlo break down the headlines, every weekday morning Listen on Apple or Spotify, or watch on YouTube, and send us your feedback!

Share:
More In Culture
Pressure to Settle $1 Billion Claim From Nassar Survivors Against FBI
Survivors of Larry Nassar, including Olympian Simone Biles, are seeking $1 billion in damages from the FBI due to its failure to investigate the former gymnastics team doctor convicted of committing years of serial sexual abuse of minors. Jack Queen, a senior reporter at Law360, joined Cheddar News to break down the legal grounds of this case. "This is one of the biggest black eyes that the Bureau has faced in generations, quite frankly, and the FBI has taken full responsibility and admitted that it completely botched this investigation," he said. "So, there's a lot of pressure to settle."
Elevate Prize Foundation Wants to Create 'Fanbase for Good' With $10K Awards
The Elevate Prize Foundation is donating $10,000 to different grassroots organizations based on a theme every month to help scale their work, focusing on a different theme each time. Upcoming prizes will help uplift an organization supporting the LGBTQ community and one mobilizing to help end gun violence. The foundation's CEO Carolina Garcia Jayaram joined Cheddar to discuss the initiative and why it's important to uplift these grassroots organizations. "We are identifying social entrepreneurs around the world to help them scale their work. but the ultimate purpose of that is to create the first-ever fanbase for good," she said. "We're trying to make good famous and by inspiring people to think about the role they can play in doing good in the world."
Stephanie Shojaee on Paving the Way for Women in Real Estate
With real estate being a largely male-dominated industry, Stephanie Shojaee, vice president and chief marketing officer at development company Shoma Group, joined Cheddar News to discuss how she took on the gender gap for women to achieve leadership roles, starting at her own company. “It's been very important to teach all the women that work here, especially the younger ones, that they shouldn't change themselves," she said. "You need to be happy with who you are and just keep breaking barriers."
Hot summer could lead to rolling blackouts
We are already starting to feel the effects of summer. Heat waves in Texas and California are already sending temperatures soaring. That could spell trouble for the nation's power supply. there are new concerns about outages in many areas of the country. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier explains the two main causes of blackouts, and what states are doing to keep the lights on and the air conditioning running.
U.S. traffic deaths hit 16 year high
If you have been on the road this past year, you've probably seen more accidents on the road than you ever have. You're not wrong. Traffic fatalities are not only increasing they are hitting historic highs. Almost 43,000 people died in motor vehicle accidents in 2021. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier investigates - and finds out why.
U.S. Stocks Closed at Session Highs Tuesday
U.S. stocks close Tuesday at session highs after a subpar start to the trading day. Tim Chubb, Chief Investment Officer at the wealth advisory firm, Girard, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. 'We're starting to see the moderation of three core things -- we've seen the moderation of prices, we've seen the moderation of wage growth we've seen in the labor market, and we've also seen a moderation of job openings,' he says.
Gymnasts Seek $1 Billion From FBI Over Larry Nassar Case
The victims from the USA gymnastics sexual abuse scandal continue to seek justice. Survivors of Larry Nassar are seeking more than one-billion dollars from the FBI for failing to stop the convicted sports doctor when the agency first received allegations. According to a report released by the Justice Department's Inspector General, FBI agents knew in July of 2015 that Nassar was accused of abusing gymnasts; however, Nassar wasn't arrested until December of 2016. The group that filed the claim includes Olympic medalist Simone Biles and around 90 other women. Louise Radnofsky, sports reporter at The Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Kat Tat on Becoming 'Elite' Black Woman Tattoo Artist in Unwelcoming Industry
Tattoo artist Katrina "Kat Tat" Jackson, famous for starring in the VH1 hit series "Black Ink Crew: Chicago," is also the first Black woman to own a tattoo shop in Beverly Hills. She joined Cheddar News to discuss her trailblazing work, the stigma BIPOC tattoo artists face in the industry, and the way the space has changed for artists of color since her start. "In the beginning, I remember walking into a tattoo shop just like, hey, I wanna learn, I wanna be a tattoo artist and kind of just being laughed at, not taken seriously," she said. "Even with the tattoo conventions, a lot of African American tattoo artists were almost scared to go to conventions because it's not a welcoming environment."
Load More