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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
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