Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, September 24, 2021:
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BOOSTERS A 'GO'
The director of the CDC has overruled her own advisers to endorse booster shots for people whose jobs put them at high risk of contracting Covid. The surprise overnight decision from Dr. Rochelle Walensky came after the CDC’s advisory panel gave the green light to Pfizer boosters for those 65 and up as well as younger adults with underlying conditions. But it notably did not extend that to otherwise healthy frontline workers like teachers or nurses. Walensky’s move puts the CDC in line with the FDA’s recommendation and means the White House's booster campaign can start as early as today. NPR
KROGER SHOOTING
A suburban Tennessee grocery store was the scene of the country’s latest mass shooting. A gunman walked into a Kroger in the Memphis suburb of Collierville on Thursday and opened fire, killing one woman and injuring at least 12 others. Officials have not released the victims’ identities. Police say the gunman, who has also not been identified, was found dead in the back of the store of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. A bystander told reporters that police arrived within minutes and “swarmed” the supermarket. COMMERCIAL APPEAL
IRON DOME FUNDING
The House easily passed a bill to provide $1 billion for Israel’s Iron Dome aerial defense system after it was removed from a separate piece of legislation meant to prevent a government shutdown. A handful of progressive Democrats had threatened to sink that bill unless the Iron Dome funds were taken out. The final vote was 420-9, with two voting present. Eight Dems and one Republican voted against it. The funding bill goes to the Senate, where it’s expected to pass. CNN
END OF AN ERA
Germans go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new government and chancellor, bringing to an end the 16-year rule of Angela Merkel. The race is close -- Merkel’s center-right Christian Democrats are trailing the center-left Social Democrats by a couple points. Whatever happens, Merkel’s long and generally admired tenure as the “president of Europe” will be over. DW
PORT BACKLOG
There are currently more than 60 huge container ships lined up off the coast of southern California, waiting to unload their cargo at the state’s overloaded ports. Those ports handle 40% of the country’s imported goods, but even if they were running at full capacity there still aren’t enough truck drivers to get the goods to their final destinations. The head of the Port of L.A. is warning people to be prepared to see bare shelves for some time, and to start their holiday shopping now. CBS 8
ONE CHARGER
The EU has announced a plan to require consumer electronics companies to adopt a uniform charging method for smartphones and other mobile devices. The rules call for manufacturers to use USB-C ports and chargers for everything. Most already do, with one major exception: Apple. The iPhone maker has come out against the “common charger” law, saying it “stifles innovation.” But because of how complex it would be to make different ports for devices sold in the EU, there’s a good chance Apple will be forced to make the switch within the next two years, when the ruling goes into effect. CHEDDAR
BOPPY RECALL
Boppy, the maker of popular infant pillows, is recalling 3.3 million of their newborn loungers after the product was linked to 8 infant deaths. Federal regulators say the infants who died had suffocated after being found on their side or stomach. Boppy says the lounger was never intended to be an “infant sleep product” and came with warnings against unsupervised use. NPR
COSMETIC WORK GONE WRONG
Linda Evangelista, one of the so-called “original supermodels” of the early ‘90s, is suing the maker of a popular cosmetic procedure after claiming the treatment left her permanently deformed. CoolSculpting is an FDA-approved fat-removal process that freezes fat cells and lets them absorb into the body so they can be expelled. It’s commonly marketed as a non-invasive alternative to liposuction. But Evangelista says she developed a rare side effect in which new fat cells replaced the frozen ones, which made her “brutally disfigured” and unable to work. THE CUT
SPOTTED...
...Wally, the walrus who became famous for popping up around Europe, seen in Iceland -- 600 miles from where he was last sighted in Ireland: SEE PIC
...Cindy Crawford, Gigi Hadid and Jeremy Pope, among the models walking the runway for Rihanna’s latest Savage x Fenty lingerie show, dropping on Amazon Prime Video today: SEE PICS
...Kristen Stewart, embodying the “People’s Princess” in the trailer for the buzzy Princess Di biopic, Spencer: WATCH
LEFTOVERS: PAINT SO WHITE
A team of researchers at Purdue University has created a paint so white that it reflects most solar radiation and could conceivably make air conditioning obsolete. The Guiness Book of Records just declared the paint the whitest ever made, but the goal of the project was sustainability. Because the paint is so ultra-reflective, it absorbs less heat than it emits -- meaning a surface coated with the stuff actually cools its surrounding area without consuming energy. Even interior designers are into the shade, calling it “chic” with a “modern vibe.” ARC DIGEST
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