These are the headlines you Need 2 Know. * **Winter Storm:** The southern half of the country is under threat of severe weather through the weekend. A major storm system has already begun dumping rain on Texas, and will spread east, raising concerns of widespread flooding. The mid-Atlantic will see heavy snow, freezing rain and ice, which has officials worried about mass power outages. Read more [here](https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/storm-to-sweep-through-southern-us-with-flooding-severe-weather-into-sunday/70006811). * **Kevin Hart:** Kevin Hart has decided to step down as host of the 2019 Oscars after Hart says the Academy asked him to apologize for years-old homophobic tweets. He initially said he “passed on” an apology. Later, when he announced he was stepping down because he didn’t want to be a “distraction,” he did apologize to the LGBTQ community. Read more [here](https://www.npr.org/2018/12/07/674447464/kevin-hart-bows-out-as-oscars-host-amid-backlash-over-past-tweets). * **Bush Laid to Rest:** President George H.W. Bush was laid to rest after several days of public mourning, culminating in a memorial ceremony at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston where Reba McEntire gave a powerful rendition of the Lord’s Prayer. He was then brought by train to his final resting place at his presidential library on the campus of Texas A&M. Read more [here](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/reba-mcentire-george-hw-bush-funeral-performance-today-2018-12-06/). * **Contested House Race:** North Carolina’s GOP leader said he’s open to a new election in a House district that’s been plagued by accusations of voter fraud. Dan McCready, the Democrat, has taken back his concession to Republican Mark Harris in the 9th district amid allegations that a GOP operative tampered with absentee ballots. Harris has so far been silent on the growing scandal. Read more [here](https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article222739205.html). * **UN Ambassador:** Heather Nauert has reportedly been chosen to replace Nikki Haley as the country’s ambassador to the UN. Nauert is the current State Department spokeswoman and a former Fox News host. President Trump is expected to announce her as his pick today. Read more [here](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-to-announce-heather-nauert-as-pick-for-un-ambassador-friday-sources-tell-fox-news). * **Market Roller Coaster:** Stocks staged a remarkable comeback in the final hour of trading Thursday after another day of steep losses. The Dow rebounded from a 780 point decline to close down 79. Fears of a recession are spreading among investors, helping to fuel the wild swings of late. Read more [here](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/05/market-sell-off-set-to-continue-as-dow-futures-get-hit.html). * **CNN Bomb Threat:** CNN’s New York offices were evacuated Thursday night when police say a man called and said five bombs had been placed in the building. The building was evacuated while Don Lemon was anchoring his 10 p.m. show; CNN went to taped programming and then Lemon went back on air from outside the building. The all-clear came just before midnight. Read more [here](https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/07/media/reliable-sources-12-06-18/index.html). * **LeBron & Melo?:** LeBron James is reportedly interested in Carmelo Anthony joining him on the Lakers. Anthony was unceremoniously removed from the Houston Rockets’ roster after just 10 games this season. James is said to think the veteran shooter still has good basketball left in him. Read more [here](https://theathletic.com/699423/2018/12/06/source-lebron-james-interested-in-carmelo-anthony-joining-the-lakers/). * **Golden Globes:** The Golden Globe nominations are out. Leading the way: Vice, the upcoming Dick Cheney biopic, and The Assassination of Gianni Versace, the true-crime series. Lady Gaga got a nod for her turn in A Star Is Born, while the well-reviewed Widows and Atlanta were both snubbed. The show airs on Jan. 6 and will be hosted by Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg. Read more [here](https://www.cheddar.com/videos/vice-and-the-assassination-of-gianni-versace-lead-golden-globe-nominations). * **#SpotifyWrapped:** Spotify’s personalized end-of-year wrap is out, and people have feelings about it. The streaming platform shows users the top songs they listened to throughout 2018. Some say they’re embarrassed by their tastes of just a few months ago, while others say it’s a perfect reflection of their moods at certain points during the year. See the tweets [here](https://twitter.com/search?q=%232018wrapped&src=typd). * **Baby, It’s Cold Outside:** Gayle King is not a fan of banning ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ and made her opinion known during a segment on CBS This Morning. The co-anchor believes “we’re losing our sense of humor nowadays.” The song has been banned by numerous radio stations because of lyrics deemed inappropriate by some amid the #MeToo movement. Read more [here](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/gayle-king-defends-baby-cold-outside-christmas-classic-continues-get-pulled-radio-stations-180330879.html). Cheddar's Hena Doba gets into the latest. Subscribe to the Need 2 Know newsletter [here](https://theneed2know.com).

Share:
More In Politics
Democrats' Election Day Woes
Going into election day on Tuesday, many of us had an inkling it might not be a great day for Democrats. History tells us the president's party tends to lose congressional seats, governorships and state legislature seats in off-year and midterm elections. Tuesday turned out to be a big wake-up call for democrats. Not only did Terry McAuliffe lose in the Virginia governor's race, Gov. Phil Murphy won re-election by an incredibly slim margin. Both races saw continued Democratic losses in rural areas and a shift of suburban voters back to the GOP. Liz Landers, chief political correspondent at Vice News, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss.
World Leaders Pledge Climate Actions at COP26
Week one of UN climate summit is coming to an end, world leaders made a number of promises to save the planet. President Biden attended the first two days of the meeting. Alan Neuhauser, vice president of Silverline Communications, joined Cheddar Politics to talk more about the pledges that came out from the summit and their significance.
Supreme Court Hears Cases on Abortion and Gun Rights
It's been a busy week for the Supreme Court. It heard arguments on three of the most watched cases in the docket for this term. The court heard arguments in two cases challenging the Texas abortion law on Monday - one filed by abortion providers and the other by the justice department. Instead of weighing in on the constitutionality of the matter itself, justices focused on the unusual structure of the law that enables citizens to enforce the law, not the state government. On Wednesday, the court heard arguments in the biggest Second Amendment case in more than a decade. The dispute is over a New York gun law that requires people seeking a license to carry a handgun in public to show a "proper cause." The challengers in this case claim the law inhibits their constitutional Second Amendment rights. Amy Howe, co-founder of SCOTUSBlog, joined Cheddar Politics to break the cases down.
Cheddar Changemakers: Conservation Conservatives
This is the first installment of Cheddar Changemakers, where we spotlight young activists making a difference in the world and speaking up on issues regarding mental health, voting, and climate change. Republicans are considered, and often act like, the party opposed to action on climate change. They've made a point of fighting even modest regulations on businesses related to stemming the worst effects of climate change. But Republicans aren't a monolith on climate change, and our next guest reminds us that "conservation" and "conservative" have the same word root. Quill Robinson, VP of government affairs at the American Conservation Coalition, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss.
Portland Mayor Wheeler on Increasing City's Police Budget, Revamping Public Safety
The mayor of Portland, Oregon, Ted Wheeler joined Cheddar News Wrap to discuss his plans to get an increase in the city's police budget for more personnel, changes to public safety response, and more body cameras. The Democratic mayor addressed the growth in violent crimes amid the pandemic, but noted the need for officers who take their roles seriously. We want officers who understand that policing is an important responsibility, it's a high calling," he said. "We also want a police bureau that is accountable and responsible to the public it serves."
Why Tech Firms Like Yahoo, Fortnite Continue to Exit China
More American tech companies continue to pull their businesses out of China as the Communist Party cracks down on firms — both foreign and domestic. Yahoo and Fortnite have become the latest companies to withdraw from the country, and the withdrawals come just days after Microsoft announced it would take LinkedIn offline. Shehzad Qazi, managing director at China Beige Book International, joined Cheddar to provide some insight into how the crackdowns in China would also impact the tech companies at home in the United States.
'The Good Liars' Release New Mockumentary 'The Supporters'
'The Good Liars' are Jason Selvig and Davram Stiefler, a comedy duo that's been shaking up the political world for years. They're out with a new mockumentary, 'The Supporters,' following the 2020 election. Jason Selvig & Davram Stiefler, Stunt Comedians and creators of 'The Good Liars' joined Cheddar News to discuss.
Load More