Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Monday, February 22, 2021:
COVID-19: 500K DEAD
The United States is on the brink of half a million coronavirus deaths. Despite having just 4 percent of the global population, the U.S. accounts for 23 percent of global Covid fatalities a year into the pandemic. More Americans have died of Covid-19 than in WWI, WWII and Vietnam combined. The White House will hold a moment of silence this evening to mark the milestone, with President Biden expected to deliver remarks. Dr. Fauci says that people should be prepared to wear masks in public into 2022, but that he expects a “degree of normality” to return by fall as vaccinations ramp up. AP
VAX CURBS SPREAD
The Pfizer vaccine appears to be extremely effective in stopping the transmission of Covid-19, according to a large pre-print study of patients in Israel. One of the biggest outstanding questions with the vaccines has been whether they can curb the virus from spreading -- in addition to just protecting against illness -- and the first real-world data now gives reasons to be encouraged. Meanwhile, a growing body of research suggests that people who have already been infected may not need the second dose at all. BLOOMBERG
TEXAS THAWS OUT
It could hit 70 today in Austin and Houston, a far cry from last week’s single-digit temps. The Texas thaw is underway, but water service remains disrupted for a third of the state. For some residents and businesses who were lucky enough not to lose electricity last week, they’re now getting bills as high as $1,000 per day for the privilege. Because Texas has an unregulated grid, customers are allowed to tie their utility bills to wholesale electricity prices, which fluctuate based on supply and demand and are typically cheaper. But when the blackouts hit, demand jumped and those prices skyrocketed 10,000 percent. HOUSTON CHRON
Maybe once things calm down Ted Cruz can head back to Cancun.
PLANE EMERGENCY
Boeing is recommending that airlines temporarily stop flying a specific model of its 777 jetliner after a harrowing near-disaster over the weekend. A United Airlines flight that had just taken off from Denver had to turn back to the airport after one of its engines caught fire, raining debris over a suburban neighborhood. The plane landed safely and no one was hurt -- on board or on the ground -- though a giant piece of the engine missed one house by a matter of feet: WATCH
Still a more pleasant experience than flying out of LGA.
FUTURE OF GOP
Establishment Republicans’ post-Trump dilemma is becoming increasingly clear. According to a new USA Today/Suffolk U. poll, GOP voters say they would abandon the party and follow Donald Trump if he decided to start a new one -- and it’s not even close. By a margin of 46-27 percent, Republicans surveyed said their allegiance is to Trump over the GOP. The former president is expected to speak at CPAC next weekend in his first public appearance since leaving office. USA TODAY
PERSEVERANCE PHONES HOME
NASA will release first-of-its-kind video today from the Perseverance rover’s Mars landing. At 2 p.m. ET, the space agency is scheduled to hold an event showing off the footage -- the first video of a spacecraft landing on another planet. NASA has also started dumping the first raw photographs taken by Perseverance on its website and will continue to upload pics as the mission gets underway. Watch today’s livestream: HERE
GRAND SLAM TITLE CHASE
Novak Djokovic is within two Grand Slam wins of catching up with rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Playing with an abdominal muscle tear, Djokovic put on a clinic to beat Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open men’s singles final, claiming his 18th title. The win in Melbourne capped a year of bad luck and questionable decisions for the Serbian tennis star. ESPN
'SNL' RECAP
It’s safe to say Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page has crossed over into mainstream heartthrob status after he hosted SNL this weekend, judging by viewer reaction on social media. The buzziest skit of the episode centered around a group of guys playing pool and becoming increasingly emotional when Olivia Rodrigo’s Drivers License (which is now back to #1 on iTunes) comes on the jukebox: WATCH
This guy really is ridiculously good looking.
SPOTTED...
...Kim Kardashian, seen without her wedding band amid the news that she has filed for divorce from Kanye West: SEE PIC
Robert Kardashian’s hologram will rep her in divorce proceedings.
LEFTOVERS: MELTING ARCTIC
A Russian gas tanker, with the help of an icebreaker, has successfully sailed from China to Siberia through the Northern Sea Route for the first time ever in February, confirming that “year-round safe navigation is possible” in the Arctic, according to Russia. Climate change has warmed the Arctic to the point that it can open for shipping business 365 days a year, when it would previously have been impossible to navigate the same routes during the winter. For years, Russia has been aggressively positioning itself for dominance of these routes once the ice has melted enough so that they’ve become accessible. That’s now happening. BARENTS OBSERVER
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