Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, February 18, 2021:

WINTER, ROUND 10

The number of people without power in Texas is down to about 1 million as another round of winter weather is adding to the misery in that state, where residents are now under a boil-water advisory -- if they can even access their tap water at all. Most of Texas will remain below freezing at least through tomorrow. The cascading effects of the grid failure in Texas are now apparent in the global oil market, where the price of crude is at a 13-month high as the weather knocked out 40 percent of U.S. production. Meanwhile, winter storm warnings are plastered across the Northeast for today and tomorrow with NYC in the thick of it: FORECAST

COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Life expectancy in the U.S. dropped by a full year in the first half of 2020 in a reflection of the toll of the pandemic. It was the largest drop in decades, and was even more pronounced for the Black population. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are highly effective against the UK variant, but less so against the one from South Africa. Dr. Fauci weighed in on the debate over reopening schools, saying it would be “non-workable” to vaccinate every teacher before schools open their doors to students. WASH POST

MARS LANDING

If all goes according to plan, NASA will land a spacecraft on Mars today for the fifth time ever. The Perseverance rover is arriving at the Red Planet with a touchdown scheduled for 3:55 p.m. ET. Unlike past landings, the Perseverance is targeting a deep crater -- a dangerous spot but one that will give it the best chance to begin its search for signs of ancient microbial life. The landing attempt will be broadcast live, but it’ll take about 11 minutes for the signal to reach Earth: WATCH HERE

GAMESTOP HEARING

Keith Gill, the day trader known as Roaring Kitty on Reddit, will testify before Congress today as part of a hearing on the GameStop short squeeze from a few weeks ago. The CEOs of Reddit and Robinhood will also testify, and the hearing is expected to touch on the trading limits that Robinhood instituted as shares of GameStop and other meme stocks took off. Gill, who is being sued for securities fraud, plans to tell lawmakers that he never solicited anyone to buy or sell stocks for his own profit. Here’s a helpful primer on how we got here: READ IT

RUSH LIMBAUGH DIES

Rush Limbaugh, a towering figure in American conservative media who ushered in the era of political talk radio, has died at 70. His wife announced his death on his radio show, which has been on air since the 1980s and had 20 million daily listeners at its peak. On the right, Limbaugh has been heralded for his singular influence on modern conservative politics. On the left, he has been denounced for amplifying conspiracy theories like birtherism and for coining derogatory terms like “feminazi.” OBIT

PAYING FOR NEWS

The standoff between Big Tech and news publishers took one major step toward conciliation and then one major step back in the span of a few hours. Google and News Corp announced a landmark deal in which Google will make a “significant payment” to the parent company of Fox News, the NY Post, and the WSJ to license its journalism on Google’s platforms. That’s a huge win for media companies that have long said they’re giving away their content for free on the search engine. Then Facebook said it would start restricting users and publishers in Australia from sharing links to news articles. That move is in response to a proposed law that would require tech giants to pay publishers to link to their stories. AP

SERENA OUT

Naomi Osaka beat Serena Williams in straight sets in the Australian Open semifinals, denying Williams her record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title. An emotional Williams walked out of her post-match press conference after she was asked if this was her last Open. Osaka will face the American Jennifer Brady in the final on Saturday. In men's singles, Novak Djokovic has advanced to the final. ESPN

STREAMING FOR KIDS

Apple TV+ and HBO Max both announced big plans to bring more kids’ shows to their respective streaming platforms. Apple has a new deal with Skydance Animation that will bring movies like Luck and Spellbound to the service, along with new series TBA. WarnerMedia is committing to 300 hours of new original content aimed at preschoolers, kids aged 6 to 11, and families. That slate will be divvied up between HBO Max and a new programming block on Cartoon Network called Cartoonito. CORD CUTTER NEWS

SPOTTED...

… The Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, imploding into dust in a controlled demolition. The building once owned by the former president was at one time the premier casino in A.C. before it fell into disrepair and closed in 2014: WATCH

… Blue Ivy Carter, modeling for mom Beyoncé’s latest Ivy Park collection: WATCH

LEFTOVERS: DISNEY GOES DARK

Disney dropped the first trailer for its live-action Cruella de Vil origin story, starring Emma Stone as the classic villain. The movie looks closer to Joker than 101 Dalmatians, with a dark and gritty feel that doesn’t exactly scream Disney: WATCH

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
A New Plant-Based Way to Quit Smoking
John Bencich, CEO of Achieve Life Sciences, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss a new plant-based compound that's being used to fight nicotine addiction.
Plant-Based Way to Quit Smoking; Innovation in Stroke Therapy
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: CEO of Achieve Life Sciences discusses a new plant-based compound that's being used to fight nicotine addiction; President & CEO OF DiaMedica Therapeutics explains a new ischemic stroke treatment option that expands the window for effective therapy for stroke patients; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Asteroid Rush.'
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.
Load More