Nurses Sharon Daley, left, and Maureen Giffen fill syringes with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in a makeshift clinic in the kitchen of a community center, Friday, March 19, 2021, on Great Cranberry Island, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, April 7, 2021:
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
All adults in the U.S. should now be eligible for vaccination no later than April 19, President Biden said, shaving two weeks off his earlier deadline. California will fully reopen its economy on June 15 but will keep the statewide mask mandate in place for the time being. Dr. Fauci says he thinks vaccination uptake is going to keep the U.S. from a fourth wave, but urged people to keep mitigation efforts in place. REUTERS
'60' BLOWBACK
CBS News and 60 Minutes are facing backlash over a story from last weekend that focused on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s vaccine partnership with the grocer Publix. The piece suggested that there may have been a “pay to play” situation between the governor’s office and Publix, given that the company had made a hefty donation to DeSantis’ reelection campaign. But several Florida officials, including Democrats, say Publix was recommended as a partner to the governor because it was ready to start vaccinating immediately. CBS is standing by the story. CNN
ARK TRANSGENDER LAW
Arkansas lawmakers overrode a veto by the governor to make the state the first in the country to ban gender confirming treatment for transgender minors. Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, said the legislature went a “step way too far” in enacting the ban, especially because it doesn’t grandfather in young people currently under hormone treatment. "The Republican Party that I grew up with believed in a restrained government that did not jump in the middle of every issue,” he said. NPR
IRAN TALKS
The U.S. and Iran agreed through European intermediaries to begin the process of getting both countries back into compliance with the nuclear deal, a small first step toward reviving that agreement. Tehran wants the U.S. to lift sanctions first, while Washington insists that the Iranians comply with the original terms of the deal first. Both sides called the first day of talks constructive. AL JAZEERA
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
The U.S. economy is getting ready to take off like a rocketship. The IMF is predicting that America is set to lead the world in a post-COVID boom, estimating the U.S. economy will grow 6.4 percent in 2021, the fastest rate in decades. That’s nearly double the rate it was predicting just six months ago. The global economy is expected to grow by 6 percent. The IMF credited the rapid vaccine rollout in the U.S. for its new forecast, saying the end of the pandemic is “increasingly visible.” NPR
RICH GET RICHER
Last year was terrible for just about everyone -- with an exception for the world’s very, very rich. According to the annual Forbes billionaires list, Jeff Bezos is once again in the top spot, followed by Elon Musk, who was the biggest gainer thanks to Tesla’s soaring share price. Bernard Arnault, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg round out the top five. In other notable entries, Kim Kardashian made the list for the first time and Donald Trump dropped 300 spots. Despite -- or because of -- the pandemic, there was a $5 trillion surge in wealth and a record number of new billionaires added to the list. FORBES
ALL STAR MOVE
The MLB All-Star Game will now be held at Coors Field in Denver after the league moved it from Atlanta in response to the Georgia voting law. That controversial decision has led to backlash from Republicans, some of whom are threatening to revoke the MLB’s antitrust exemption. Cobb County, Ga., where the game would have been played, has estimated that losing it will cost the region $100 million. ESPN
HARRY & MEGHAN'S FIRST DOC
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s production company has announced its first docu-series for Netflix. Heart of Invictus will follow wounded veterans training for the 2022 Invictus Games. Harry will executive produce and appear in the series, which is the first to be produced under the couple’s Archewell Productions umbrella as part of its deal with Netflix. DEADLINE
SPOTTED...
…Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo, wearing matching dresses with their two little girls in a rare family pic: SEE PIC
LEFTOVERS: HYPEBEAST MASK
Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas is launching a $300 face mask that comes with noise-cancelling headphones. Honeywell, maker of the N95, is partnering on the “Xupermask,” which includes HEPA filters as well as Bluetooth connectivity and LED lights. It’s a bet that masks can become a fashion statement in the streetwear scene: SEE IT
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!
M&T Bank rang the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange Thursday morning as the company celebrated a milestone of opening 100 new multicultural banking centers. David Femi, head of multicultural banking, joined Cheddar to discuss the culturally inclusive expansion as part of the bank's overarching goal to increase financial access in racially and ethnically diverse communities. "By designating branches as multicultural is just one way for us to be intentional in making sure, that number one, when [customers] come into these branches, they see people that look like them, they see people that speak their language," he said.
A second Starbucks location in the U.S. has officially voted to unionize. On Monday, the National Labor Relations Board announced workers at the Starbucks store located in the Buffalo, NY suburb of Cheektowaga voted 15-9 in favor of being represented by Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union. The New York Times reports votes were tallied in December but remained inconclusive as the union challenged the ballots of several employees it said did not work at the store. A Starbucks spokesperson has said that it may appeal the labor board's decision, which comes as several other Starbucks stores across the country are also pushing to form a union. Danka Dragic, shift supervisor for the second Starbucks store in the country to unionize, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Technology-driven sustainable waste management platform, RoadRunner Recycling, recently raised a $70 million Series D round from BeyondNetZero, the climate investing venture of General Atlantic. RoadRunner says it creates and manages end-to-end waste and recycling solutions for businesses of all sizes and that its proprietary technology can boost cost savings and improve recycling rates for companies, which in turn drives sustainability for the waste industry and our world. RoadRunner Recycling founder and CEO Graham Rihn joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Apple TV+ is in serious talks for the rights to stream MLB games next season, the first foray into sports content for the platform, according to the New York Post. Lee Berke, president and CEO of LHB Sports, sat down with Cheddar to discuss how such a deal might impact the tech giant and the sports content industry. "Quite often with new media platforms one of the quickest ways to create and implement a programming strategy — and actually one of the most expensive ways — is to offer up sports content," Berke noted. "So, with this package available, it puts Apple literally in the game and gives them an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in offering up a major league sport."
A.I.-enabled fintech company Qraft Technologies recently closed a $146 million investment from SoftBank Group Corp.
The companies say they are entering a partnership to accelerate artificial intelligence in the asset management industry. Qraft has already developed A.I. solutions that have been used by major financial institutions and says its new approach to asset management maximizes investment efficiency. Qraft Technologies U.S. CEO Robert Nestor joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Peacock has announced a slate of original Olympic games documentaries set to premiere throughout January. The first series, 'Meddling' is now available to stream. The four-part docuseries details the 2002 winter Olympic scandal which alleged that the pairs figure skating competition had been fixed to favor Russia. Tara Lipinski, Olympic gold medalist, champion figure skater, and executive producer of ' Meddling,' joins Cheddar News discuss the series.
A decade ago, long before streaming services, the amount of binge-watching viewers could take part in was slim. Now, streaming services have established binge-watching as a viewing norm. However, how can viewers know when they've crossed the line from innocent entertainment to harmful addiction? Judy Grisel, professor of psychology at Bucknell University, joins Cheddar News to discuss a new study that identifies psychological predictors of problematic binge-watching.
Glassdoor has officially revealed its list of the best places to work in the year 2022. The top 10 on the list include tech companies and just one retail company. Senior economist at Glassdoor, Daniel Zhao, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Students in the Chicago Public School system will head back to class tomorrow at long last. The move comes after four days of canceled classes due to clashes between teachers and the city, including Chicago Mayor Laurie Lightfoot. National Educational Reporter at USA Today, Richard Erin, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Sixteen of the country's most prestigious universities have been hit with a lawsuit claiming those schools illegally conspired to eliminate competitive financial aid offers for students. Just some of the schools mentioned include Yale, Brown, Columbia, UPenn, and Cornell. Author of "Who Gets In and Why" and Professor of practice at Arizona State University, Jeff Selingo, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
