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Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, March 23, 2022:
RUSSIAN ADVANCE STALLS
Ukrainian forces on Tuesday effectively halted the Russian advance across the country, preventing the occupation of Mariupol and retaking a strategic suburb of Kyiv. Ukraine has also accused Russia of seizing a convoy of humanitarian aid workers who were trying to bring much-needed supplies to Mariupol. In Russia, meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin is cracking down on dissidents and opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to nine more years in prison. President Joe Biden said “Putin’s back is against the wall," and again accused the Russian leader of planning to use chemical or biological weapons — though a Pentagon official contradicted this assessment. AP
COVID UPDATES
COVID BILLS: The Biden administration is winding down the federal program that reimburses health care providers for Covid-related services, citing a lack of funds. The White House had urged Congress to include more pandemic funding in its latest budget bill, but lawmakers ultimately nixed it. What this means for Americans is that some people will start getting charged for Covid-19 treatment, testing, and hospital stays. WSJ
Can we at least get the costs adjusted for inflation?
PSAKI SICK: Meanwhile, Covid has made its way back into the White House. Press Secretary Jen Psaki has tested positive for Covid-19 for the second time, but at the moment is only experiencing mild symptoms. Psaki confirmed her status one day ahead of President Joe Biden's scheduled trip to Brussels and Warsaw, and amid reports from scientists expressing concerns that a new Covid variant could push up cases in the U.S. NPR
ALCOHOL-RELATED DEATHS SPIKE
Evidence continues to mount which shows that the pandemic's death toll in the U.S. extends well beyond the million people who have died directly from Covid-19. New research in JAMA found that alcohol-related deaths in 2020 spiked 25% to 99,017. That's compared to an average 3.6% increase annually between 1999 and 2019. The chilling statistic tracks with multiple reports of binge drinking during the pandemic. NY TIMES
TESLA OPENS BERLIN GIGAFACTORY
In a major milestone for the electric vehicle maker, Tesla's first European gigafactory officially opened Tuesday. The plant, located on the outskirts of Berlin, will employ 12,000 people and produce 500,000 vehicles per year and will play a key role in Tesla's efforts to pump out enough cars to justify its massive market cap. CEO Elon Musk, who performed an impromptu dance during the opening ceremony, later tweeted: “Danke Deutschland!” AP
We hope he celebrated with a happy dance.
BUZZFEED SHRINKS NEWS TEAM
BuzzFeed is going back to basics and shrinking its money-losing hard-news organization. The company has announced a mix of cuts and voluntary buy-outs of editorial staff on the Investigations, Politics, Inequality and Science teams, including three top editors. CEO Jonah Peretti has been a vocal defender of the news division, which reportedly loses about $10 million per year, but sources inside the company said there has been increasing pressure to shut it down. CNBC
SPORTS SPONSORSHIPS
NFL: In a reversal from last summer, the NFL is opening the floodgates to crypto-related promotions. The league has issued a memo giving players permission to seek sponsorships from blockchain companies. The change of heart is a response to the growing popularity of blockchain technology among fans and athletes. Though restrictions for specific cryptocurrencies and fan tokens will remain, the memo opens the league to a sea of deep-pocketed crypto companies, as they spend heavily to drive adoption. COINDESK
NCAA: While we've all been turning into see basketball this month, there was one cheerleader who stole the spotlight and now she has an NIL deal. Indiana cheerleader Cassidy Cerny rescued the ball, which was wedged at the top of the hoop, out of reach of officials, during the Hoosiers' game against St. Mary's in the first round. Now she'll be sinking some dough off of t-shirts emblazoned with the momentous occasion. SI
WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE
Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code, stopped by Cheddar News to talk about her campaign to redesign the workplace for women. "I had kind of bought into the myth of corporate feminism," she said. "I had spent 10 years telling women to 'lean in.' I had more 'Girl Boss' t-shirts in my closet than I could count." Now she's calling on employers to hold up their end of the bargain by providing more flexible schedules and guaranteed sick leave to lift the burden on professional women who are still doing the lion's share of work at home as well. CHEDDAR
OSCAR BUZZ
PERFORMERS: The Academy released a list of performers for this year's Oscars and fans are beside themselves to see Beyoncé's name. Speculation is that she'll perform her Oscar-nominated song "Be Alive" from the movie "King Richard" at the same tennis courts in Compton where Venus and Serena Williams practiced tennis as kids, but the Academy didn't go into that much detail in the announcement. Among those also performing during the April 4 ceremony: Billie Eilish, Reba McIntyre, and Sebastián Yatra. DEADLINE
PRESENTERS: Rachel Zegler, who plays the starring role of Maria in Steven Spielberg's adaptation of "West Side Story," might have been watching this year's Oscars from her couch until the internet got involved. Despite the film getting nominated for seven Academy Awards, the 20-year-old actress didn't get an invite, but now the Academy has asked her to be a part of the festivities as a presenter. VARIETY
AMANDA BYNES CONSERVATORSHIP ENDS
A judge has officially ended the nine-year-long conservatorship of actress Amanda Bynes. The arrangement was first put in place back in 2013 while the former child actor was dealing with severe mental health issues. Bynes, now nearly 36, filed to end the arrangement last month with the support of her mother, who has been her conservator. The judge ruled that it was no longer necessary. Bynes' case — along with Britney Spears' battle to end her conservatorship, which ended last year — has highlighted the dangers of these kinds of legal arrangements and sparked widespread support for both celebrities. CNN
LEFTOVERS: 'SUPER KAWAII!'
When Gwen Stefani said "kawaii" — the Japanese word for a cute or childlike aesthetic — in the music video for her 2004 hit "Hollaback Girl," only the cool kids knew what she was talking about. Now, according to Duolingo, Japanese is the fastest-growing language among U.S. and U.K. users and the company said younger generations' interest in anime and Japanese pop culture is driving the trend. Rosetta Stone backed up these claims, saying Japanese is now the company's fifth-most popular language. So sayonara Italian, the former fifth-place holder. WSJ
SAY WHAT??
"I think if anybody understood what made a hit, people would only make hits. But I think that part of [The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's] universality is it's about family and it's about dreaming and dreamers, and I don't think it matters what your cultural origins are. Everybody has that in common."
- Caroline Aaron, actress on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
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