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

COVID LATEST

HOLIDAY TRAVEL: State and local officials are beginning to issue warnings against large gatherings this Thanksgiving as COVID cases see a resurgence after two months of steady declines. In New York, for instance, hospitalizations have climbed 11% this month. Governor Kathy Hochul blamed vaccine holdouts for the reversal. BLOOMBERG

VAX MANUFACTURING: Responding to pressure that the U.S. isn't doing enough to expand vaccine access in poorer nations, the Biden administration plans to invest billions in manufacturing capacity. The goal is to produce at least one billion doses a year by the middle of 2022, and create a template for cooperation between government and industry that could serve as a template for future pandemics. WASH POST​​​​​​

ASTROWORLD LAWSUIT

We knew they were coming, now we're seeing the numbers. A Houston attorney representing 125 concert-goers filed a $750 million lawsuit against Travis Scott, Drake, Live Nation, Apple Music, and Epic Records for the deadly disaster at the Astroworld Festival earlier this month. Among the plaintiffs are the family of 21-year-old Axel Acosta, one of the 10 fans who died when the crowd surged. The attorney says he plans to file suit on behalf of 100 others soon. HOUSTON CHRON

DRUG OVERDOSES TOP 100,000

The U.S. on Wednesday marked what President Joe Biden called a "tragic milestone." An estimated 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in the 12-month period beginning in May 2020, tracking roughly with the start of the COVID outbreak. Many experts believe these deaths are tied to the pandemic as well as a surge in deadly fentanyl in illicit drugs. 2020 was already a record year for overdoses, according to the CDC. This year is expected to be worse. AP

AMAZON'S UK VISA BAN

At the start of next year, Amazon will no longer accept payments from Visa credit cards issued in Britain, citing high fees to process transactions. In a statement announcing the measure, the company sounded more like a consumer rights advocate than an ecommerce giant, stating that transaction prices “should be going down over time with technological advancements.” NY TIMES

MILLIONS PROTEST EXECUTION

More than 6 million people have signed a petition to stay the execution of Oklahoma death row inmate Julius Jones, who claims he was framed for the 1999 murder of Paul Howell. The execution is set to take place Thursday, even after a parole board recommended clemency earlier this month. Students at several Oklahoma City schools also walked out on Wednesday in protest of the execution. ABC

MALCOLM X CONVICTED KILLERS EXONERATED

A crucial episode of civil rights history is being rewritten this week. The two men found guilty of assassinating Malcolm X are expected to have their convictions overturned. It comes after a 22-month investigation, conducted by their lawyers in partnership with the Manhattan district attorney's office, found that the FBI and NYPD had withheld evidence in the original case. NY TIMES

NUCLEAR COMES TO COAL COUNTRY

TerraPower, a start-up co-founded by Bill Gates, is coming to Kemmerer, Wyoming, a frontier-era coal town, with a plan to build a cutting-edge nuclear plant. The project could eventually provide enough energy to power a mid-sized city. Half the funds are coming from TerraPower, and the other half from federal grants. CNBC

'QANON SHAMAN' SENTENCED

A judge has sentenced one of the most prominent figures in the January 6th Capitol Hill riots. Jacob Chansley, known as the "QAnon Shaman," was sentenced to prison for 41 months for a single felony count of obstruction of an official proceeding. Other judges are looking to the case as a possible benchmark, as hundreds more Capitol Hill cases remain. CHEDDAR

ENTERTAINMENT

MARVEL MOVIES: Ridley Scott, fresh off the release of House of Gucci calls DC and Marvel superhero movies "boring." The legendary director also used some other choice words. CHECK IT OUT

SAY WHAT?!: Nigerian singer Davido has raised over 160 million Naira — about $390,000 in U.S. dollars — after sharing his bank account information on social media and challenging people to send him money. SEE IT

LEFTOVERS: WHERE IS PENG SHUAI?

Tennis star Naomi Osaka is joining a push on social media to determine the whereabouts of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, who has gone quiet since making sexual assault allegations against a high-level Chinese government official. Tweeting with the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai, Osaka said she hopes Peng and her family are safe, and that "Censorship is never ok at any cost." A message purportedly from Shuai recanting her accusation popped up on Weibo briefly, but was quickly taken down and has actually caused greater concern about her safety. AP

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More In Culture
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.
Kat Tat on Becoming 'Elite' Black Woman Tattoo Artist in Unwelcoming Industry
Tattoo artist Katrina "Kat Tat" Jackson, famous for starring in the VH1 hit series "Black Ink Crew: Chicago," is also the first Black woman to own a tattoo shop in Beverly Hills. She joined Cheddar News to discuss her trailblazing work, the stigma BIPOC tattoo artists face in the industry, and the way the space has changed for artists of color since her start. "In the beginning, I remember walking into a tattoo shop just like, hey, I wanna learn, I wanna be a tattoo artist and kind of just being laughed at, not taken seriously," she said. "Even with the tattoo conventions, a lot of African American tattoo artists were almost scared to go to conventions because it's not a welcoming environment."
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