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Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, October 28, 2021:
DOWN TO THE WIRE
Senate Democrats appear closer to a compromise on President Biden’s social spending and climate bill, though it is still not a done deal. Momentum appeared to slow after reports that paid family leave and a tax on billionaires had been scrapped in order to satisfy Sen. Joe Manchin. President Biden is meeting with all House Dems this morning to push for a vote on the also-stalled infrastructure package, which progressives have said they won’t allow until the other bill is ready to go. NBC NEWS
BIDEN TO EUROPE
The White House had hoped that a deal would be done before President Biden leaves today for a series of summits and meetings in Europe. The president’s second big foreign trip starts with a visit to the Vatican to see Pope Francis and ends with the COP26 UN climate summit in Glasgow. In between, Biden will attend the G20 in Rome, where he will meet face-to-face with French President Macron for the first time since the diplomatic flare-up over submarine sales to Australia. The president’s trip also means that the annual White House trick-or-treating event won’t be happening this year. ABC NEWS
GENERIC COVID PILL
Merck has agreed to let other drugmakers produce generic versions of its antiviral Covid pill in a decision that could greatly expand access to the potentially life-changing drug in poor countries where vaccine supply is limited. Molnupiravir is the first pill that has been shown to be effective in treating Covid. It’s currently before the FDA, which could approve it for use in the U.S. soon. But rich countries have already bought up most of the initial supply. By granting a royalty-free license, Merck will make it much easier to get manufactured and sold on the cheap around the world. None of the vaccine makers have agreed to a similar deal to license their drugs. AP
ISIS IN AFGHANISTAN
A top Pentagon official said this week that ISIS-K could be capable of carrying out attacks inside the U.S. within the next year. Colin Kahl, the under secretary of defense for policy, told the Senate that the terror group operating in Afghanistan has the “intent” to launch attacks outside that country but not the operational ability just yet. AXIOS
RENT THE RUNWAY IPO
Rent the Runway got a warm initial reception from investors in its Wall Street debut, opening above the target price before fizzling and ending the first day of trading down 8%. Rent the Runway, trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker RENT, is the latest in a procession of trendy direct-to-consumer retailers tapping the public markets. Warby Parker listed last month and Allbirds is expected to IPO in the coming weeks. CHEDDAR
DOGE KILLER?
Shiba Inu coin, the meme cryptocurrency of the moment that’s based on the mascot of Dogecoin, is now the ninth biggest digital coin by market cap. That makes Shiba Inu not only more valuable than Doge, but also companies like General Mills and Hewlett Packard. The price of Shiba Inu is up 100 million percent over the last year, to an all-time high of about $0.000075. Individual investors have been petitioning Robinhood to list the meme coin on its trading platform. FORTUNE
WORLD SERIES TIED
The Astros bounced back to take Game 2 of the World Series, beating the Braves 7-2 in Houston. The series is now tied going into Atlanta for a three-game stretch starting Friday. The Braves have won nine straight postseason games at home. CBS SPORTS
'RUST' INVESTIGATION
Investigators have confirmed that a single live bullet fired by Alec Baldwin killed Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. According to a newly revealed search warrant, the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, told police she checked the antique Colt .45 for “hot rounds” before it was given to Baldwin. Assistant director David Halls also admitted that he “should have” checked her work more thoroughly before he handed the gun off to Baldwin, “but didn’t.” YAHOO ENT
SPOTTED...TRAILER WATCH...
…the first look at Tiger King 2, the five-part continuation of everyone’s favorite lockdown binge watch, hitting Netflix next month: WATCH
...Chris Evans, voicing Buzz Lightyear in the origin story for the real-life but fictional human astronaut whose adventures inspired the fictional Toy Story character: WATCH THE TEASER
GENDER X
The State Dept. has issued the first American passport with an “X” as an option for gender. The move is a fulfillment of a promise made by the Biden administration that passports would be more inclusive for people who identify as a gender other than male or female. Passport applicants will also be able to choose “M” or “F” without having to provide any kind of medical certification. The first gender-neutral passport was issued to Dana Zzyym, a nonbinary Colorado military vet who sued the federal government for discrimination when they were denied the option to mark “X” on their passport. NPR
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