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Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Monday, September 27, 2021:
COVID LATEST
New Covid cases and hospitalizations in the U.S. continue to fall -- down 18% and 15% respectively over the last two weeks, -- as the brutal Delta wave appears now to be past its peak. The virus is still killing more than 2,000 Americans a day. The CEO of Pfizer said they’ll ask for an emergency-use authorization for that vaccine in 5-11 year olds in the coming days. He also predicted that normal life will return “within a year” and that annual shots will become necessary. THE HILL
AMTRAK DERAILMENT
Federal investigators are trying to figure out what caused an Amtrak train to derail in central Montana on Saturday, killing three people and injuring more than 50. The train was traveling from Chicago to Seattle when it jumped the tracks in a rural part of Montana. Passengers described a “gory” scene after eight of the train’s cars flipped over. AP
GABBY PETITO MEMORIAL
Gabby Petito was remembered by friends, family and complete strangers at a public memorial service in Long Island, where she grew up. Petito’s father addressed the mourners and told women in “toxic relationships” to “leave it now.” At the same time, FBI agents returned to the Florida home of Brian Laundrie as the manhunt for Petito’s fiance entered its second week. ABC NEWS
GERMANY MOVES LEFT
Germany’s center-left Social Democrats beat Angela Merkel’s center-right Christian Democrats in an extremely close race, as the question now moves to who will replace Merkel as chancellor of Europe’s largest economy. Merkel’s party had its worst showing ever, winning just 24% of the vote and suggesting that Germans were ready to turn the page from her 16-year rule. The environmentalist Green party fell short of expectations but got enough votes to have a say in the new government. REUTERS
HERE WE GO AGAIN
Costco is back to limiting how much toilet paper customers can buy. The big-box retailer has reinstituted “limitations on key items” such as t.p., bottled water and cleaning products. Supply chain issues coupled with the Delta wave are causing shortages for Costco that are reminiscent of the bad old days of early 2020. The company said last week it had started chartering its own container ships to keep the shortages from getting worse. CNN
ANTI-VAX NBA
The NBA is reportedly having a tough time getting all its players vaccinated before the season starts in less than a month. Noted conspiracy theorist Kyrie Irving of the Nets is among the stars spreading falsehoods about the Covid vaccines, including one about “secret societies” that are implanting vaccines as a way to control Black people in “a plan of Satan.” Others, like Andrew Wiggins of the Warriors, are using religious exemptions to try to get out of local mandates. Meanwhile, the WNBA -- which is in the midst of its playoffs -- is more than 99% vaccinated. ROLLING STONE
GOLF DREAM TEAM
Team USA won the Ryder Cup for only the third time since 2002, dominating Europe, 19-9, for the largest margin of victory in the tournament’s modern history. The six U.S. rookies scored more points than all of Europe’s team, earning them praise as maybe the best American group of golfers ever. CBS SPORTS
TONY AWARDS
Moulin Rouge! took home the award for best musical at the long-delayed Tony Awards, which honored the shows that were playing before Broadway shut down in March of last year. The award for best play went to The Inheritance, a two-part drama about gay culture during the AIDS epidemic. That was a bit of an upset. Slave Play, from the playwright Jeremy O. Harris, set a record when it was nominated for 12 Tonys, but went home empty handed. Harris announced after the shutout that the show would be returning to Broadway in November. PLAYBILL
SPOTTED...
…Billie Eilish, headlining the Governors Ball festival in NYC in her old signature look: SEE PICS
...Ben Affleck, helping Jennifer Lopez offstage after her set at Global Citizen Live, the other big festival that took over NYC this weekend: SEE PIC
...the couple later seen packing on the PDA while out on the streets of Manhattan: SEE PICS
Get a room, guys.
LEFTOVERS: HOW TO BEAT THE MARKET
A hamster that trades cryptocurrencies is outperforming the S&P 500. Mr. Goxx is an internet-famous rodent whose wheel is rigged so he can select among dozens of crypto coins to trade. Then depending on which of the two tunnels he chooses in his cage, a “buy” or “sell” trade is executed using real money. It’s unclear who the human is behind the stunt, but Mr. Goxx’s portfolio is up 20% since he started trading in June. NPR
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