This image released by Boneau/Bryan-Brown shows the cast in "Moulin Rouge! The Musical." (Matthew Murphy/Boneau/Bryan-Brown via AP)
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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
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!
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: CEO of Achieve Life Sciences discusses a new plant-based compound that's being used to fight nicotine addiction; President & CEO OF DiaMedica Therapeutics explains a new ischemic stroke treatment option that expands the window for effective therapy for stroke patients; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Asteroid Rush.'
Catching you up on today's entertainment headlines with the Tribeca Film Festival has kicked off in NYC, "Black Adam," starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson dropped its first full trailer, the musical "Come From Away" based on a true story set during 9/11 will be closing on Broadway this October, and more.
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."
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."
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."
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.
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 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.
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.
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."
