Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, June 3, 2021:

PANDEMIC STATUS UPDATE

MONTH OF ACTION: President Biden declared June a “national month of action” when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. As part of his push to get 70% of Americans at least partially vaccinated by July 4th, the White House laid out new incentives like free food delivery and groceries, airline tickets and Xboxes. Overall cases are still trending lower, with 20,000 new daily infections reported on Tuesday. WASHINGTON POST

VARIANTS: Meanwhile, the B.1.617.2 variant originally discovered in India has already spread to more than 60 countries, including the United States. This variant is particularly worrisome because it may be the most transmissible variant yet. NY MAG

HACK ATTACKS

NYC SUBWAY: Hackers with suspected ties to China breached the New York City transit system in April, although officials say there was no risk to riders or customer info. NBC NEW YORK

MEAT PROCESSING PLANT: The beef and pork producer JBS USA is trying to get back up and running after a cyberattack last weekend, which forced shutdowns at plants in North America and Australia. The White House says Russia was likely behind the attack. Experts say it could cause a supply crunch, sending the price of meat higher. CNN

DR. FAUCI EMAILS

Thousands of pages of Dr. Fauci’s emails obtained by BuzzFeed News from early 2020 provide a glimpse into how he tried to develop an effective strategy to fight the pandemic amid conflicts with the Trump administration. The emails cover the period from January to June of 2020. BUZZFEEDNEWS

NEW ISRAELI GOVERNMENT (MAYBE)

A diverse group of opposition lawmakers have reached a power-sharing government to oust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from office for the first time in 12 years. The coalition includes everyone from an Arab Islamist party to secular Jews to religious nationalists. Under the deal, Centrist lawmaker Yair Lapid and one-time Netanyahu ally Naftali Bennett will take turns as prime minister. Lapid said, "The government will do everything it can to unite every part of Israeli society.” Israeli Parliament still needs to approve the deal. NBC NEWS

MEDINA SPIRIT TESTS POSITIVE… AGAIN

Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit failed a second drug test, potentially disqualifying him from the Derby and elevating second-place winner Mandaloun. Churchill Downs has also suspended famed trainer Bob Baffert for two years. Baffert’s attorney says additional testing is being done to trace the source of the steroid, which they say came from an ointment to treat a skin infection. NY TIMES

VENUS EXPLORATION

NASA is launching two scientific missions to study Venus, between 2028 and 2030. Venus is Earth’s so-called sister planet, and our closest planetary neighbor, but it has a thick, toxic atmosphere and temperatures that reach 800 degrees. NASA hasn’t explored Venus in over 30 years, and has been giving more attention to Mars. REUTERS

MEME STOCK 2.0

Shares of theater chain AMC continued their record rally, doubling in price on Wednesday with help from retail investors on Reddit. AMC CEO Adam Aron offered even the smallest shareholder a free large popcorn if they signed up to a regular newsletter. The #WallStreetBets Reddit thread is also boosting some other meme stocks: Just yesterday, BlackBerry shares jumped 31%, Koss Corp shares rose about 70%, and Bed, Bath and Beyond rose 41%. CHEDDAR

RENT THE RUNWAY GOES RESALE

Rent the Runway is getting into the resale business. Customers will soon be able to buy gently used clothes and accessories from the site, in addition to renting items, without having a Rent the Runway membership. The company is looking to rebuild its business, which took a big hit during the pandemic when people stopped spending money on clothes for weddings, vacations and other events. CNBC

“COACH K” RETIRING

Legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has decided to retire after the upcoming 2021-22 basketball season. “Coach K” is 74 years old, and took over Duke’s basketball program ahead of the 1980-81 season. He’s the winningest coach in college basketball history, and has led Duke to five NCAA Tournament victories and 12 Final Four appearances. He’s expected to be replaced by Duke assistant and former player Jon Scheyer. CBS SPORTS

LEFTOVERS

An Italian artist sold an invisible sculpture at auction for $18,000. The buyer will receive a certificate of authentication signed by the artist, but the sculpture itself is "immaterial," meaning that it does not actually exist. The artist, Salvatore Garau, has reportedly instructed the buyer to display the sculpture in an area that is about 5 ft. long by 5 ft. wide. NEWSWEEK

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!

Share:
More In Culture
Large Companies Accused of Exaggerating Climate Actions
In an effort to fight climate change several corporations have vowed to work to fight climate change by 2030. They say the goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 40% or even close to 100%. However, according to a new study, many of these companies are not actually practicing what they preach. Tom Egger, senior lecturer at Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, joins Cheddar News to discuss more.
Directors of 'Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy' Capture More Than 20 Years of Ye's Life
'Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy' dives into over 20 years of the icon himself, Kanye West. The trilogy is described as 'an intimate and revealing portrait of Kanye West's experience, showcasing both his formative days trying to break through and his life today as a global brand and artist.' Cheddar news sat down with directors of the documentary and long-time friends of Kanye, Chike Ozah and Clarence "Coodie" Simmons, to discuss the project.
Tickets to Super Bowl This Year Most Expensive in History
The Super Bowl is only a few days away, and the game is currently tracking to be the most expensive one ever. Gametime, a website and app for last-minute tickets, says the average ticket price for the NFL's championship game is $9,502.50, with the most expensive seats costing nearly $38,000. That's a far cry away from the average ticket price of the first-ever Super Bowl in 1967, which was only $12. The average ticket price increased by more than $8,000 in just the past decade. Matt Rados, Senior Operations Manager at Gametime, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Getlabs Raises $20 Million to Expand At-Home Lab Appointments Nationwide and Launches API
At-home medical labs company Getlabs raised $20 million in a Series A round, led by Emerson Collective and the Minderoo Foundation. Getlabs aims to be the boots-on-the-ground partner to telehealth. The company says more than 70% of medical decisions still require collecting diagnostic tests in person, and that it fills that void by delivering health care directly to their patients' homes. Founder & CEO of Getlabs Kyle Michelson joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Miller Lite Opens First Branded Virtual Bar in Metaverse for 2022 Super Bowl
Miller Lite is opening the first branded bar in the metaverse, by way of Decentraland, as a way to advertise during the Super Bowl this year without buying an expensive TV commercial slot. Sofia Colucci, global vice president of Miller Family of Brands, joined Cheddar to talk about the new marketing concept. "We have a lot of great partnerships with NFL teams throughout the year but were shut out of advertising during the Super Bowl game, so this pushes us to think creatively and also think of what feels really relevant right now," Colucci said. "There's no question that there's a lot of excitement with the metaverse, and we wanted to participate but in a way that felt right for Miller Lite."
How 'WALDO' is Democratizing Access to Eyecare
Ashleigh Hinde, Founder and CEO of WALDO, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss why now is a good time to make eyecare a priority, and how they are democratizing access to eyecare for all.
Load More