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
NewsGuard Teams Up With The American Federation Teachers Union To Help Students Decipher Fact and Fiction
The American Federation Teachers Union has announced its latest partnership with NewsGuard in efforts to help educators play a greater role in deciphering facts from fiction that students see online. They say the goal is to help students build critical-thinking skills while also teaching them the importance of media literacy. Executive Vice President of Partnerships at NewsGuard, Sarah Bandt, joined Cheddar to talk more.
Detox Your Brain and 'Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess'
Doctor Caroline Leaf has created a 21-day program, consisting of five simple, but mindful, steps designed to rid our minds of toxic thoughts, anxiety, and depression. This brain detox is scientifically proven to impact one's happiness and success. Doctor Caroling Leaf, neuroscientist, author, and speaker at Switch Your Brain, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Fmr. FBI Agent Peter Strzok On Russia, Trump, and The FBI
The memoir, "COMPROMISED: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump", tells a familiar story from a bit of a different source: Peter Strzok himself, former FBI Counterintelligence Agents and Agency Veteran who spent most of his very long career investigating some of the most controversial inquiries, most notably in recent American history. Those inquiries were Hillary Clinton's email to even Trump Russia investigations. Former FBI Agent and Author of "Compromised" Peter Strzok, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
PLNT Burger's First Brick and Mortar in NYC Debuts
Foodable Labs data shows restaurants that started offering vegan options saw a 13% increase in traffic. According to this 2018 study, 51% of U.S. restaurants now offer vegan options, and we can expect that number to keep rising. This week, one plant-based, fast-casual restaurant celebrates the grand opening of their first brick-and-mortar store in New York City: PLNT Burger. Ben Kaplan, CEO of PLNT Burger, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Runwise Raises $11 Million to Reverse Climate Change by Updating Buildings
Commercial and residential buildings account for 13% of carbon emissions in the U.S., according to the EPA, and one company says it has a solution. Runwise says it has updated the boiler and heating systems of thousands of buildings, and that its technology not only lowers carbon output but also saves landlords money. Lee Hoffman, Co-Founder and COO of Runwise, joined Cheddar Climate to discuss.
What Prospective College Students Should Expect From New Digital SAT Exams
No. 2 pencils or Scantron bubble sheets are a thing of the past for the SATs. Priscilla Rodriguez, head of college readiness assessment for the College Board, joined Cheddar News Wrap to talk about the modern overhaul of the college entrance exam. On top of the change to an all-digital format and shorter time limit, the latest iteration will feature updates to help with flexibility and security. "As we've built our own digital testing platform, the app the students will do this on, we built this with security at the core," Rodriguez said. "And, in going digital we can do something we can't do today, which is, give every student who's taking the SAT, let's say in a given day, even in a given room in a school, a different version of the SAT."
Load More