These are the headlines you Need2Know:
* **Demonstrators Stop Traffic in Chicago:**
At least 200 people marched down Chicago's Lake Shore Drive on Thursday to protest gun violence. The crowd marched to Wrigley Field before the Cubs game. More than 300 people were killed in Chicago this year – more than any other city in the U.S. For more on this story, [click here](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/08/02/chicago-protest-rahm-emanuel-wrigley-field-lake-shore-drive/890869002/).
* **The Search for Mollie Tibbetts Continues:**
The University of Iowa student has been missing for two weeks. Tibbetts was last seen in late July at her boyfriend's home in Brooklyn, Iowa. Her parents said they believe their daughter was kidnapped, and they think she is still alive. Tibbetts's family has offered a $172,000 reward. For details, [click here](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/midwest/ct-missing-iowa-student-mollie-tibbetts-20180802-story.html).
* **JUUL Labs Responds to the FDA:**
The largest e-cigarette company in the U.S. responded to concerns Thursday from the FDA that underage teens are abusing the product. JUUL, which produces "flavorful" nicotine pods, acknowledged that teens are using its e-cigarettes, but vowed to address the problem. For the latest, check out [Engadget](https://www.engadget.com/2018/08/02/juul-bluetooth-e-cigs-lock-out-teen-smokers/).
* **Trump Endorses Candidate, Touts Diplomacy Skills:**
President Trump endorsed the Republican Lou Barletta for state Senate on Thursday at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Penn. Trump quickly changed the subject to diplomacy, citing his dealings with North Korea and asking the crowd, “What ever happened to diplomacy?” For more on the rally, check out the [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-pennsylvania-trump-tries-to-rally-supporters-behind-gop-senate-candidate/2018/08/02/260175bc-9662-11e8-810c-5fa705927d54_story.html?utm_term=.bf1aad18ce29).
Cheddar's Jill Wagner gets into the latest.
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The Cowboy State has become one of the world's top tax havens, according to the Pandora Papers, a trove of more than 11.9 million documents obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and The Washington Post. The papers reveal, among other things, how ultra-wealthy people from around the world move money into the U.S., invest, and spend it under a shroud of secrecy. Allison Tait, University of Richmond law professor, joined Cheddar to talk about Wyoming's laidback tax laws, their impact on the nation's economy, and provided some details on the financial arrangement known as the "cowboy cocktail."
Carlo and Baker preview President Biden's address to the nation as Omicron becomes the new dominant Covid strain. Plus, Trump gets booed for getting his booster and the White House gets a new puppy.
China and Russia are saying they want to work closer together in different areas after a recent call between Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. What are the implications of a close partnership between Beijing and Moscow? Cheddar News breaks things down with expert Hagar Chemali.
Michele Schneider, Partner and Director of Trading Research & Education for MarketGauge.com, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she says the spread of the Omicron variant and Jerome Powell's comments following the latest Fed decision are spooking investors heading into the weekend.
Carlo and Baker wrap up another week discussing the latest explosion in new Covid cases in the Northeast, President Biden's stalled agenda and more. Plus, Love, Hate, Ate featuring the question: why did movie dialogue get so hard to understand?
Since July 2021, families with children have received monthly payments from the federal government as part of the expanded child tax credit, a policy that may be expiring this month. Megan Curran, policy director at the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University, joined Cheddar News to discuss.
During the pandemic, student loan debt repayment was put on pause amid an unprecedented crisis. However, on February 1, 2022, the schedule is set to resume, and currently it looks as though the Biden administration has no plans to extend it. Cody Hounanian, the executive director of the Student Debt Crisis Center, spoke to Cheddar about why he believes the loan collection pause needs to at least be extended as borrowers are still struggling with the resurgent pandemic and inflation. "There's really no good economic or policy or political reason as far as why they're focused on getting payments started now," Hounanian said. "We surveyed 33,000 people with student loans last month. Nine out of 10 told us that they are not ready to resume payments."
As the 2022 midterm elections fast approach, here are some politicians Americans should be on the lookout for. Democratic Massachusetts state senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, who was the first Latina and Asian American woman to be elected to the state's senate, now has her eye on the governorship with Republican Charlie Baker leaving. New Jersey GOP candidate for Congress, Billy Prempeh also bears watching, and while Boston's newest mayor, Democrat Michelle Wu, was already sworn in last month, all eyes will be on Beantown as the first woman and first person of color to hold the office tries to usher in a new era for the city.
