Get the Need2Know newsletter in your inbox every morning! Sign up here! 

Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, January 26, 2022:

UKRAINE LATEST

President Joe Biden is threatening personal sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin if he sends troops in to invade Ukraine. Tuesday evening Biden said "it would be the largest invasion since World War II" and that it "would change the world." However, some experts predict that any invasion is likely to be short and confined to a small area. Today diplomatic talks continue between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany. NY TIMES

COVID VACCINES

VOLUNTARY: Pfizer is now enrolling healthy adults in the testing phase of a new COVID-19 vaccine, reformulated to match the highly-contagious omicron variant. While existing vaccines provide protection against severe illness and death, the omicron variant may require a change of recipe, but regulators are weighing whether it's worth the effort to approve another vaccine given that omicron is waning and the next variant could be completely different. CHEDDAR

MANDATORY: In the meantime, a number of large companies are moving forward with vaccine mandates for their employees, despite the Supreme Court blocking Biden's federal order. NBC

CHIP SHORTAGE WORSENS

A week ago, the Biden administration was heaping praise on Intel for its plan to build a semiconductor plant in central Ohio. Unfortunately, that relief for all tech-makers (and tech-buyers) is still years away. Now the Commerce Department is warning that the U.S. supply of chips is alarmingly low. Inventories for companies that use semiconductors have sunk to a five-day supply, down from 40 days in 2019. The drop is the result of nearly two years of the demand for chips outpacing supply. The administration released the grim data point as it pushes Congress to provide $52 billion for domestic semiconductor production. WASH POST

Usually there’s chips in dip, not a dip in chips

GENERAL MOTORS' EV HUB

Detroit-based automaker General Motors has big plans for its home state of Michigan. The company on Tuesday announced that it plans to spend $7 billion on retrofitting a factory to produce electric trucks and constructing a third U.S. battery cell plant. GM's push to expand electric vehicle production comes as a surge in demand for EV batteries strains global supply chains, sending the price of essential rare earth minerals skyrocketing. CHEDDAR

WALL STREET: STILL WEIRD

The stock market had another wild session on Tuesday, with the major indices plummeting, then rebounding, then finishing the day slightly lower, as losses in technology shares continued to weigh on markets. As the trading day begins on Wednesday, investors are anxiously awaiting word from the Federal Reserve on how aggressively it will move forward with rate hikes this year, and whether the recent market volatility will temper its decision. BLOOMBERG

Plummeting, rebounding, then finishing slightly lower: the opposite of our weight during the pandemic.

GUN INSURANCE REQUIRED

San Jose, Calif. Has become the first U.S. city to require gun insurance for anyone who wants to carry. Residents who keep firearms will have to get liability insurance for “any negligent or accidental use of the firearm.” They'll also have to pay a $25 annual fee, which is expected to rake in about $1.3 million a year for the city. SAN JOSE SPOTLIGHT

APPLE'S STALKING PROBLEM

Apple's "Personal Safety User Guide" is now addressing concerns that its AirTag product has being used for stalking and even theft. The guide outlines what users should do if they find an AirTag or hear one in their presence that shouldn't be there. This comes after a string of skin-crawling news stories highlighted how some stalkers were placing AirTags on people's belongings in order to track them. In semi-related news, a California court has granted Apple a restraining order against a woman who was allegedly stalking CEO Tim Cook, although we're unclear whether an AirTag was involved. TECHCRUNCH

SAT TEST GOES DIGITAL

Students, leave your pencil sharpeners at home, because the SAT test is now shorter, simpler, and digital. Questions will also be worded more simply, and students can use a calculator for all math problems. College Board, the nonprofit that puts out the exam, said the changes are aimed at making the SAT more relevant and addressing concerns from schools that low-income and minority students too often score lower, hurting their chances of getting into college. The nonprofit attempted similar changes 20 years ago but got pushback from colleges. NPR

“This is ridiculous” - a generation of people who got 400 points just for writing their names

FOOTBALL FANS TUNED IN

The drama-filled face-off between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills, in which the Chiefs pulled off a stunning 42-36 overtime win, drew in an average of 42.7 million viewers on Sunday, making it the most-watched divisional postseason game on any network since 2017. Viewership was also up 18% from last year's comparable game. But anyone who watched the dramatic back-and-forth between quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen knows that it won't be easy for CBS Sports to replicate their success. CNBC

In preparation for the Super Bowl we just watched the commercials

LEFTOVERS: EYE ON THE SKY

The most powerful space telescope ever built is hunkering down 1 million miles from Earth to get a better look at the dawn of the universe. The $10 billion observatory left earth a month ago, and NASA confirmed on Tuesday that it has now reached its destination. The telescope won't be fully ready to peruse the stars until June, but the goal is to understand what the universe was like no less than 13.7 billion years ago, just 100 million years after the Big Bang. AP

Need2Know Podcast Note: The Need2Know podcast is taking a break for now. We're looking forward to bringing you more context and analysis on the big stories of the day in a few weeks. In the meantime, check out our archive on Apple or Spotify, or watch on YouTube, and send us your feedback!

Share:
More In Culture
Dating App Hinge Is Giving Single Daters With Kids $100 to Go to Childcare
Hinge users who have children can opt-in to a $100 stipend up to $25,000 for childcare. Logan Ury, the director of relationship science for the online dating platform, noted the issue as an obstacle for single parents who want to go out on dates. "We have heard that singles with children have a hard time going on dates for one of the reasons being that it's just hard to find childcare and it's hard to be able to afford it," she said. Ury also said that the hot topic among Hinge's users is mental health and the prioritizing of mental health.
Rock & Rock Hall of Fame Announces 2022 Nominations
Dolly Parton, Eminem, Lionel Richie, and Carly Simon are just a few of the nominees announced for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2022 induction. Results of the voting will be released in May, however, the ceremony date has yet to be announced.
How A.I. is Reinventing Remembrance; Biodiversity of the Humboldt Current
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: CEO of HereAfter AI discusses how artificial intelligence can be used to preserve family history and stories, and allow you to 'talk' to loved ones that have passed; Creator of the board game 'Travel Explore Discover' explains how she came up with the idea for this informative and educational board game, and how she's using the proceeds to give back to her community; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Humboldt Current.'
Despite Black Participation in Stock Market Lagging, Investment Gap Might Improve
According to the Federal Reserve, the investment gap between Black and white Americans has remained substantial, with only 34 percent of Black households joining in on the historic rise in the markets. Stacey Tisdale, the first Black woman to have reported from the NYSE and the CEO and president of Mind Money Media Inc., said that the data might not be as disheartening as it seems. "I think that number is very deceiving. That Federal Reserve study is actually from 2019, and it's very important that we all look beneath that number and look beneath the surface because there is nothing short of an investing revolution going on in the Black community," Tisdale said.
How 'HereAfter AI' is Reinventing Remembrance
James Vlahos, Co-Founder and CEO of HereAfter AI, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how artificial intelligence can be used to preserve family history and stories, and allow you to 'talk' to loved ones that have passed.
Tik Talk: Meet The LSU Tiger Girls, National Champions & Comeback Queens
An award-winning performance by the LSU Tiger Girls dance team is going viral on TikTok, but like many other viral tiktoks, this one had a larger story to tell. The story goes back to 2021 when for the first time in 22 years, the LSU dance team was informed it could not compete at Universal Dance Association Nationals. The team made their anticipated return to UDA Nationals this year with a performance that delivered a strong and clear message to their university. The LSU Tiger Girls walked away from the competition with their first national championship title in 12 years, redemption against the university that held them back, and of course- millions of new fans and friends on TikTok.
Factorial Energy Raises $200 Million to Accelerate Commercialization of Its Solid-State Batteries for Electric Vehicles
Solid-state battery maker Factorial Energy recently raised $200 million in a Series D round led by Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis. Factorial says the funding will be used to accelerate commercial production and deployment of its solid-state battery technology, which the company says is safer, and offers up to 50% more driving range than current lithium-ion technology. Factorial also has joint development agreements (announced in late 2021) with Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Hyundai, three of the top 10 global automotive manufacturers, to commercialize its batteries. Factorial CEO Siyu Huang joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Brian Flores Lawsuit Looks to Address NFL's Lack of Diversity at the Top
Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL over racial discrimination, exposing a long-running problem the NFL has had with diversity in its top coaching and management positions. Eric Mitchell, the president and CEO of public relations and communications company LifeFlip Media, joined Cheddar News to delve into the scandal rocking the pro football world just before the Super Bowl. "There is a problem. If you look at who owns teams in the NFL, it's right, it's a good old boys club, it's a bunch of old white guys," he said. "So, it's exposing something that's been around for ages and now that we're sitting in 2022 has come up."
Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano on Being First Female Boxing Headliners at MSG
This April, Madison Square Garden will be hosting the first-ever women's boxing match to headline at the arena in its 140 years of history in boxing. Undisputed lightweight champion, Katie Taylor, and seven-division champion, Amanda Serrano, will go head-to-head for a career-high guaranteed seven-figure purse for both of them. The pair joined Cheddar News to talk about the upcoming "fight of their lives." "I mean, this is the first step I believe," said Serrano. "Unheard of, two women headlining the Garden, we get in the biggest paydays of our career, I hope it continues to break down barriers."
Load More