Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, June 1, 2021:
MEMORIAL DAY TRAVEL
ROADS & AIR: With COVID-19 cases in the U.S. at their lowest level in more than a year, millions of Americans hit the roads and the skies this Memorial Day Weekend. The TSA says nearly 2 million people passed through airport security checkpoints on Friday, a pandemic high. According to AAA Travel, travel is up by more than 60% compared to this time last year, and Las Vegas and Orlando were two of the most popular destinations. WASHINGTON POST
GAS PRICES: Demand for gasoline is nearing pre-pandemic levels, and prices in some states are at their highest Memorial Day level since 2014. According to GasBuddy.com, the highest prices are in California, followed by Hawaii, Nevada, Washington and Oregon. USA TODAY
REMEMBERING THE TULSA RACE MASSACRE
President Biden will travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma today to mark the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, when a white supremacist mob raided and burned the affluent Black neighborhood of Greenwood, leaving hundreds dead. The area was known as Black Wall Street, a thriving cultural and economic hub. To this day, no one has been prosecuted in connection with the massacre. 60 MINUTES
QANON AT CHURCH
Pastors are now expressing alarm about the growing number of congregants who believe in QAnon conspiracy theories. It comes as a new poll shows 15% of Americans agree with the QAnon contention that "the government, media, and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation." AXIOS
TEXAS DEMS WALK OUT
Democrats in Texas staged a dramatic walkout of the State House over the weekend, to block passage of a restrictive new voting bill that would limit early voting hours, and make it easier for a judge to overturn an election if there are allegations of fraud. State Republicans said the bill will preserve the “purity of the ballot box,” and the governor has promised to pass the bill via special session. The house Democratic caucus sent a text message to members, writing, “Members, take your key and leave the chamber discreetly.” WASHINGTON POST
NETANYAHU OUT?
After 12 years as prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s days could be numbered. In an unlikely political alliance, Naftali Bennett, Netanyahu’s former lieutenant, and opposition leader Yair Lapid, are working to form a new government. Lapid is the head of the centrist party, and also a former TV news anchor and finance minister. If they can create a coalition, the two would take turns as prime minister. NPR
CHINA 3-CHILD POLICY
Facing a declining birth rate, China’s Communist Party says it will now allow all married couples to have three children, and also improve maternity leave and workplace protections. Back in 2016, China relaxed its “one-child” policy and allowed couples to have two children, although that didn’t do much to encourage families to have more kids. BBC
OSAKA
Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the French Open, one day after being fined for skipping her mandatory post-game press conference. She wrote on social media that she suffers from depression, and gets “huge waves of anxiety before” speaking to the media: "I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris.” READ POST
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
A sign that physical movie theaters are making a post-pandemic comeback: Paramount’s “A Quiet Place Part II” brought in $57 million over the Memorial Day Weekend-- that’s about what the movie was expected to bring in pre-pandemic. Paramount says, “We’re happy for movie theaters. This is a referendum on the future of moviegoing, so there’s a lot to celebrate.” Disney’s “Cruella,” also came out this weekend, both in theaters and available to rent on Disney Plus for $30. VARIETY
SPOTTED...
… Kate Middleton, dressed down in jeans and an H&M t-shirt, while getting her COVID-19 vaccine in London. The shirt costs $34.95 and is already sold out. SEE PIC
…Courteney Cox and Ed Sheeran, recreating the iconic ‘Friends’ dance routine, originally made famous when Cox and her on-screen brother, David Schwimmer, did the routine they developed in high school so they could be featured on “Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve. SEE VIDEO
LEFTOVERS
Grabbing a cocktail to-go from a bar or restaurant isn’t just a pandemic fad. At least 20 states have approved, or are considering, measures that would allow restaurants to sell to-go drinks permanently. Prior to the pandemic, most states banned bars from selling cocktails to-go, but during the pandemic it became an important revenue source. CNBC
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