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

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
BET's Kimberly Paige on Her Accomplishments and Inviting Diverse Audiences
Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Kimberly Paige at TV network BET joined Cheddar News to talk about leadership, the projects she was pivotal in building, and her approach to leadership and "inviting" diverse audiences rather than "targeting" them. "if you think about when someone says, 'I'm targeting you,' you're generally in someone's kind of crosshairs, if you will," she said. "And so I use the notion of who are we inviting to participate in the brand in a meaningful way. I think it's a nuance, but it has huge implications."
Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter on Going Solo With New Country Single 'Easy'
Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter joined Cheddar News to talk about fatherhood and his solo work on a new crossover song called "Easy," featuring country singer Jimmie Allen. "What I love about country music is the lyrics, the melodies, the stories that are in them as well," he said. "And you know, you hear it's just pretty simple and pretty easy."
First Look at Oscar Stembridge New Music Video for 'Am I the Only One'
Oscar Stembridge, the youngest musician to have signed with Universal Music Sweden, has a passion for spreading awareness of climate activism as well as music. Cheddar News got an exclusive first look at the video for the new song, "Am I the Only One" and spoke with the 14-year-old singer about his young career and advocacy work. "Basically it all kind of started when, inspired from Greta Thunberg, I wrote my first kind of song called 'We March,' which is about my generation not wanting to pay the price of the older generations' inaction," he said.
Rising Office Vacancy Rates Have Big Impact on Broader Economy
The office real estate market might be in trouble, as vacancy rates in major cities remain across the country, even as COVID restrictions continue to fall away. Ryan Severino, the chief economist for real estate and investment management firm JLL, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the latest office trends and why some may be concerning for the broader economy. "There are knock-on ramifications for a lot of the ancillary industries that support office workers," he said. "If you think about coffee shops, places that someone might go out to get lunch or a drink or dinner after work, those are obviously still feeling the brunt of people not being physically back in office spaces the way that they were before the pandemic."
Texas Man Sues Robocall Operators to Win $100K
According to tracking services, Americans get inundated with more than 130 million robocalls every day. One man decided that he had enough and started suing telemarketers. Daniel Graham joins Cheddar News to share how he won more than $100,000 in settlements.
Load More