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Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, October 1, 2021:
SHUTDOWN AVERTED
Congress passed a short-term bill to keep the federal government open, which President Biden signed with just hours to spare. That averts one crisis as Democrats continue to negotiate with Republicans on raising the debt ceiling, and among themselves on the two big spending bills that make up Biden’s economic agenda. The infrastructure vote was postponed, but could happen today. The impasse on the bigger bill remains after Sen. Joe Manchin said he won’t go higher than $1.5 trillion, while progressive want $3.5 trillion. AP
COVID LATEST
The state of the pandemic in the U.S. is getting better. New cases are continuing to steadily decline, especially in the southern states hit hardest by the Delta wave. Florida is down from an average of 20,000 new cases a day in August to just 6,000 a day now. The R-rate, or reproduction rate -- the calculation of how many new infections are caused by a single Covid case -- is now below 1 in 47 states. Still, the recovery isn’t equal: Alaska is now experiencing the most pronounced spike in the country, straining its few hospitals. And amid the promising news, the country is on track to pass 700,000 confirmed deaths this weekend. NY TIMES
MAIL SLOWDOWN
Mail delivery will start to slow today, as the U.S. Postal Service implements new service cuts that are part of the postmaster general’s 10-year plan to cut costs and modernize the agency. The service cuts will affect about 40% of first class mail, specifically mail that has to travel longer distances. The changes mean that if you’re mailing a card, letter or bill across the country you should budget up to five days for it to reach the destination. USA TODAY
'SECRETARY OF EVIL' TRIAL
German police apprehended a 96-year-old alleged war criminal after she skipped out on her scheduled trial. Irmgard Furchner disappeared from her nursing home hours before she was due to stand trial for aiding and abedding 11,000 murders when she was a secretary at a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust. Furchner did not get very far before she was found and detained. The case is getting extraordinary attention not only because it’s likely one of the last Nazi trials, but because Furchner was a civilian. BBC
SEPTEMBER SLUMP
September was the worst month for the stock market since March 2020, when the seriousness of the pandemic sent a shockwave down Wall Street. The S&P lost 5% for September, though the index still managed to eke out a gain for the third quarter. CHEDDAR
FACEBOOK WHISTLEBLOWER
The Facebook employee who leaked thousands of pages of internal documents to the Wall Street Journal will reveal her identity on 60 Minutes Sunday. That whistleblower is also expected to testify in front of Congress next week after providing regulators with the same material she gave to the Journal. At a separate hearing on Thursday, a top Facebook exec faced a grilling from senators who compared the company to Big Tobacco for going after children with a product they know is harmful to their health. CBS NEWS
PRODIGAL SON RETURNS
This Sunday will deliver one of the most anticipated early-season NFL matchups in a long time. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs are playing the New England Patriots in Foxboro for the first time since Brady decamped to win a Super Bowl with his new team. The game will pit Brady against former coach Bill Belichick amid more reports of bad blood between the two. There are memes galore ahead of the showdown, and NBC’s so excited they licensed an Adele song for the promo: WATCH
HOLLYWOOD STRIKE WATCH
Tens of thousands of Hollywood craftspeople will start voting today on whether to authorize a strike that would shut down TV and film production nationwide. The International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees union has been at an impasse with the studios over its contract. Many production workers have been complaining that the boom in streaming has created untenable working conditions, leaving them exhausted. Among the things IATSE is asking for is a mandatory 10-hour minimum “turnaround” time between production days and an end to the notorious “Fraturday” Friday-Saturday overnight shift. VARIETY
SPOTTED...
...Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr., drilling a home run out of Dodger Stadium: WATCH
...Mick Jagger, going unnoticed as he grabbed a beer at a local bar in Charlotte. The Stones are on tour without their beloved drummer Charlie Watts, who died in August: SEE PIC
…Jon Stewart, returning to television with his new Apple TV+ talk show, The Problem w/ Jon Stewart. The biweekly series is a more serious look at current events than The Daily Show, but with a dash of Stewart’s trademark humor: READ REVIEW
LEFTOVERS: STAR POWER
The Super Bowl halftime show is set: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem will share the stage at the big game in February. Super Bowl LVI is happening at the new SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and three of the performers -- Dre, Snoop and Kendrick -- hail from the southern California rap scene. ESPN
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