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

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

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
Thrive Market Offers Healthy and Sustainable Products at Wholesale Prices
Thrive Market is a health-first membership for conscious living, with a mission to make healthy and sustainable living easy and accessible. Nick Green, CEO and co-founder, chatted with Cheddar's Baker Machado about the company's approach and new ventures in 2022. "I grew up outside of Minneapolis, middle class, middle America, and really saw firsthand how hard my mom had to work to put healthy food on the table, on a budget, without a health food store nearby," he said. "Twenty-some years later we looked around and just thought it was crazy that millions of Americans are still struggling with the same thing, and we decided to change it." Recently the brand released a line of organic frozen products and will be introducing new beauty and home brands.
Microsoft Integrating Activision With 'Next Phase of the Internet' as Its Goal
In what could be the biggest deal in video games history, Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard underlines the company's aggressive push in gaming and beyond into its long-term vision of being top dog in the metaverse. Adam Hollander, former director of gamification at Microsoft and founder of Hungry Wolves NFT, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss. “Microsoft always plays chess, not checkers," he said, describing the price tag as an opportunity cost. "It's about integrating Activision Blizzard in with Azure and Windows and Xbox and Hololens and Minecraft and everything else that they're doing for the inevitable goal of being the major player in the next phase of the internet."
Strella Biotechnology Uses Sensors to Interpret Shelf Life of Produce, Monitor About 15% of U.S. Apples
Food waste is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Strella Biotechnology is trying to solve the problem by introducing new technology to a business that's been around for generations -- farming. The 24-year-old CEO created hi-tech sensors that interpret the shelf life of produce and alert farmers when fruits and vegetables are ready to be sent to supermarkets. The company says the process can help farmers make money, reduce food waste and increase the quality of produce. Strella Biotechnology's co-founder and CEO Katherine Sizov and co-founder and COO Jay Jordan joined Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Why Sherpa's Making Climbing Mount Everest Possible
Norbu Tenzing, Vice President of the American Himalayan Foundation and the son of the first Sherpa to ever summit Everest, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss how Sherpa's put themselves in danger for clients, and the dangers of Everest's 'Death Zone.'
What Netflix Investors Should Look for as Streaming Competition Grows
Netflix may not be staying at the top of the streaming wars, according to some wary investors, as competition heats up and it raises prices yet again. Tuna Amobi, director and senior equity analyst at CFRA Research, spoke with Cheddar about what investors should be considering should they stick with the streaming pioneer or drop the investment. "I think it's always mostly about the subscriber growth for the Q4, which is going to be an indicator of how the company has been navigating the speed bumps that we saw early in the year," said Amobi.
Load More