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
'Slow and Steady Wins the Race' for Netflix Gaming, Says Arkadium Co-Founder
Streaming giant Netflix has thrown its hat into the ring with some video game offerings of its own so far, but the hurdles to gaining market share in the space might be daunting despite recently acquiring its third game development studio. Kenny Rosenblatt, the president and co-founder of casual game maker Arkadium, joined Cheddar to offer his view of where things are headed for Netflix. "Microsoft entered the video game market in 1990, years ago with 'Windows Solitaire. It has taken them that long to become the player that they are today," he said. "So I like what Netflix is doing. Slow and steady wins the race."
Stocks Close Near Session Highs in Another Strong Day for Markets
U.S. stocks closed Tuesday's session near session highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 350 points, after rising more than 400 points at its session high. Shares were also impacted positively by optimism around peace talks in Ukraine. Nancy Prial, Co-Chief Executive Officer & Senior Portfolio Manager of Essex Investment Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Online Used Furniture Marketplace Kaiyo Raises $36 Million
Food, paper, and plastic are known to be major factors when it comes to America's trash; but furniture is high on that list, as well. According to the EPA, furniture makes up twelve million tons of waste in landfills every year. It's a problem that one online furniture store is trying to solve. Alpay Koralturk, Founder & CEO of Kaiyo, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Bitcoin & Other Major Cryptocurrencies Are Rallying
Bitcoin surged to its highest level on Monday since January 2nd. The gains also come after a late Sunday rally for the cryptocurrency, when it surpassed the key price of $45,000, and also turned positive for 2022. Matt Hougan, CIO of Bitwise Asset Fund, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss what is behind the recent rallies for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Takisha Clark on Being First Black Woman to Own a Postal Franchise
Founder and CEO of Capital Postal & Mail Box Service, Takisha Clark, joined Cheddar News to talk about being the first black woman to own a postal franchise, the obstacles she faced when launching her business, and how she overcame them. “I ran into just dealing with lack of resources, dealing with just being a black woman, just trying to become this entrepreneur and be inspiring to others, so it's been a journey," she said. "It's been hard, and I've just been maneuvering through the cracks."
Brooke Shields Joins Prospect Farms as Chief Brand Officer
Actress, model, author, and entrepreneur Brooke Shields has joined organic CBD company Prospect Farms as its chief brand officer. She joined CEO Brad Tipper to talk to Cheddar News about her coming aboard. Shield’s explained how her involvement with Prospect Farms stemmed from a discussion about her lack of sleep. “I started learning about the positive effects and the different ways that CBD can be introduced to a person's life, and I was just sort of fascinated because it all feels so new to me," she said.
'Everything Everywhere All At Once' Directors on Telling an Asian American Sci-Fi Story
The co-writers and directors of the movie "Everything Everywhere All at Once" Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert joined Cheddar News to discuss their new sci-fi action-comedy starring Michelle Yeoh now in select theaters. The filmmakers talked about bringing the multiverse-traversing plot to life, as well as getting the chance to tell an Asian American story following in the footsteps of successful films like "Crazy Rich Asians." "We like to make films that we want to see on the screen, and even if that means they don't exist or even that means that the world might not be ready for them," said Kwan. "That's what we're chasing. Luckily for us, the movie took so long to make that by the time it was finished or by the time now that it's done, so much has changed."
Importance of Service Dogs
Paul Mundell, Executive Director of the American Service Dog Access Coalition, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss why emotional support, therapy, and service dogs are important.
How Much Plastic Is Really In Our Bodies?
Plastic has become the face of global pollution. To date, humans have produced 8.3 billion metric tons of it. Once discarded, plastic doesn’t biodegrade. Instead, it fragments into microplastics smaller than the size of a sesame seed and further into nanoplastics. These tiny particles of plastic end up everywhere, deep in the ice of Antarctic glaciers or even inside our bodies. So how much plastic is inside of us? And what does it mean for our health? Let’s find out.
Need2Know: Deadly Snow Squall in PA, Walmart Pulls Cigarettes, and More
Catching you up on what you Need to Know on Mar 29, 2022, with updates on the snow squall in Pennsylvania that caused a pileup killing three, the teacher's strike in Sacramento heading into week two, Walmart no longer selling tobacco products in select stores, and what meme stocks are up to this week.
Load More