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Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Monday, October 4, 2021:
OIL SPILL
Parts of the Southern California coastline are covered in oil after a pipeline spilled about 3,000 barrels of crude -- about 100,000 gallons -- into the Pacific Ocean, where it’s been washing up on beaches, killing local wildlife and damaging wetlands. The spill happened at an offshore rig off the coast of Huntington Beach in Orange County and is already one of the worst in California’s history. Workers and volunteers have started a massive cleanup effort but some beaches could be closed for months. USA TODAY
COVID GAME CHANGER?
Dr. Fauci expressed his enthusiasm over the weekend about a new antiviral pill from Merck that was shown in trials to cut the risk of hospitalization and death from Covid in half if taken soon after the onset of symptoms. Merck is planning to ask the FDA for an emergency authorization of that pill ASAP, but Fauci said it shouldn’t be seen as a reason to not get vaccinated. POLITICO
BIDEN ECONOMIC AGENDA
House Democrats blew a self-imposed Friday deadline to vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill after progressives revolted, saying they wouldn’t pass the bill until they had a commitment from centrists on the bigger spending package. Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema remain the two key holdouts on that legislation, which continues to be negotiated down from its original price tag of $3.5 trillion over 10 years. AP
SCOTUS BLOCKBUSTER TERM
The Supreme Court opens its new term today, and it’s a big one. The justices will hear major challenges to abortion rights, gun regulations and the separation of church and state as it pertains to public schools. The biggest case is probably a challenge to a Mississippi abortion ban that could lead to a showdown over Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion. The Court’s new term comes as recent polling shows a significant drop in public opinion of the institution. NY TIMES
PANDORA PAPERS
A huge leak of financial documents from world leaders was published over the weekend by several news organizations. Dubbed the Pandora Papers, the docs reveal how current and former heads of state use sprawling networks of offshore accounts, shell companies and tax havens to allegedly hide millions of dollars in cash and assets. Among the allegations in the leaks: the king of Jordan has a real-estate portfolio worth more than $100 million spanning from Malibu to London, and an alleged mistress of Vladimir Putin bought a $4 million pad in Monaco after reportedly having his baby. GUARDIAN
FACEBOOK WHISTLEBLOWER
The Facebook whistleblower who provided thousands of pages of leaked internal documents to the news media and lawmakers has been revealed to be Frances Haugen, a former product manager who resigned in the spring. Haugen told 60 Minutes that she grew increasingly alarmed at what she saw while working at the company, saying that “Facebook, over and over again, has shown it chooses profit over safety.” Haugen is set to testify in front of Congress tomorrow about Facebook and Instagram’s impact on young users: WATCH THE INTERVIEW
WIN OR GO HOME
The Red Sox will host the Yankees in the American League Wild Card game tomorrow after both teams won in their regular season finales, avoiding several chaotic tiebreaker scenarios. The Yanks punched their ticket after Aaron Judge hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth against the Rays, while the Sox won in a dramatic comeback over the Nats. The Dodgers will host the Cardinals on Wednesday for the National League Wild Card. ESPN
SQUID GAME MANIA
Have you been watching Squid Game? The latest Netflix sensation is such a bona fide smash that it’s currently no. 1 in more than 90 countries and on track to be the streaming giant’s biggest hit ever. The South Korean dystopian survival drama is one of the rare series to go viral simultaneously around the world without a big marketing campaign behind it. What Squid Game does have is good reviews, strong word of mouth and an endless supply of memes circulating on social media. The success of the show -- which was rejected for years by studios saying it was too gory and unrealistic -- also represents a huge payoff for Netflix’s $700 million investment in Korean TV and movies. WSJ
SPOTTED...
…Grimes, reading The Communist Manifesto on a stroll through L.A. after her split with Elon Musk. The singer later said the pics were staged to troll the paparazzi: SEE PICS
...Saturday Night Live’s newest cast member James Austin Johnson, tapped to play President Biden on the season opener: WATCH
...Kacey Musgraves, performing on SNL wearing just her cowboy boots and guitar: WATCH
LEFTOVERS: THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
Tom Brady got the win in his return to Foxborough, where Tampa Bay beat New England 19-17 on a missed last-minute field goal attempt by the Patriots. Brady was cheered by Pats fans as he took the field, then booed on the opening drive. In the highly anticipated homecoming, Brady also broke the all-time passing record held by Drew Brees and became just the fourth QB in NFL history to beat all 32 teams. CBS SPORTS
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