Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, January 28, 2021:
CRAZYTOWN, USA
The stock market had its worst day since October, but you wouldn’t have noticed if you’ve only been following the “meme stocks” that have been swept up in the Reddit vs. Wall St. saga. AMC: up 300 percent on the day. Express -- the 90’s shopping mall stalwart -- up 214 percent. GameStop: 135 percent. BlackBerry and Nokia both said they had no idea why their stocks were up so much. In response to the Reddit-fueled rally, Nasdaq says it will halt trading in stocks if they find unusual activity linked to social media. BLOOMBERGIt’s almost like the stock market is just a big casino.
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The White House’s new Covid-19 Response Team resumed regular pandemic briefings, acknowledging that the rate of spread is slowing but the baseline is still “extremely high.” January is now the deadliest month so far in the U.S. The new CDC director urged Congress to pass the $1.9 trillion relief bill to help with testing and vaccination. Researchers have discovered more evidence that the South Africa variant is resistant to antibody treatments. DNA-testing company 23andMe has launched a new tool that can predict the likelihood that an infected person will require hospitalization. NY TIMESThese briefings are always so uplifting.
BIDEN CLIMATE ACTIONS
President Biden signed a series of new executive orders to combat climate change, saying “we can’t wait any longer” to take on an “existential threat.” The orders will shoot to double offshore wind energy, electrify the federal vehicle fleet, create up to a million jobs building electric cars and more, though they were quickly criticized by Republicans as being job killers. APAlso a job killer? A planet that can’t support human life.
CAPITOL RIOT CASUALTIES
A second police officer who was working at the Capitol during the riot has died by suicide, accordingly to newly revealed testimony. Jeffrey Smith, an officer with D.C. Metro, is the third member of law enforcement to die either during or in the aftermath of the mob attack. The Capitol Police union said nearly 140 officers were injured that day, including some who suffered brain damage, crushed spinal discs, and one who lost an eye. The Dept. of Homeland Security has issued a terror bulletin warning of domestic extremists who may have become “emboldened” in the wake of the riot. POLITICO
NEW BOSS IN TOWN
Walgreens has poached Rosalind Brewer, Starbucks’ former chief operating officer, to be its new CEO. Brewer will become the only Black woman leading a Fortune 500 company. She is credited for helping Starbucks shift almost overnight to solely to-go stores during the pandemic and working to diversify its executive ranks. Brewer was previously CEO of Sam’s Club. MARKETWATCH
TECH EARNINGS
Apple and Facebook reported record earnings for the holiday period, with Apple topping $100 billion in quarterly sales for the first time thanks to high demand for the iPhone 12, and Facebook posting record profits on the strength of its ad business. Tesla, meanwhile, was more of a mixed bag: the automaker reported its first full-year profit but on weaker-than-expected margins. Tesla made $721 million in 2020, compared to a loss of $862 million in 2019. CHEDDAR
IN MEMORIAM: CLORIS LEACHMAN
Cloris Leachman, the legendary comedic actress best known for playing Phyllis on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, has died. Leachman was an iconic sitcom star, winning 9 Emmys over the course of her career, as well as big-screen accolades for her roles in classics like Young Frankenstein and The Last Picture Show. She was 94. OBIT
SPOTTED...
...Halsey, showing off her baby bump and announcing that she and screenwriter Alev Aydin are expecting their first child. The singer revealed in an interview last year that she had suffered a miscarriage: SEE PICS…a first look at Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana in the upcoming Spencer. The movie follows Diana over a single weekend in 1991 when she decided to leave Prince Charles: SEE PICThe Brits are sure to love this casting choice.
COMING TO A COUCH NEAR YOU
Warner Bros. dropped a trailer for all its big 2021 movies that will be premiering in theaters and on HBO Max at the same time. The trailer features new footage from Dune, Suicide Squad, the Space Jam remake with LeBron James, and the very first glimpse of a young Tony Soprano in the upcoming Sopranos prequel, played by the late James Gandolfini’s real-life son, Michael: WATCHWe’re excited to see Uncle Junior as an actual junior.
LEFTOVERS: LINCOLN IS CANCELLED
San Francisco’s school board voted almost unanimously to rename dozens of public schools named after historical and political figures like Abraham Lincoln, John Muir, the environmentalist known as the “father of national parks,” and even the current sitting senator, Dianne Feinstein. If you’re wondering what President Lincoln -- who won the Civil War and abolished slavery -- might have done to get his name taken off a high school, the resolution noted his treatment of Native Americans. Feinstein got her name pulled over a Confederate flag controversy from the ‘80s. SF CHRON
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