Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, February 5, 2021:

COVID-19: GOOD NEWS ONLY

Johnson & Johnson has submitted its vaccine for emergency approval to the FDA, as expected. If and when the shot gets the green light, doses could start shipping by early March, adding a third highly-effective vaccine to the country’s arsenal. In NYC, Yankee Stadium opens today as a mass-vaccination site for eligible Bronx residents. COVID hospitalizations nationwide are finally back to their pre-Thanksgiving levels, down more than 40,000 from their early January peak. The U.S. did nearly 1.7 million vaccinations yesterday, a new daily record. STAT

SCHOOL OPENING BATTLE LINES

Chicago and San Francisco are in battles with their school districts over when and how to reopen schools for in-person learning. Chicago public-school students were supposed to go back to a hybrid model this week but the city and the teachers union have still not reached a deal, leading to a frustrated Mayor Lori Lightfoot blaming the union for dragging its feet. Meanwhile, in San Francisco the situation is even more contentious. The city is suing its own school district in an attempt to reopen classrooms. Teachers unions in many large districts are saying they won’t go back until they’re vaccinated. ABC NEWS

GREENE BOOTED

The House stripped Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of both her committee assignments as punishment for spreading conspiracy theories and hate speech. The vote was nearly party line, though 11 Republicans broke ranks to vote with Democrats. Of the 199 Republicans who voted against removing Greene, not a single one defended her. She expressed regret about at least some of her theories, saying she now believes "9/11 absolutely happened." AP

BIDEN CUTS BAIT ON SAUDIS

President Biden is ending U.S. arms sales and other support for Saudi Arabia in its long-running offensive in Yemen. That war, between Houthi rebels and the Saudis in one of the poorest countries in the world, has led to a “humanitarian and strategic catastrophe,” Biden said. Saudi warplanes armed with American weapons have been relentlessly and often indiscriminately bombing targets in Yemen for six years. AP

PELOTON DEMAND

Peloton has been among the biggest winners of the pandemic, so much so that it cannot keep up with the demand for its fitness bikes and treadmills. The company admitted as much in its earnings report, saying it had $1 billion in sales last quarter but future profits will be squeezed as the company invests in fixing its supply chain problem. Peloton buyers have reported months-long delays in getting their orders. BLOOMBERG

BEST LAPTOP EVER?

It’s been a couple months since Apple started shipping its new Macs made with its own proprietary silicon chips. After spending time putting them through the ringer, reviewers are nearly unanimously in their reviews -- that these are the best laptops on the market today, and it's not particularly close. The M1 MacBooks are expensive (obv.), but the innovation in the chips means that they're super fast, turn on instantly, don’t cause the fan to run, and the batteries are said to last at least all day. CNET

SUPER BOWL PREVIEW

Super Bowl LV is Sunday in Tampa Bay. Patrick Mahomes is looking to defend the Chiefs’ title, while Tom Brady is looking to win his seventh ring at age 43. Like everything else, the Big Game will look different from years past, with a fraction of the normal crowd on hand and a more reflective tone expected, at least off the field. The Chiefs are heavy favorites -- but as many have learned over the last two decades, you bet against Brady at your own risk. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS. If you just want to see The Weeknd, the Halftime Show will probably start sometime in the 8 p.m. hour. PREDICTIONS

SPOTTED...

… Olivia Rodrigo, making her TV debut on Jimmy Fallon to sing her #1 hit Drivers License: WATCH

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD

Hot on the heels of the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards announced this year’s nominations, giving the late Chadwick Boseman an historic four nods combined for his two roles in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Da 5 Bloods. The SAGs are considered among the most prestigious awards for actors because they’re given out by their peers. Meanwhile, former President Trump resigned from SAG-AFTRA, the union behind the awards, as he faced disciplinary action for the Capitol riot. In a letter, Trump wrote that he was proud of his work in Home Alone 2 and Zoolander but concluded that being a SAG member has "done nothing for me”: READ IT

LEFTOVERS: SECOND CHANCE STIMULUS

If you did not receive the full amount you were owed in either round of stimulus checks over the last year, there’s still a chance to get it straightened out. In some cases, payments may have been miscalculated; in others, they may never have been received at all for a host of reasons. If you believe this happened to you, the IRS is letting eligible taxpayers claim a recovery rebate on their 2020 tax returns. Here’s how to do it: READ

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
Why American License Plates Are Such A Mess
As of 2020, there were some 270 million registered vehicles in the United States, each one adorned with a mandatory license plate or two. And while plates appear standardized within states, when you zoom out to the whole country, the system get well, downright chaotic. European plates vary by country, but look similar. While that’s certainly less visually interesting, it's a whole lot more effective. Back here in the States, our lack of license plate standardization can cause real headaches
Spring Style Tips for an Appropriate and Comfortable Return to the Office
As life inches toward a post-pandemic world, many people are trying to navigate how to transition from their work-from-home look to a new back-to-office style for the first time in two years. Dina Scherer, the owner of Modnitsa Styling, joined Cheddar News to provide some styling suggestions for those returning to the office. 'I do hear this from a lot of my clients that they just have no idea how to transition from sweat pants, athleisure, into a work office environment outfit that's both appropriate and comfortable,' she noted.
Author Marci Hopkins on Breaking Cycle of Bad Habits for Alcohol Awareness Month
April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and while COVID-19 has not made it easy for people who deal with addiction, Marci Hopkins, the author of the upcoming "Chaos to Clarity: Seeing the Signs and Breaking the Cycles," joined Cheddar News to talk about ways people can break out of a bad cycle of bad habits. “Things that have helped me; move a muscle change a thought," she said. "If you start thinking about having that drink or whatever it is that you have turned to, get up. Move. That's really, really important," she said.
U.S. Stocks Turn Positive in Final Hour to Close Higher
U.S. stocks saw a jump in the final hour of Thursday's session, and ultimately closed slightly higher for the day. Tim Pagliara, Chief Investment Officer of CapWealth, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. "The markets have had to digest a lot of action from the federal reserve this quarter and it's affecting everything from mortgage rates to how they value stocks," he said.
Union Petitions on the Rise at Big Companies Across U.S.
Herold Meyerson, Editor at Large of 'The American Prospect,' joined Closing Bell to discuss the recent uptick in unionization efforts across the U.S. and what it might mean for large corporations like Amazon and Starbucks, where workers are increasingly pushing to unionize.
How Warner Bros. Discovery Might Further Streaming as New Media Giant
Seth Schachner, a digital business executive and the managing director of the consultancy Strat Americas, joined Closing Bell to talk all about the mega-merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery, combining to form Warner Bros. Discovery (Nasdaq: WBD), and what it means for the streaming space going forward. “I think unlike some of the other mergers that you've seen out there. I think this one has actually got a real chance to be successful and to really further the cause of streaming," he said.
Load More