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
Marjorie Margolies on Being the First Single American to Adopt Internationally
Marjorie Margolies, an Emmy-winning journalist and former Congressperson, was on assignment as a reporter in South Korea in 1970 when she adopted 7-year-old Lee Heh. She was the first American ever to adopt a child from another country while unmarried. Cheddar News sat down with Margolies, and her son Vu Pham, as she recounted her story.
HP Survey Examines How COVID Impacted Women Seeking Promotions
A recent survey from tech giant HP shows that while women are very interested in advancing their careers, men are still promoted at a much higher rate. Managing Director of North America at HP Stephanie Dismore joined Cheddar News to discuss the data and how changes brought on by the pandemic helped — and hurt — women in the workforce. "This whole idea of hybrid working is a challenge, but it's also an opportunity. And ideally what it can do for women is provide extreme flexibility, and it gives them an opportunity to really be very vocal about what they need and how they can contribute the best in the environment that they're in," she said. "However, at the same time, while women are applying and wanting to advance their careers. COVID actually had the reverse effect. And if you look at other studies, one in four women actually took a step back from their careers or exited the workforce altogether."
Let's Buy an Island Co-Founder Talks Crowdsourcing a Micronation
Marshall Mayer, the co-founder of the Let's Buy an Island crowdsourcing campaign, joined Cheddar News to discuss purchasing of the Coffee Caye Island off the coast of Belize, building it into its own micronation, and what challenges he's faced in this process. "First of all we recognize where we are. We know we're in Belize, we're not, you know, we have no ambitions beyond the fun of this project," he said. "When it comes to actually creating this sort of thing, most of the people that started this project myself included are dedicated world travelers. We love going to sort of the unique and strange around the world and getting to know interesting cultures and interesting areas."
Angela Lewis on the Love for Her 'Snowfall' Role, Advocating for Black Maternal Health
The hit show 'Snowfall' about the cocaine epidemic in 1980s Los Angeles returned for a fifth season in February, and Angela Lewis, who plays Aunt Louie on the show, joined Cheddar News to talk about the love that she has received for her role and her approach towards it. "I think the biggest thing that I do is I have to be confident," she said. "You cannot play a character like Louie without — you can't play her shrinking away from anything. You can't play her being insecure about whatever it is you might be insecure about." Lewis also touched on her advocacy for Black maternal health that had been sparked by her own pregnancy.
Load More