These are the headlines you Need2Know:
* **Joining Forces to Fight Cartels:**
The United States and Mexico will cooperate to fight drug cartels amid tension between the two countries over President Trump’s immigration policies. The anti-drug plan calls for more aggressively attacking the cartels’ financial infrastructure. For more on this story, [click here](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-mexico-to-announce-new-plans-to-tackle-drug-cartels-ap/).
* **Dozens Overdose at Park Near Yale:**
At least 70 people overdosed Wednesday on a synthetic cannabinoid substance called K2, which was laced with fentanyl. There has not been a reported fatality in the New Haven, Conn., park, but two people are in life-threatening condition. One person has been arrested in connection with selling the drugs. For more, [click here](https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/15/health/new-haven-overdoses/index.html).
* **Cake Shop Owner May Go Back to the Supreme Court:**
The owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, Jack Phillips, is suing the state of Colorado because he didn't want to make a cake for a transgender woman. Earlier this year, Phillips won a 7-2 Supreme Court decision over his refusal to bake a cake for a same-sex couple because it went against his religious beliefs. Gov. John Hickenlooper, who is named in Phillips' suit, said the new case could also make it to the Supreme Court. For more on this story, check out [NPR](https://www.npr.org/2018/08/16/639147599/colorado-baker-sues-state-again-after-refusing-to-make-cake-for-transgender-woma).
* **Jury to Decide Paul Manafort's Future:**
Deliberations are underway in the trial of President Trump's former campaign chairman. Manafort pleaded not guilty to all 18 counts of tax evasion, financial fraud, and concealing of foreign accounts. The verdict could possibly determine the course of the investigation by the special counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference with the 2016 presidential campaign. For more on this story, [click here](https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/16/politics/paul-manafort-trial-robert-mueller-donald-trump/index.html).
Cheddar's Jill Wagner gets into the latest.
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Although this week's weather is predicted to be less severe than the 2021 storm, Texans are preparing for the worst - stocking up on supplies and emptying shelves in grocery stores, once again. Some Texans still have not recovered from last year's tragedy, and are heading into the next few weeks with anxiety for what's to come. Leslie Beyer, CEO of the Houston-based energy workforce & technology council, joins Cheddar News to discuss if the Texas grid will fail again.
Student loan debt continues to be a major concern for tens of millions of Americans who collectively owe about $1.7 trillion. Black college students often take on larger amounts of student debt in order to pay for a higher education. In turn, they are more likely to struggle post-graduation with repaying their debt, creating a racial wealth gap divide. Andre Perry, senior fellow at Brookings Institution joined All Hands to help break down the black student debt crisis.
BTS’ hit single “Butter” tops the zeitgeist again, bumping back up to number one on Billboard’s Hot Trending Chart. The chart tracks what songs people are talking about rather than what they're listening to.
The American Red Cross has declared its first-ever "national blood crisis" in the United States. Since COVID hit the U.S. in March 2020, blood donations have declined by 10 percent. American Red Cross Medical Director, Dr. Baia Lasky joined Cheddar News to discuss the country facing the worst blood shortage in over a decade. Dr. Lasky noted that as much as 40 percent of Americans are eligible to donate blood but only about 4 percent do so. "This is going to be ongoing," she said. "This is not an acute shortage. We really do need the commitment of people to come out and donate and donate again." Appointments to donate can be made by using the Red Cross Donor App, at RedCrossBlood.org, or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
On this episode of ChedHER: Co-Founder of VC firm CaJE breaks down how she's creating a new era of venture capital and empowering Black women with 'soil' funding to start and grow their businesses; AYO Foods Co-Founder discusses how the brand is bringing West African cuisine to the frozen food industry and building a grocery aisle her daughters can be proud of; Chief Marketing & Customer Experience Officer at Chase Auto talks her experience being a woman of color in the auto industry, and why transportation is so important to financial freedom.
Renée Horne, chief marketing and customer experience officer at Chase Auto, joins ChedHER to discuss her experience being a woman of color in the auto industry and why transportation is so important to financial freedom.
Perteet Spencer, Co-Founder of AYO Foods, joins ChedHER to discuss how the brand is bringing West African cuisine to the frozen food industry and building a grocery aisle her daughters can be proud of.
