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Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, February 3, 2022:
MORE TROOPS IN EUROPE
President Joe Biden has ordered 2,000 U.S.-based troops to Poland and Germany and is moving another 1,000 from Germany to Romania in an effort to bolster NATO's defensive position closer to Ukraine. The Biden administration aims to shore up the administration's commitment to supporting NATO without undermining ongoing diplomatic talks against the backdrop of 100,000 Russian troops massing on the border of Ukraine. While both Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have expressed a reluctance to engage militarily, negotiations have reportedly hit a wall, with Putin claiming NATO is not taking his demands seriously. AP
ARMY BOOTS NON-VACCINATED
As vaccine mandates remain unevenly applied across the country, the U.S. Army has announced that it will soon start discharging soldiers who refuse to get the jab. Those soldiers who get discharged will also not receive involuntary separation pay. This won't be a problem for most soldiers, as 96% of active troops have been completely vaccinated. There are 3,350 hold-outs, and 5,900 who have received temporary exemptions. NPR
WINTER WOES
So Groundhog Day was yesterday, and Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter. Whether you believe the folklore or not, this winter is shaping up to be particularly rough, and many across the country are feeling the chill. Nearly a third of Americans are in the path of a winter storm that is predicted to bring ice and snow from Texas to the midwest to New England,. Airlines are canceling thousands of flights for the second time in a week. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, meanwhile, said that "no one can guarantee" there won't be power outages during the storm. The admission likely didn't inspire much hope for Texans fearful of losing power after last year's deadly blackouts. INSIDER
Even the storms are bigger in Texas.
BIDEN'S CANCER MOONSHOT
President Biden on Wednesday doubled down on a "moonshot" initiative to reduce the cancer death rate by 50 percent within the next 25 years. He first announced the effort as vice president back in 2016, and is now upping the ante. Cancer is predicted to kill 609,360 people this year, according to the American Cancer Society. Biden wants to cut that number in half. To do that, he plans to form a "cancer Cabinet" of department heads and host a summit on the topic, but he did not promise any new funding commitments to research or other public health efforts. AP
How about a cancer vaccine, big pharma?
JEFF ZUCKER RESIGNS
CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker has resigned after acknowledging a consensual relationship with a fellow executive which had not previously disclosed. "I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn't. I was wrong. As a result, I am resigning today," Zucker told employees in a memo. The announcement shocked the company, coming less than two months after the executive fired anchor Chris Cuomo for his improper role in helping his brother, then Governor Andrew Cuomo, in addressing sexual misconduct allegations. CNN
OMICRON SLAMS LABOR MARKET
Ahead of this Friday's big jobs report, ADP data show it's not looking good. The payroll processing firm reported that the U.S. economy cut jobs in January at the highest rate since the start of the pandemic. Private payrolls dropped 301,000, with service workers making up the lion's share of the losses. Economists are pointing to the omicron variant, which is having a bigger impact on the economy — and on public health — than many had initially expected. WASH POST
MEET THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
Goodbye Redskins, hello Commanders. After months of speculation and some detective work from fans who figured out the name ahead of time, the Washington Football Team has made the change official. Other contenders, such as the Warriors and the Red Wolves, were beaten out by the Commanders, which got broad support within the team. As for the fans, not everyone is happy, but that hasn't stopped them from coming up with some new chants. NPR
We say name them the Commandos and have their logo be a guy wearing no underwear.
BUTTERFLY PRESERVE THREATENED
A Texas butterfly preserve targeted by conspiracy groups has decided to close for the foreseeable future over increasing harassment. After fighting the border wall plan back in 2017, which it claimed would have cut its property in two and hurt the environment, wall supporters accused the National Butterfly Center of harboring a sex-trafficking ring. The preserve says staff members were physically attacked last week over the claims and decided to close during a "We Stand America" rally over the weekend. Now it says it will remain closed until it can figure out how to move forward safely. TEXAS PUBLIC RADIO
META'S STABLECOIN DEBACLE
Meta grabbed headlines on Thursday as shares plunged after it reported a slip in profits, but many are still unpacking the company's failed effort to launch a new digital currency and payment system called Diem. After years of wrangling with regulators and lawmakers, the project came to an end this week. Cheddar spoke with a number of crypto experts about what went wrong and what it means for other stablecoin issuers. Is this the beginning of a regulatory crackdown, or a one-off miss from a company with a history of big swings?CHEDDAR
Not-so-stablecoin.
LEFTOVERS: METAVERSE LAND GRAB
The real estate market is hot, even in the metaverse. A new analysis from MetaMetric Solutions found that sales of digital property across the four major metaverse platforms hit $501 million in 2021, and remained elevated into the new year, with $85 million in sales in January alone. Facebook's rebranding as Meta and its commitment to the metaverse has boosted sales, and analysts are predicting the market could reach $1 billion by 2022. CHEDDAR
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