Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, May 13, 2021:
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
With vaccine demand dropping in Ohio, the state is trying something novel: five weekly drawings of $1 million, open to any resident who has received at least one vaccine dose. The money will come from federal relief funds. Gov. Mike DeWine announced the unusual lottery, adding that there will be a separate drawing for Ohio teenagers with the prize being five full rides to any public state university. Every teenager in Ohio -- and America -- is now eligible to get vaccinated after the CDC gave the stamp of approval for the Pfizer shot in children as young as 12. Many states will begin offering shots to adolescents as soon as today. COLUMBUS DISPATCH
MIDEAST VIOLENCE
The death toll continues to mount on both sides of the latest flareup in violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Gaza officials said 83 Palestinians, including 17 children, have been killed. The Israeli military said six civilians, including at least one child, have been killed on its side. Israeli airstrikes toppled several high-rise buildings in Gaza that Israel said housed Hamas offices after warning civilians to evacuate. On the streets, rival groups of Jews and Arabs have been attacking each other’s cars and shops, according to journalists on the ground, as worries mount that the country is headed toward civil war. NY TIMES
CHENEY OUSTED
Hours after the House GOP stripped Rep. Liz Cheney, the highest-ranking woman in the party, of her leadership position for speaking out against the false claims that the election was stolen, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said “I don’t think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election.” McCarthy visited the White House to discuss infrastructure with President Biden after he led the movement to depose Cheney, telling reporters that she had become a distraction inside the party. POLITICO
THE GAS IS COMING
Colonial Pipeline has “initiated the restart” of the major pipeline carrying fuel to the East Coast but says it will take several days for the supply of gas to return to normal. The reason it has taken so long to get the gas moving again is reportedly because Colonial decided not to pay the ransom to the hackers and instead has been rebuilding its data systems from a backup. Meanwhile, gas shortages are still spreading in the Southeast. Nearly half the gas stations in Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia are dry, according to GasBuddy. The national average for a gallon of regular went above $3 for the first time since 2014. CNN
INFLATION NATION
April's consumer price index -- a measure of a basket of goods, housing and energy costs -- jumped 4.2 percent year-over-year, a much higher-than-expected reading that comes during a time of shortages and price hikes on everything from grocery staples to computer chips. Inflation is accelerating at its fastest pace in 12 years as the economy recovers, though the data is a bit distorted because of how abnormally low it was this time last year at the height of the pandemic. The Fed has said it expects the rise in inflation to be temporary. CHEDDAR
BROADBAND BENEFIT
Low-income Americans can now apply for a $50 monthly subsidy on their internet service and get a one-time $100 subsidy toward a new laptop or tablet as part of a federal program passed as part of the last stimulus. Millions of people on SNAP or Medicaid, Pell Grant recipients, families with kids on free lunch programs, and anyone who can establish substantial loss of income during the pandemic are eligible for the discount. Congress approved $3.2 billion for the one-time benefit, which will keep going until the money runs out or six months after the pandemic is declared over. CNET
ROCK HALL INDUCTEES
The Foo Fighters, Tina Turner, The Go-Go’s, Carole King, Jay-Z, and Todd Rundgren are this year’s inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Turner, King, and Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters are already in the exclusive club (Turner as part of Ike & Tina Turner, King as a non-performing songwriter, and Grohl as part of Nirvana). The induction ceremony takes place in Cleveland in October. VULTURE
EVERYTHING ENDS
ELLEN: The upcoming season of Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show will be its last. DeGeneres told the Hollywood Reporter that she decided not to renew her contract through next year, after she records her 19th season, saying the show was no longer a "challenge." The comedian plans to sit down with Oprah today to discuss her decision, which comes nearly a year after several of her former employees alleged a toxic workplace behind the scenes at Ellen. THR
THIS IS US: NBC is reportedly planning to announce tomorrow that This Is Us will end after its upcoming sixth season. The tearjerker drama has been one of the network’s highest-rated series since it premiered in the fall of 2016. THR
SPOTTED...
…a rare skull painting by Basquiat, selling at Sotheby’s spring auction for $93 million -- a sign that the ultra-high-end art market is roaring back to life: SEE IT
LEFTOVERS: LOOK, NO HANDS!
A man “driving” his Tesla from the back seat on a California freeway was arrested on charges of reckless driving as calls grow for people to report instances of Tesla owners operating their cars’ self-driving function from places other than the driver’s seat. Upon his release from jail, the Tesla owner told the local news station: “I’m about to go in the back seat right now. You feel me? Like, I’m waiting for my car to charge.” KTVU
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