These are the headlines you Need2Know:
* **First Transgender Candidate for Governor:**
Vermont has made history by selecting Christine Hallquist, a transgender woman, to be the Democratic nominee for governor. This is the first time in the U.S. a transgender person has been nominated by a major party for governor. For more on Hallquist's politics, [click here](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/08/15/christine-hallquist-wins-vermont-primary-becoming-first-openly-transgender-major-party-nominee-for-governor/).
* **Pennsylvania Reports on Church Sex Abuse:**
A grand jury report found that hundreds of Roman Catholic priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses molested more than 1,000 children over decades ー and senior church officials systematically covered it up. The Pennsylvania attorney general says the dioceses kept "secret archives" documenting the widespread sexual abuse. Read the story, [here](https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Pennsylvania-Catholic-Church-Child-Sex-Abuse-Report-Grand-Jury-490837551.html).
* **Twitter Suspends Alex Jones:**
The far-right conspiracy theorist and creator of Infowars has been banned from tweeting and can't produce content on the social platform for seven days. Jones's page won't be taken down, but he can't post, retweet, or favorite others' tweets. Twitter said that Jones violated its rules when he posted a link to a video that called for supporters to get their “battle rifles” ready to use against the news media and other critics. Last week, Apple, Facebook, Spotify, and Youtube took down some of Jones's content. For more, [click here](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/aug/15/twitter-suspends-infowars-alex-jones-abuse).
* **Sarah Huckabee Sanders Apologizes for Jobs Claim:**
The White House Press Secretary said Tuesday that President Trump created three times as many jobs for African-American workers during his time in office than President Obama did in two full terms. Bloomberg News fact- checked her statement with Labor Department data, showing Sanders's claim was way off. She later [tweeted](https://twitter.com/presssec/status/1029536929342214144) a correction and apologized for the inaccurate statistic, but defended the administration for creating 700,000 jobs for African-Americans. For more on the jobs figures, [click here](https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/14/politics/sarah-sanders-african-american-jobs-trump-obama/index.html).
Cheddar's Jill Wagner gets into the latest.
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Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, NJ and Ayana Morris, co-director of the documentary 'Why Is We Americans?,' join Cheddar News to discuss the new documentary highlighting the impact of the Baraka family.
Former New York City mayor and lawyer to Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani made his singing debut on a taping of Fox’s The Masked Singer. However, Ken Jeong and Robin Thicke, two judges on the competition show, reportedly left in protest when Giuliani was unmasked upon being eliminated.
All Hands celebrates Black History Month by highlighting achievements in inclusivity and paying homage to those who have fought for equal rights. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) joins Cheddar News to discuss voter suppression; Damali Peterman, CEO of Breakthrough ADR, elaborates on the biggest barriers for Black professionals; Andre Perry, senior fellow of Brookings Institution, dives into student loans and the racial wealth divide; and lastly, BET CEO Scott Mills discusses the company's initiatives for 2022.
All month long Cheddar News is celebrating Black History Month.
In our nation’s capital, Black history is being made right now.
cheddar's own Arielle Hixon puts the spotlight on three lawmakers making that happen, Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).
Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calif. 43rd District) joined Cheddar News to talk about the current political climate in America, including efforts to roll back voting rights in multiple states in light of Black History Month. "Why do we have to deal with those who still believe that somehow this country only belongs to the whites of the country and that somehow they have to do everything that they can to undermine our voting and do voters suppression to keep us from being influential and at the table by which to solve problems?" she asked. Waters chided "two Democrats" who she said were stymying attempts to rectify the issue and also spoke on President Biden’s promise to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court.
Wall Street saw another volatile day after the Federal Reserve left rates unchanged for now, with plans to raise rates in March at its next meeting in order to ease inflation. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the Fed has not made decisions on the size of rate increases, adding that the Fed is not trying to get inflation below two-percent. Ken Johnson, CFA and Investment Strategy Analyst explains why Powell thinks that high inflation is a significant threat to the labor market.
Anu Gaggar, global investment strategist for Commonwealth Financial Network, joined Cheddar News to discuss how global supply chains could be disrupted even further by an armed conflict in Ukraine.
Solid-state battery maker Factorial Energy recently raised $200 million in a Series D round led by Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis. Factorial says the funding will be used to accelerate commercial production and deployment of its solid-state battery technology, which the company says is safer, and offers up to 50% more driving range than current lithium-ion technology. Factorial also has joint development agreements (announced in late 2021) with Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Hyundai, three of the top 10 global automotive manufacturers, to commercialize its batteries. Factorial CEO Siyu Huang joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
