Birds fly over the White House as the sun sets, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Washington. President-elect Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States on Saturday, positioning himself to lead a nation gripped by a historic pandemic and a confluence of economic and social turmoil. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Monday, November 9, 2020:
BIDEN WINS
President-elect Joe Biden plans to name a 12-person pandemic task force today, his first official act since being elected as the 46th President of the United States. After nearly four tense days of vote counting, the AP and other media outlets called Pennsylvania -- and thus, the presidency -- for Biden on Saturday in the 11 am ET hour, bringing a long and contentious campaign season to a close. Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, gave a victory speech from Delaware in which they promised to govern “for all Americans.” Harris will become the first female vice president in American history. AP
TRANSITION
President Trump has not conceded the election and has no immediate plans to do so, according to multiple reports. GOP leaders and White House advisers in the inner circle, including the president’s family, are split over whether to acknowledge that he lost, as the Trump campaign prepares more legal challenges that are considered to be long shots at best. President George W. Bush is among the Republican elder statesmen to call and congratulate Joe Biden while others, like Sen. Lindsey Graham, are urging Trump to keep fighting. WASH POST
BIDEN'S PRIORITIES
President-elect Biden reportedly plans to sign a flurry of executive orders as soon as he is inaugurated that would reverse many Trump policies and signal to the country that he plans a radically different approach to governing. On the Biden transition website, BuildBackBetter.com, four main priorities are listed: COVID, economic recovery, racial equity and climate change. On Day 1, the Biden administration has said it would rejoin the WHO and Paris Climate Accords and roll back nearly all of Trump’s immigration orders. Beyond that, given the makeup of the Senate, Biden will have to seek consensus on much of his broader policy agenda. AXIOS
IN THE STREETS
Immediately after the networks called it for Joe Biden on Saturday morning, an atmosphere of joy and celebration broke out in cities across the country. On a mild and sunny day, from D.C., to Atlanta, to Philly to NYC, people spontaneously took to the streets in huge numbers to celebrate President Trump’s defeat. Masks were widely observed (social distancing, less so) and there were few signs of the unrest that many worried about. Some Trump supporters continue to protest outside ballot-counting facilities in cities like Phoenix and gathered in state capitals like Lansing to claim ballot fraud. Overseas, posts on social media showed fireworks going off in London, church bells ringing in Munich and Paris, and cars honking in Toronto. SEE PICS
FLORIDA 1-2 PUNCH
Tropical Storm Eta is moving over the Florida Keys and is expected to regain hurricane strength as it hooks left into the Gulf of Mexico, before it’s forecast to make a second landfall along the western coast of Florida late in the week. Southern Florida is under a hurricane watch and schools are closed today in Miami. TRACK
IN MEMORIAM: ALEX TREBEK
Alex Trebek, the longtime host of Jeopardy! and arguably the greatest game show host of all time, has died at 80. The cause was pancreatic cancer. Jeopardy!’s producers said in a statement that Trebek’s last day recording in the studio was just 10 days ago. New episodes will air through Christmas. OBIT
STEELERS UNDEFEATED
For the first time in the franchise’s history, the Pittsburgh Steelers are 8-0. The Steelers pulled off an ugly win over the Dallas Cowboys to remain undefeated at the halfway point of the NFL season. Earlier in the week, the team bought dinner for poll workers in Allegheny County to thank them for their service. ESPN
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Miley Cyrus’ Party in the USA, N’Sync’s Bye, Bye, Bye and YG & Nipsey Hustle’s FDT are all charting again on the streaming services, breaking into the Top 40, Top 100 and Top 10, respectively, on Saturday following the news of President Trump’s loss. AV CLUB
SPOTTED...
...President Trump’s personal helicopter, on the auction block with no reserve price: SEE IT
LEFTOVERS: FIRST PETS
There will be dogs in the White House again. President-elect Biden has two German shepherds, Champ and Major, who will move into the White House with him in January. Major will also hold the distinction of being the first rescue dog to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. KIRO
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!
A 2021 report from UK Research and Innovation found that the shipping industry makes up at least 2.5 percent of the world's total CO2 emissions. It's a problem that energy solutions company, Leclanché, is trying to solve. Founded in 1909, the company has been developing and producing batteries for more than 100 years. Today, Leclanché's lithium-ion battery is used to electrify not just ships, but also railroad locomotives, trucks, and specialty vehicles. Cheddar News spoke with Pierre Blanc, chief technology and industrial officer of Leclanché, to discuss.
Amazon is betting that ammonia could be the fuel of the future, participating in a Series A round for the Brooklyn-based company Amogy in December. Amogy aims to de-carbonize transportation with a clean energy system that uses ammonia as a renewable fuel. Amogy is partnering with Amazon on its first commercial product - an ammonia-powered cargo-shipping vessel. Amogy CEO Seonghoon Woo joins Cheddar Climate to discuss.
One of the world's largest transport companies is kicking off Black History Month with a new initiative aimed at the next generation of business leaders. Today, FedEx announced the launch of its Student Ambassador Program. Participants selected from eight historically black colleges and universities will receive career guidance from FedEx executives. The program is part of FedEx's ongoing commitment to HBCUs and will also help the company expand its pipeline for diverse talent. Cheddar News welcomes senior vice president at FedEx, Jenny Robertson, and Jerryl Briggs, President of Mississippi Valley State University, to discuss.
"Sing 2" has overthrown "Spider-Man: No Way Home" as the number one film at the UK box office. The animated sequel brought in $8.1 million, in just its two first weekends. However, "No Way Home" is still on track to beat "Avatar" as the number one grossing movie of all time.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America has been a driving force for youth mentorship since 1904. The nonprofit organization is launching its annual Big Draft campaign this month in partnership with the NFL, and Artis Stevens, the first Black CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, joined Cheddar to discuss the push for adding more "Bigs" as mentors on his one-year anniversary leading the non-profit organization. "While the NFL is recruiting and drafting more players, they're also helping us to draft more mentors and, particularly, men all the way from across February to all the way to April of this year," Stevens explained.
The Supreme Court will reconsider race-based affirmative action in college admissions. The court will examine admissions policies at Harvard University and The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, which count the race of applicants as a factor in admissions. The court has upheld affirmative action policies in the past, saying it helps to create more diverse student bodies. However, the conservative Supreme Court could be skeptical and even possibly hostile to such policies. Nick Anderson, Higher Education Writer, Washington Post joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
The value of most cryptocurrencies have plummeted in recent months since reaching all-time highs in November, wiping out more than $1 trillion in value globally. The steep crash has some talking about the possibility of a crypto winter, a term referring to a prolonged bearish period where asset prices persistently fall over many months. This all comes as the Fed is expected to raise interest rates, and the Biden administration is working on an executive order to regulate Bitcoin and other assets. Josh Goodbody, COO of Qredo, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the crypto crash, and how the industry might recover from it.
Recent data reveals that streaming giants are struggling to retain subscribers in the months following a major release.
According to data from Antenna, subscriber trends show that users will subscribe to a given streaming service just to watch a particular show, and then cancel those subscriptions shortly after. This comes as the streaming space continues to heat up as new entrants crowd the space. Jon Christian, Founding Partner + Digital Supply Chain Leader at OnPrem joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
The EU relaxed its Covid travel restrictions for vaccinated individuals among the union's 27 member states, doing away with testing or quarantine requirements for travelers. This comes soon after the World Health Organization said the omicron variant could help make the pandemic more manageable. The new rules take effect February 1st. Bryce Conway, Founder, 10xTravel joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
