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!
We are just one day away from what has been called the most influential tech event in the world. CES 2022 will officially kick off on Wednesday in Las Vegas, but the annual tech summit is being impacted by COVID-19, like so many other recent events. The Consumer Technology Association originally planned for a hybrid event to take place from January 5-8, with some in-person events and some virtual; however, a few big-name companies announced they will not be attending in-person, so the CTA decided to shorten the event by one day, with it now ending on Friday. Consumer electronics senior analyst Will Greenwald joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
California's new composting law will affect what residents do in their kitchens. As of this week, Californians will have to recycle excess food in an effort to reduce emissions caused by food waste. Cities and counties will turn recycled food into compost or use it as a renewable energy source. California's new law is the largest mandatory residential food waste recycling program in the country. Rachel Wagoner, Director of the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery called the law 'the biggest change to trash' since recycling started in the 1980s. She joined Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Fast-casual restaurant chain Sweetgreen is rolling out its first salad subscription service called sweetpass as it looks to customers tackling new year weight loss and health goals. Members will receive up to 30 percent off of purchases.
Washington DC and the surrounding areas saw a record breaking snow storm Monday as a strong storm system works its way across the eastern U.S. The extreme weather event caused extensive damage in the greater Washington area, leaving thousands in the region without power. Jonathan Porter, Chief Meteorologist, AccuWeather, joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss the fierce storm.
Airlines canceled more than 3,000 flights on Monday over severe weather and crew shortages. The cancellations come on one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season, and is a continuation of the industry-wide disruption that started before Christmas. Thomas Pallini, Aviation Reporter for Insider joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss.
Millions of Americans with young children have relied on the child tax credit since the federal government began issuing checks in July 2021. The last round of payments was sent out just before the Christmas holiday — at the same time as the omicron variant surged. Leah Hamilton, associate professor of social work at Appalachian State University, joined Cheddar to discuss what the end to the tax credit means as the U.S. sees the end of many relief programs and its highest number of COVID cases since the start of the pandemic. "It'll become harder for families to meet their basic needs, increasing national childhood poverty rates and the proportion of families who have difficulty putting food on the table, maintaining stable housing, and paying their bills," Hamilton said. She also pointed to research that the credit as a long-term investment in children offsets claims that it contributes to macroeconomic impacts like inflation.
Several Silicon Valley insiders are being accused of contorting a 1990s-era tax break to avoid taxes on millions of dollars of investment profits. The tax break is known as the qualified small business stock exemption, and it allows early investors in certain companies to avoid half of the taxes on up to $10 million in capital gains. A piece recently published in the New York Times says venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz replicated the tax exemption by giving shares of companies to friends and family, who would otherwise face a 23.8% capital gains bill. The CEO of Roblox is also accused of replicating the tax break for his family members at least 12 times. Although the loophole known as 'stacking' is considered to be legal, the Times piece implies that the exemption has been manipulated for the ultra-wealthy to become more wealthy. Greycroft co-founder and Chairman Emeritus Alan Patricof joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
There is a new player in the mobile app stock trading space.
Zingeroo recently announced a funding round of $8.5 million. The company says it aims to bring 'friendly competition' to stock trading, by literally breaking trading down into daily and weekly competitions between friends. Zingeroo also says it hopes its new approach can make trading more accessible, educational, and social than ever before. Zingeroo co-founder and CEO Zoe Barry joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell for more.
