The empty courtyard of the Louvre museum is pictured Wednesday, Oct.14, 2020 in Paris. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, October 15, 2020:
DUELING TOWN HALLS
Over in a parallel universe, the two presidential candidates are preparing to answer questions from voters at tonight’s second debate, in what’s expected to be a spirited but polite exchange of ideas. Here in reality, after President Trump refused to do a virtual debate, he and Joe Biden will take their cases to separate primetime audiences. ABC had booked Biden for a town hall event tonight at 8 pm ET, at which point NBC booked Trump to do his own town hall, scheduled for the same time. The Peacock network is facing blowback from former execs, current stars and media critics alike, who say that the decision to counterprogram the candidates against each other is bad for voters. The dueling events go live at 8 pm ET. LA TIMES
COVID-19: EUROPE TIPPING POINT
Residents who live in and around Paris and eight other French cities will soon be under a nightly curfew for at least four weeks, part of a major crackdown from the French government to limit the spread of cases. Germany will also toughen restrictions as it records its most new cases since March. The mayor of London is calling for a “circuit breaker” -- a short national lockdown meant to cut off transmission -- as surging cases in the northern UK have spread south. London will go into Tier 2 restrictions, with a ban on households mixing indoors. BBC
STIMULUS SHIP SAILED?
It is increasingly unlikely that a new economic stimulus bill will be here before the election. Treasury Sec. Steve Mnuchin said as much, accusing Speaker Nancy Pelosi of being unwilling to make a deal that could give the White House a win. Pelosi says the $1.8 trillion offer on the table isn’t enough and doesn’t include funds for a national coronavirus testing strategy. WASH POST
SCOTUS CONFIRMATION HEARINGS
The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin the process of debating Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court today following two marathon days of questioning. Barrett has wrapped up her testimony, and is all but ensured to be confirmed before Election Day, cementing the most conservative Court in 30 years. AP
WALMART BLACK FRIDAY
Walmart says it will spread out its Black Friday deals over three weekends in November in an attempt to limit crowds at its stores. The retailer is offering more doorbuster sales online, and will introduce curbside pickup for the first time for Black Friday orders. NBC NEWS
SOCIAL MEDIA THROTTLING
Facebook and Twitter have taken steps to limit the reach of a disputed New York Post article about Joe Biden's son, Hunter, and his relationship with Ukraine. Facebook said it would reduce the ability to share the story until third-party fact checkers looked at it, while Twitter banned the ability to link to the story because it violated the policy against posting hacked material. Republican officials and others are outraged, saying the social media giants are suppressing conservative content. THE VERGE
PLAYOFF BASEBALL
The Astros and the Dodgers aren’t going down without a fight. Houston edged out a win against Tampa Bay in the ALCS to keep its postseason alive, but it was Game 3 of the NLCS that’s headed for the history books. The Dodgers put on an offensive clinic, scoring 11 runs in the first inning, before the Braves even had a chance to bat. That’s the most runs ever in a single inning in a postseason game. L.A. won, 15-3, to keep its season alive. ESPN
SPOTTED...
...Matthew McConaughey and his kids in a candid shot taken for the new issue of People: SEE PICS
'HILLBILLY ELEGY' MOVIE
Glenn Close has been nominated for an Oscar seven times, and hasn’t won once. Is this finally her year? Close isn’t pulling any punches in the trailer for the upcoming Ron Howard adaptation of Hillbilly Elegy, the 2016 bestseller from J.D. Vance. The movie streams on Netflix on Nov. 24: WATCH
LEFTOVERS: WORKING MOM
How hard is it to be a working mom right now? Cheddar anchor and N2K founder Jill Wagner writes candidly about the struggles of raising a toddler and working full-time in the midst of a pandemic -- while admitting the guilt that comes along with knowing that she’s actually one of the lucky ones: READ IT
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!
John Bencich, CEO of Achieve Life Sciences, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss a new plant-based compound that's being used to fight nicotine addiction.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: CEO of Achieve Life Sciences discusses a new plant-based compound that's being used to fight nicotine addiction; President & CEO OF DiaMedica Therapeutics explains a new ischemic stroke treatment option that expands the window for effective therapy for stroke patients; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Asteroid Rush.'
Catching you up on today's entertainment headlines with the Tribeca Film Festival has kicked off in NYC, "Black Adam," starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson dropped its first full trailer, the musical "Come From Away" based on a true story set during 9/11 will be closing on Broadway this October, and more.
Survivors of Larry Nassar, including Olympian Simone Biles, are seeking $1 billion in damages from the FBI due to its failure to investigate the former gymnastics team doctor convicted of committing years of serial sexual abuse of minors. Jack Queen, a senior reporter at Law360, joined Cheddar News to break down the legal grounds of this case. "This is one of the biggest black eyes that the Bureau has faced in generations, quite frankly, and the FBI has taken full responsibility and admitted that it completely botched this investigation," he said. "So, there's a lot of pressure to settle."
The Elevate Prize Foundation is donating $10,000 to different grassroots organizations based on a theme every month to help scale their work, focusing on a different theme each time. Upcoming prizes will help uplift an organization supporting the LGBTQ community and one mobilizing to help end gun violence. The foundation's CEO Carolina Garcia Jayaram joined Cheddar to discuss the initiative and why it's important to uplift these grassroots organizations. "We are identifying social entrepreneurs around the world to help them scale their work. but the ultimate purpose of that is to create the first-ever fanbase for good," she said. "We're trying to make good famous and by inspiring people to think about the role they can play in doing good in the world."
With real estate being a largely male-dominated industry, Stephanie Shojaee, vice president and chief marketing officer at development company Shoma Group, joined Cheddar News to discuss how she took on the gender gap for women to achieve leadership roles, starting at her own company. “It's been very important to teach all the women that work here, especially the younger ones, that they shouldn't change themselves," she said. "You need to be happy with who you are and just keep breaking barriers."
We are already starting to feel the effects of summer. Heat waves in Texas and California are already sending temperatures soaring. That could spell trouble for the nation's power supply. there are new concerns about outages in many areas of the country. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier explains the two main causes of blackouts, and what states are doing to keep the lights on and the air conditioning running.
If you have been on the road this past year, you've probably seen more accidents on the road than you ever have. You're not wrong. Traffic fatalities are not only increasing they are hitting historic highs. Almost 43,000 people died in motor vehicle accidents in 2021. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier investigates - and finds out why.
U.S. stocks close Tuesday at session highs after a subpar start to the trading day. Tim Chubb, Chief Investment Officer at the wealth advisory firm, Girard, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. 'We're starting to see the moderation of three core things -- we've seen the moderation of prices, we've seen the moderation of wage growth we've seen in the labor market, and we've also seen a moderation of job openings,' he says.
The victims from the USA gymnastics sexual abuse scandal continue to seek justice. Survivors of Larry Nassar are seeking more than one-billion dollars from the FBI for failing to stop the convicted sports doctor when the agency first received allegations. According to a report released by the Justice Department's Inspector General, FBI agents knew
in July of 2015 that Nassar was accused of abusing gymnasts; however, Nassar wasn't arrested until December of 2016. The group that filed the claim includes Olympic medalist Simone Biles and around 90 other women. Louise Radnofsky, sports reporter at The Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
