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!
Hinge users who have children can opt-in to a $100 stipend up to $25,000 for childcare. Logan Ury, the director of relationship science for the online dating platform, noted the issue as an obstacle for single parents who want to go out on dates. "We have heard that singles with children have a hard time going on dates for one of the reasons being that it's just hard to find childcare and it's hard to be able to afford it," she said. Ury also said that the hot topic among Hinge's users is mental health and the prioritizing of mental health.
Dolly Parton, Eminem, Lionel Richie, and Carly Simon are just a few of the nominees announced for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2022 induction. Results of the voting will be released in May, however, the ceremony date has yet to be announced.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: CEO of HereAfter AI discusses how artificial intelligence can be used to preserve family history and stories, and allow you to 'talk' to loved ones that have passed; Creator of the board game 'Travel Explore Discover' explains how she came up with the idea for this informative and educational board game, and how she's using the proceeds to give back to her community; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Humboldt Current.'
According to the Federal Reserve, the investment gap between Black and white Americans has remained substantial, with only 34 percent of Black households joining in on the historic rise in the markets. Stacey Tisdale, the first Black woman to have reported from the NYSE and the CEO and president of Mind Money Media Inc., said that the data might not be as disheartening as it seems. "I think that number is very deceiving. That Federal Reserve study is actually from 2019, and it's very important that we all look beneath that number and look beneath the surface because there is nothing short of an investing revolution going on in the Black community," Tisdale said.
James Vlahos, Co-Founder and CEO of HereAfter AI, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how artificial intelligence can be used to preserve family history and stories, and allow you to 'talk' to loved ones that have passed.
Ava Rathenberg, Creator of the board game 'Travel Explore Discover,' joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how she came up with the idea for this informative and educational board game, and how she's using the proceeds to give back to her community.
An award-winning performance by the LSU Tiger Girls dance team is going viral on TikTok, but like many other viral tiktoks, this one had a larger story to tell. The story goes back to 2021 when for the first time in 22 years, the LSU dance team was informed it could not compete at Universal Dance Association Nationals. The team made their anticipated return to UDA Nationals this year with a performance that delivered a strong and clear message to their university. The LSU Tiger Girls walked away from the competition with their first national championship title in 12 years, redemption against the university that held them back, and of course- millions of new fans and friends on TikTok.
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.
Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL over racial discrimination, exposing a long-running problem the NFL has had with diversity in its top coaching and management positions. Eric Mitchell, the president and CEO of public relations and communications company LifeFlip Media, joined Cheddar News to delve into the scandal rocking the pro football world just before the Super Bowl. "There is a problem. If you look at who owns teams in the NFL, it's right, it's a good old boys club, it's a bunch of old white guys," he said. "So, it's exposing something that's been around for ages and now that we're sitting in 2022 has come up."
This April, Madison Square Garden will be hosting the first-ever women's boxing match to headline at the arena in its 140 years of history in boxing. Undisputed lightweight champion, Katie Taylor, and seven-division champion, Amanda Serrano, will go head-to-head for a career-high guaranteed seven-figure purse for both of them. The pair joined Cheddar News to talk about the upcoming "fight of their lives." "I mean, this is the first step I believe," said Serrano. "Unheard of, two women headlining the Garden, we get in the biggest paydays of our career, I hope it continues to break down barriers."
