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!
The six-month trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has come to an end with the former tech startup star found guilty of four out of 11 counts of fraud. Michael S. Weinstein, Esq, chair of the white collar criminal defense practice at Cole Schotz, and former Department of Justice trial attorney, joined Cheddar News Wrap to discuss what happens next for the former mogul. "Do I think it's going to be more than five or seven years? Probably yes. I think that's probably a fair range at this point," he said about her potential prison sentence.
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.
