Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, June 24, 2020:
EU TRAVEL BAN: The European Union is reportedly planning to ban Americans from flying into E.U. bloc countries because of how poorly the United States has controlled the spread of coronavirus. That would put the U.S. in the same category as Brazil and Russia, on a list of nations whose citizens would be barred from traveling to Europe when its borders reopen on July 1. NY TIMES
FAUCI ON THE HILL: Dr. Fauci says he is “cautiously optimistic” that a COVID-19 vaccine will be ready by the end of the year or early 2021. Fauci testified to Congress about the country’s pandemic response, calling it a “mixed bag” so far and noting a “disturbing surge” in new infections. He also said he was never told to slow down virus testing. CNN
PRIMARY RESULTS: There’s no final calls in many of the biggest primaries given how many people voted absentee, but there are still several takeaways the morning after: N.Y.’s Rep. Eliot Engel is likely to be defeated by progressive newcomer Jamaal Bowman; AOC easily won her primary; and President Trump’s iron grip on the GOP is slipping. A 24-year-old newcomer won in the N.C. district vacated by Mark Meadows, who is now the White House chief of staff. Madison Cawthorn easily beat Meadows’ handpicked replacement, who was also endorsed by Trump. POLITICO
MACY'S FIREWORKS A GO: The famous Macy’s Fourth of July Spectacular will happen in NYC this year, though there will be some significant changes. Starting next week, there will be a series of short fireworks shows in each of the city’s five boroughs, followed by a grand finale on the 4th that will be televised - but the city is keeping the sites secret in order to keep people from congregating. ABC NY
SAVINGS SKYROCKET: Americans are saving more money than ever. U.S. banks have seen a record $2 trillion in deposits since the pandemic started and the personal-saving rate hit a record 33 percent in April, up from 7.5 percent at the end of 2019. The influx of cash from the PPP, enhanced unemployment benefits and stimulus checks are part of the reason, combined with people pausing big purchases. But with rates so low, any money you have sitting in a savings account isn’t going to be earning much in the way of interest for a long time. BI
R.I.P. SEGWAY: Segway, the company behind the two-wheeled self-balancing people mover popular with mall security guards, is shutting down its namesake product, 20 years after launching amid a frenzy of hype that it would be the next big thing in personal transport. Segway originally anticipated selling 100,000 a year, but it only ever sold about 140,000 in total. The last Segway will roll off the line on July 15. FAST COMPANY
PLAY BALL! Major League Baseball will hold a shortened season, with Opening Day set for July 23 or 24. The league and players agreed on safety protocols for the 60-game season, effectively ending the stalemate. Players report to camp on July 1. CBS SPORTS
BUBBA WALLACE UPDATE: The FBI has determined that the 'noose' that was found hanging in NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace’s garage stall had been there since October, and Wallace was not the victim of an intentional hate crime. YAHOO SPORTS
DJOKOVIC COVID POSITIVE: Novak Djokovic and his wife have tested positive for COVID-19 after hosting a series of exhibition matches in Europe without any social distancing guidelines. Previously, the No. 1 ranked tennis player in the world had not committed to play the U.S. Open, saying he didn’t want to deal with the safety protocols put in place. ESPN
'THRONES' BOOK PROGRESS: One good thing to come out of the pandemic, at least for Game of Thrones fans: George R.R. Martin has been writing. The author has updated Thrones fans on the progress of The Winds of Winter, his highly anticipated sixth installment in the series. Martin says he’s been holed up, writing away, and expects the book to be done next year. EW
SPOTTED...Timothée Chalamet and his new girlfriend, actress Eiza González, vacationing in Mexico: SEE PICS
LEFTOVERS: IT HAPPENED AGAIN: Another art conservation effort in Spain went horribly wrong, drawing comparisons to the infamous and widely mocked “Monkey Christ” painting. A private collector hired a furniture restorer to clean and restore a priceless painting of the Virgin Mary by the Spanish artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. It did not go well: SEE PIC
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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.
Tattoo artist Katrina "Kat Tat" Jackson, famous for starring in the VH1 hit series "Black Ink Crew: Chicago," is also the first Black woman to own a tattoo shop in Beverly Hills. She joined Cheddar News to discuss her trailblazing work, the stigma BIPOC tattoo artists face in the industry, and the way the space has changed for artists of color since her start. "In the beginning, I remember walking into a tattoo shop just like, hey, I wanna learn, I wanna be a tattoo artist and kind of just being laughed at, not taken seriously," she said. "Even with the tattoo conventions, a lot of African American tattoo artists were almost scared to go to conventions because it's not a welcoming environment."
