Get the Need2Know newsletter in your inbox every morning! Sign up here!

Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, March 11, 2022:

NEW CITIES ATTACKED

Russia has begun to attack new cities in Ukraine while continuing the bombardment of the coastal city of Mariupol, despite international condemnation of an attack earlier in the week that destroyed a maternity hospital. Ukrainian officials say 1,300 people have died in the 10-day siege of the city. Throughout its homeland, Russia may take over foreign-owned businesses that have been closed as economic pressure piles on. VP Kamala Harris, who is currently in Poland, embraced calls for a war crimes investigation of Russia's actions and the International Monetary Fund said Ukraine's reconstruction costs are "already massive," as the organization distributes $1.4 billion in emergency lending. AP

INFLATION HITS ANOTHER 40-YEAR HIGH

No, you didn't accidentally open up a Need2Know from last month. Inflation is up again — this time hitting nearly 8%. Making matters worse, the biggest price hikes were in essential categories such as food, energy, and shelter. In addition, the latest consumer price index doesn't include the recent spike in gasoline-fueled by the war in Ukraine. The price at the pump popped 50 cents since last week, bringing the national average to $4.33 per gallon today. The Federal Reserve plans to raise interest rates next week to help push down prices, but economists point out the move won't address rampant supply chain issues. CHEDDAR

If we want less inflation maybe we should put Tom Brady in charge of the economy.

MASK RULE EXTENDED

Traveling somewhere? Bring your mask. The CDC and Biden administration said the federal mask mandate for planes, trains, and other mass transit will be extended to April 18 while they revise rules based on the latest science. The decision comes as most federal and state-level mandates are lifted amid falling Covid cases. The airline industry was one of the first to get a mandate and could end up being one of the last hold-outs. Hopefully, passengers take the news in stride: Three-quarters of nearly 6,000 unruly passengers incidents in 2021 were related to masks, according to the FAA. WSJ

They need to start factoring mask-argument delays into the flight times.

MLB ENDS LOCKOUT

Baseball players have voted to accept the latest contract offer from the MLB, ending a 99-day lockout and putting the season on track to begin April 7, one week after the originally planned starting date. The deal also clears the way for training camps to open this week in Florida and Arizona and kicks off a rapid round of free agency, as a number of big leaguers remain without a team. A total of 162 games are now scheduled for the season. AP

It’s encouraging to see millionaires and billionaires work things out.

CENSUS UNDERCOUNTS MINORITIES

The 2020 Census missed more Black, Hispanic and Indigious people than a decade ago, according to a new report. The uptick in undercounts has prompted a backlash from civil rights groups, which are blaming the Trump administration for political interference in the once-a-decade headcount. Overall, however, the census missed a relatively small number of people, given the political challenges. NBC NEWS

GOLDMAN SACHS LEAVES RUSSIA

The corporate exodus from Russia continues: Goldman Sachs has become the first big U.S. bank to cut ties with the country. While the investment bank has just 80 employees working there, its financial exposure to Russia was around $700 million at the end of 2021. That's nothing compared to Citigroup's $9.8 billion of exposure, which the company is now trying to wind down. Luckily for the banks, they've been drawing back from Russia since Putin's last military push into Crimea in 2014. NY TIMES

SMOLLETT SENTENCED

Former "Empire" star Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail for faking a hate attack on himself. Smollett has maintained that he was attacked on that cold Chicago street in 2019, but jurors believed the prosecution's story that he hired a pair of brothers to rough him up and put a noose around his neck in order to gain attention and help his career. The drama continued Thursday, though, as Smollett left the courtroom shouting, "I am not suicidal...If anything happens to me in there I did not do it to myself!” CHICAGO TRIBUNE

TO PUMP OR NOT TO PUMP

New Jersey and Oregon are the last two states in the U.S. that require a gas station attendant to pump gasoline — but soon there could be just one. New Jersey state legislators have introduced a bill to lift the requirement, placing the pump back into the hands of Jersey drivers. Apparently, labor shortages pushed lawmakers to rethink the rule. It's still not a done deal though, and most New Jerseyians prefer to have their gas pumped for them. BLOOMBERG

[Giphy]

PIXAR STAFF ALLEGE DISNEY CENSORSHIP

A letter sent from Pixar employees alleges that parent company Disney cuts out "nearly every moment of overtly gay affection" in their films. The employees sent the letter amid a broader backlash against the company for refusing to take a stance on a recently passed Florida bill that would effectively ban educators from speaking to young students about certain LGBTQ+ subjects. CEO Bob Chapek told employees they could make the biggest impact through their art, rather than wading into politics, but Disney's censorship made that impossible. COLLIDER

Bruno isn’t the only thing they won’t talk about.

LEFTOVERS: GRIMES SPEAKS

There are many Grimes. Grimes, the indie music darling. Grimes, the companion to Tesla CEO Elon Musk. And now Grimes, the space-enthusiast and mother of two. In a profile for Vanity Fair, the sci-fi-loving pop star revealed that she and Musk are back together and that the pair had a second child, named Exa Dark Sideræl or "Y" for short, via a surrogate back in December 2021. She also waxed poetic on her new space opera, traveling to Mars, and the infamous photo of her reading The Communist Manifesto in a Dune-inspired jumpsuit. VANITY FAIR

“Sure, she gets a normal name.” - X Æ A-12

**LOVE **HATE **ATE

One thing we love: Quordle…for those who think they have already mastered Wordle.
 
One thing we hate: Our beta fish died. RIP Red Blue Fin!
 
One thing we ate: Whipped up some of our own whipped cream!

Need2Know Podcast Note: The Need2Know podcast is taking a break for now. We're looking forward to bringing you more context and analysis on the big stories of the day in a few weeks. In the meantime, check out our archive on Apple or Spotify, or watch on YouTube, and send us your feedback!

Share:
More In Culture
Load More