Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, June 29, 2021:
CRUEL SUMMER
HEAT: Olympic trials were halted in Eugene, roads buckled in Seattle, streetcar cables melted in Portland, where the mercury hit 116 on Monday for the city’s third all-time record in as many days. The heat wave that has enveloped the Pacific Northwest is among the most intense...anywhere, ever. Temps are finally starting to cool off -- if barely -- but will remain unseasonably warm through the holiday weekend. OREGONIAN
TROPICS: Tropical Storm Danny made landfall along the South Carolina coast hours after it was upgraded to the fourth named storm of the season. The system is already back down to tropical depression status as it drenches the Southeast today. WESH
BUILDING COLLAPSE LATEST
There are still more questions than answers in the Surfside condo collapse, where the death toll has risen to 11 with 150 people still missing. But new information suggests the Champlain Towers was known to be in serious disrepair at the time it came down. The condo board reportedly asked residents in April to pay $15 million in assessments for structural problems, while a contractor who visited the pool area just two days before the collapse says he was struck by the cracked concrete and standing water he saw in the garage and pool equipment room. MIAMI HERALD
VACCINE STUDIES
The mRNA vaccines are so good at producing an immune response against COVID that they may not require boosters at all. Scientists reported that the vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna could offer protection for years, so long as the virus doesn’t mutate more than it already has (still a big ‘if’). Another study in Britain found that “mixing and matching” the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines -- in either order -- appears to work almost as well as a two-shot Pfizer regimen. That finding could be key for places where vaccine shipments are late or delayed, or for people who were told not to get the full AstraZeneca regimen because of the risk of blood clots. REUTERS
ETHIOPIA CEASEFIRE
The government of Ethiopia has declared an immediate ceasefire in the violent civil war that has been raging in its Tigray region for the last eight months. The halting of hostilities came as rebels overtook the regional capital. Hundreds of thousands of people in Tigray are suffering in the midst of the world’s worst famine and the ceasefire will allow humanitarian aid to finally get delivered. AP
FACEBOOK ANTITRUST
A federal judge tossed the government’s antitrust lawsuit against Facebook, saying the FTC didn’t make sufficient legal claims in its argument that Facebook was a monopoly. The judge did give the government 30 days to refile the suit, but the decision amounted to a huge win for Facebook and Big Tech as the industry faces a regulatory crackdown. Facebook shares soared on the news, leading the Nasdaq to an all-time high. Facebook is now worth more than $1 trillion. CHEDDAR
NCAA CAVES
The NCAA is on the verge of allowing players to make money off their name, image and likeness after an advisory panel recommended that student-athletes be allowed to profit off endorsement deals, autographs, social media appearances and more. The NCAA’s board of directors needs to sign off on the deal, which it is expected to do tomorrow. The new policy would go into effect the next day. CNN
WIMBLEDON
Wimbledon is back in action after a year’s hiatus, and the Americans came out swinging. French Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas was knocked out in the first round by Frances Tiafoe in a stunner. On the women’s side, Sloane Stephens took out two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova in an equally stunning upset. Serena Williams plays today as she chases her 24th Grand Slam. NBC SPORTS
EURO MADNESS
Switzerland knocked world champion and overwhelming favorite France out of the Euro 2020 on penalty kicks, one of two incredible matches in the knockout stage at the European soccer tournament. Earlier, Spain rallied in extra time after blowing a two goal advantage against Croatia in another wild match. Germany and England face off today. CBS SPORTS
SPOTTED...
...the new Gerber baby, four-month-old Zane Kahin of Florida. Not only did Zane win the annual Gerber Baby Search, but he’s been given the title of “chief growing officer” for the company. Responsibilities include taste testing baby food and offering Gerber execs “advice”: SEE HIM.
…Jason Sudeikis and Keeley Hazell, making their public debut as a couple in NYC: SEE PICS
...a life-size bronze statue of Elon Musk, placed on a Manhattan street corner by an investment app in honor of Musk’s 50th birthday: SEE IT
LEFTOVERS: OLYMPIAN MOM
Kim Gaucher is a veteran shooting guard on the Canadian women’s basketball team. She’s also a breastfeeding mom to a three-month-old baby girl who won’t be able to come with her to Tokyo for the Olympics. Gaucer has been waging a social media campaign to get the IOC to make an exemption to its strict COVID policy barring athletes from bringing their family members along with them to the Games. Gaucher says she’s being forced to choose between being a mom and being an Olympian, in what could be the 37-year-old’s last chance to represent her country on the global stage. CBC
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