Get the Need2Know newsletter in your inbox every morning! Sign up here!
Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, November 9, 2021:
WELCOME BACK
There were joyous scenes at international airports across the country on Monday, as people were reunited with loved ones that they hadn’t been able to hug since borders around the world started closing in March 2020. The U.S. is now back open to visitors from 33 countries, including much of Europe, China and India. Emotional reunions were caught on camera at JFK, Boston Logan, Newark, O’Hare and other major points of entry: SEE PICS
PrEP FOR COVID
Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment reduces the risk of Covid infection for up to eight months, according to the company. That means it could theoretically be used as a form of pre-exposure prophylaxis treatment for immunocompromised patients before they’ve had a potential Covid exposure. Regeneron is asking the FDA to expand the use of the therapy as a preventative treatment. Public health experts stress that monoclonal antibodies are not an alternative to vaccines, and the use of the therapy as PrEP should be saved for people who can’t mount a proper immune response to the vaccines. NBC NEWS
ASTROWORLD INVESTIGATION
Travis Scott will not perform at a Las Vegas music festival this weekend and has promised to cover the funeral expenses for victims of the Astroworld crowd crush tragedy, as well as one month of free therapy for survivors. The rapper is said to be “distraught” over the deaths of eight young fans at last weekend’s show in Houston. Investigators probing the deaths are reportedly looking into whether a bad batch of fentanyl-laced pills played a role in the incident, given that numerous concertgoers had to be revived with Narcan on scene. WSJ
EU BORDER TENSIONS
Poland has mobilized troops to close parts of its border with Belarus after a surge in migrants attempted to cut through barbed-wire fencing. Thousands of migrants, mainly from the Middle East and Asia, have been congregating at the border, clashing with Polish security forces. The escalation is notable because it’s happening on the eastern border of both the EU and NATO. Poland, the EU and NATO are blaming Belarus’ strongman leader -- a Putin ally -- for essentially orchestrating the migrant surge in retaliation for sanctions. Belarus has denied the allegations and is warning against “provocations.” DW
EV STOCK SPARK
Electric-vehicle stocks, with one notable exception (more on that below), took off on the first day of trading following the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Companies that build EV-charging stations, like EVgo, Blink and ChargePoint, each saw their stocks pop more than 10%. The infrastructure bill includes $5 billion just for expanding EV charging infrastructure, plus another $2.5 billion in grants for other charging alternatives. SEEKING ALPHA
MUSK STOCK SALE
Tesla was not the beneficiary of the surge in interest in EV stocks. Shares of the company took a dive -- losing about $50 billion in market cap -- after CEO Elon Musk said he’d abide by the results of a Twitter poll in which the majority of respondents urged him to sell 10% of his Tesla stake. While Musk is the richest person on Earth because of just how well Tesla’s stock has been doing, he’s notoriously “cash poor” and is facing a $15 billion tax bill in the coming months. A sale of Tesla shares would solve that problem. BLOOMBERG
SELF-DRIVING TRUCKS
Walmart has started using fully autonomous box trucks to do deliveries, a milestone in self-driving truck technology. The driverless box trucks are in partnership with the startup Gatik, and deliver groceries on a fixed 7-mile loop near Walmart’s HQ in Arkansas. While autonomous car technology has hit a bit of a rough patch lately, self-driving trucks have been picking up steam, partially as a way to alleviate the truck driver shortage that’s been impacting the supply chain. ENGADGET
BALDWIN CALLS FOR COPS ON SET
Alec Baldwin is calling for police to be on hired on any film or TV set that’s using real or fake guns, following his accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust. The burden of firearm safety typically falls on the armorer or prop master. Amid the Rust investigation, the armorer and her legal team have been floating the theory that the gun that killed Hutchins was “sabotaged” with a live round placed among the dummy rounds. There’s no public evidence at this point of that being true. DEADLINE
SPOTTED...
...SpaceX’s Crew-2 capsule, safely splashing down off the coast of Florida, bringing home four astronauts who spent 199 days in space: WATCH
...the Manhattan condo featured prominently in the current season of Succession, on the market for $23.3 million: SEE INSIDE
…Elizabeth Debicki, who plays Princess Diana in the upcoming season of The Crown, wearing a re-creation of Lady Di’s iconic “revenge dress” on set: SEE PIC
LEFTOVERS: SIGN OF THE TIMES
A teenage girl who went missing last week has been reunited with her family, thanks to a hand gesture that had gone viral on TikTok as a sign of distress. The 16-year-old North Carolina girl was found safe in a car in Kentucky two days after her parents reported her missing. Police say a passing driver alerted authorities after he saw the girl through the back window making a sign with her hand that is widely understood on social media to signify “violence at home.” Last year, at the height of a surge in domestic violence attributed to the lockdowns, a women’s group created the gesture so people could communicate they were in danger without alerting others around them. This appears to be the first time it’s led to a real-world rescue. WRAL
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!
