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

Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Monday, October 11, 2021:

COVID LATEST

Covid deaths continue to decline not just in the U.S., but around the world. Last week, there were fewer than 50,000 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus globally for the first time in nearly a year. Dr. Fauci said people should “go out there and enjoy Halloween, as well as the other holidays that will be coming up” but warned against declaring a premature victory against the virus. An unvaccinated Republican gubernatorial candidate in Texas who’s recovering from Covid in the hospital said that his experience made him “more dedicated to fighting against vaccine mandates.” Allen West has been advocated for monoclonal antibody treatments “instead of enriching the pockets of Big Pharma.” USA TODAY

NUKE SUB SPIES

A Navy nuclear engineer and his wife have been charged with repeatedly trying to pass secrets about U.S. nuclear submarine technology to a foreign country. According to unsealed court documents, Jonathan Toebbe of Maryland is accused of trying to sell classified details of submarine propulsion to an unnamed foreign government, though it’s unclear if it was an adversary like Russia or China, or an ally. FBI agents posing as representatives of that government intercepted the information. BBC

TALIBAN TALKS

The U.S. held talks with representatives of the Taliban over the weekend in Doha, the first face-to-face meeting since the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. The State Dept. called the discussions “candid and professional” while the Taliban said the U.S. agreed to provide humanitarian aid to the country so long as it’s not linked to a formal recognition of the Taliban. REUTERS

POPULISM IN EUROPE

Two populist leaders in Europe who have been accused of corruption lost their jobs over the weekend. Austria’s chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, resigned on Saturday amid allegations that he used public money to pay for positive media coverage. Hours later, neighboring Czech Republic sent its prime minister packing in a parliamentary election. Andrej Babis, who was elected on promises to root out corruption, lost by a hair to a centrist coalition. Babis is also under investigation for misusing public funds. ECONOMIST

WHERE ARE THE WORKERS?

Economists are still parsing through the data in Friday’s disappointing jobs report for September, showing that employers added a meager 194,000 jobs for the month -- not even half of what was expected. The report was the first since the enhanced unemployment benefits expired on Labor Day, and the weak hiring suggests that those benefits may have played less of a role in the ongoing labor shortages than many had thought. AP

UNFRIENDLY SKIES

It was another weekend of travel hell in America. Southwest Airlines cancelled more than 1,800 flights -- nearly 30% of its schedule -- blaming air-traffic control issues, bad weather and staffing shortages. Southwest’s pilots union, which is suing the airline over its vaccine mandate, denied that the staffing shortages were the result of any job action or protest. In New York, an American Eagle flight made an emergency landing at LaGuardia after a passenger was acting erratically. He was arrested and pinned on the tarmac as the plane was evacuated, but later released without charges. USA TODAY

KICKER KHAOS

NFL kickers had a rough weekend at work. First up on Sunday was Jets kicker Matt Ammendola, who missed an extra-point attempt against the Falcons. The following Patriots-Texans game featured three consecutive missed extra points. The Jaguars and Saints also missed PATs in their games. Then came the Packers-Bengals matchup, which had no fewer than five missed field goal attempts before Mason Crosby sent a 49-yard kick through the uprights in overtime to give Green Bay the win. SI

BOND AT THE BOX OFFICE

No Time to Die did not have the blowout opening weekend at the domestic box office that the theater industry was hoping for. The Bond film debuted to $56 million, a tad below studio estimates and a relatively muted performance for the franchise. The soft open for 007 also dashed the speculation that the long-delayed movie could be the first of the Covid era to open to $100 million. VARIETY

SPOTTED...

…Timothee Chalamet, in costume as Willy Wonka on the set of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory prequel: SEE PIC

...a $21 million, 9,000 sq. ft. Beverly Hills mansion, bought by the son of Afghanistan’s former defense minister: SEE INSIDE

LEFTOVERS: DUDES ROCK

Two men who were lost at sea for a month and survived on just oranges and coconuts say that, all things considered, the ordeal wasn’t so bad. The fishing buddies set out from the Solomon Islands on Sept. 3 for a quick trip before a storm knocked them off course. They were found alive on Oct. 2 about 250 miles away, off the coast of Papua New Guinea. One of the castaways said that while he’s looking forward to going home, the experience was a “nice break from everything.” FRANCE 24

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!

Share:
More In Culture
Load More