Culture

Need2Know: Gabby Petito Murder, Handy iOS Features & Magic School Bus Ride

Sep 22, 2021

This police camera video provided by The Moab Police Department shows Gabrielle “Gabby” Petito talking to a police officer after police pulled over the van she was traveling in with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, near the entrance to Arches National Park on Aug. 12, 2021. (The Moab Police Department via AP)

Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, September 22, 2021:

BIDEN AT THE UN

President Biden delivered his first address to the UN General Assembly since taking office, declaring a “new era” of American diplomacy for what he called “an inflection point in history.” Biden defended the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal and noted that his UN speech marked the first in 20 years that the U.S. was not at war. He also said the country is not looking for a “new Cold War,” though he did not mention China by name. The president reasserted his support for a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians and committed to rejoining the Iran nuclear deal “if Iran does the same.” AP

BOOSTER LATEST

Important news for the 14 million Americans who got the “one-and-done” Johnson & Johnson vaccine: J&J says its trial data shows that a second dose of that vaccine given two months after the first provides very strong protection against symptomatic Covid that’s comparable to the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna shots. A second shot given six months after the first could be even more effective. The CDC’s advisory panel is meeting today to decide who should get boosters of the Pfizer vaccine after the FDA’s panel recommended them for some high-risk groups. It’s the job of the CDC to now decide who counts as high risk. NPR

GABBY PETITO MURDER

The human remains found this week in Wyoming are indeed those of Gabby Petito, according to the coroner who performed the autopsy. The FBI says Petito died by homicide, but the cause of death has not been determined. Authorities in Florida are resuming the search for Petito’s fiance today in a swampy wilderness reserve, where he told his parents he was going to hike before disappearing. USA TODAY

ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUS

In a survey of Jewish college students (members of AEPi and AEPhi), more than 60% say they’d recently experienced or were familiar with acts of antisemitism on campus or in virtual campus settings. About a quarter said they’ve felt unsafe as Jews on campus or virtually, and about half say they’ve felt the need to hide their Jewish identity. The survey was commissioned by Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law in April -- before the Israel-Gaza conflict sparked even more antisemitism. SEE FINDINGS

U.S. VS. HOLMES

An Arizona woman testified at the trial of Elizabeth Holmes that she took two Theranos blood tests from Walgreens that falsely indicated that she had miscarried when she was in fact pregnant. The testimony was the first time in the trial that a patient took the stand to describe how the company’s inaccurate finger-prick technology had real-world effects on ordinary people. Holmes is facing federal charges that she defrauded patients and investors with claims that Theranos had developed a revolutionary way to test blood. MERCURY NEWS

GOOGLE BUYS IN NYC

Big Tech continues to operate under the assumption that their employees are going back to the office, in one form or another. Google is paying $2.1 billion to buy a former freight terminal on the West Side of Manhattan that the company is already leasing. It’s far and away the most expensive commercial real-estate deal of the Covid era and one of the priciest ever. Facebook, Apple and Amazon have also been snatching up office space in NYC and other cities even as other big corporate tenants like banks have been dumping their leases. COMMERCIAL OBSERVER

iOS 15 IS HERE

If you’ve got an iPhone or iPad, Apple should have now pushed the new iOS software update to your device. iOS 15 isn’t a complete redesign of the mobile operating system, but it does have some handy new features: the address bar on Safari is now on the bottom of the screen rather than the top, to make it easier to use with your thumb. You can send a FaceTime link to someone even if they’re not an Apple user, making the video-call feature more like Zoom. And the camera can now capture words and convert them into text that can be edited. Here’s a rundown of everything notable in iOS 15: READ IT

'SATC' STAR DIES

Willie Garson, best known for his role as Carrie Bradshaw’s friend Stanford Blatch on Sex and the City, has died at the age of 57. No cause of death was announced. Garson’s portrayal of Blatch on the HBO series and then in the two movies that followed made him a fan favorite. He was in the midst of reprising the role for the upcoming Sex and the City spinoff series at the time of his death. VARIETY

SPOTTED...

...British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, hard to miss as he opted to walk to the UN rather than sit in Manhattan's notorious UN Week traffic: WATCH

...the new uniform for Space Force servicemembers, known as Guardians, with some clear inspiration taken from Star Trek: SEE IT

LEFTOVERS: MAGIC SCHOOL BUS

If you want a sense of just how hard the labor shortage is hitting schools right now, consider this: 11th graders in Boston took a party bus -- complete with a stripper pole and neon lights -- on a field trip last week. An English teacher at Brooke Charter School tweeted that when their bus accommodations fell through due to the lack of drivers, the school made arrangements with a charter bus, only to have that fall through. Their only choice was to hire an off-duty party bus that’s normally reserved for... less educational endeavors. MASSLIVE

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!