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Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, June 2, 2022:
‘MADNESS’ IN TULSA AS GUNMAN KILLS FOUR
Four people were killed by a gunman — who was later found dead — Wednesday at a medical building on the St. Francis Hospital campus in Tulsa, Oklahoma. "It was just madness inside, with hundreds of rooms and hundreds of people trying to get out of the building," Tulsa Police Department Captain Richard Meulenberg said, adding that two firearms — a "semiautomatic rifle" and "a semiautomatic pistol" — were found next to the gunman. The shooting came on the same day that victims of last week’s deadly shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, were laid to rest, while concerns surrounding the police response to the massacre shifted to Uvalde’s school district police chief, Pete Arredondo. CNN
BUFFALO SHOOTER INDICTMENT
The 18-year-old man accused of fatally shooting 10 people at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket was charged by a grand jury with domestic terrorism motivated by hate — which carries a mandatory life sentence — and 10 counts of first-degree murder. The indictment against Payton Gendron contains 25 total counts including attempted murder as a hate crime as well as weapons possession. The domestic terrorism charge accuses the suspect, who is white, of killing “because of the perceived race and/or color” of the victims, who were Black. He is set to be arraigned in Erie County Court today. AP
GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION HEARINGS
The House Judiciary Committee will consider eight pieces of gun control legislation packaged together as the "Protecting Our Kids Act." House Democrats want to raise the age for purchasing a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21 years old, make it illegal to import, sell, manufacture, transfer or possess a large-capacity magazine (with some exceptions), and regulate firearm storage on residential properties, among other new rules. The package is expected to pass after moving to the House floor, but Republicans are all but certain to block it in the Senate. Democrats then hope lawmakers can reach a bipartisan agreement on a more limited bill. CNBC
The only thing funny about this is the idea of a bipartisan agreement.
RUSSIA: U.S. ADDING ‘FUEL TO THE FIRE’
After the U.S. promised it would send a $700 million weapons package to Ukraine to aid defense efforts against Russia, Germany followed suit, donating an air-defense system and a tracking radar to help the Ukrainian army locate Russian artillery. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the U.S. of adding “fuel to the fire,” but President Joe Biden said extending Ukraine's artillery reach isn’t meant to target Russia, but instead will serve as leverage to push the Kremlin to the negotiation table. Moscow continues its aggressive offensive on the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk, as Russian forces have reportedly reached the center of the city. Ukrainian officials report 80% of the city is now under Russian control. CNN
DEPP-HEARD VERDICT IS IN
A jury awarded Johnny Depp more than $10 million in his libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, vindicating his argument that Heard fabricated claims in a Washington Post op-ed that she was abused by the actor. Meanwhile, Heard was awarded $2 million in damages after the jury found the actress was defamed by a Depp lawyer who accused her of creating a detailed hoax where Heard intentionally roughed up their apartment to look worse for police. In the high-profile case that captivated millions through its weeks-long television coverage, the actors emerge from the trial with unclear futures, both personally and professionally. CHEDDAR
MUSK ORDERS TESLA STAFF BACK IN OFFICE
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has told employees that working from home is no longer an option. In an email to Tesla workers, Musk said, “Anyone who wishes to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum (and I mean *minimum*) of 40 hours per week or depart Tesla.” When asked on Twitter about those who believe coming into the office is an outdated concept, Musk responded, “They should pretend to work somewhere else.” Other big tech companies like Amazon, Apple and Meta still allow employees to work remotely at least part-time, as labor shortages force employers to be more flexible. ELECTREK
Elon Musk: confirmed fan of the workplace happy hour.
META COO STEPS DOWN
Sheryl Sandberg is leaving her role as chief operating officer at Meta, the tech giant formerly known as Facebook. Sandberg, 52, joined Facebook in 2008 to work as the company’s second-in-command behind CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg. In recent years, Sandberg has been tasked with improving Facebook’s public relations, but her tenure will primarily be remembered for helping transform the company from startup to advertising juggernaut. Sandberg said, “I want to make more room to do more philanthropically, to do more with my foundation.” She will remain on Meta’s board of directors while Javier Olivan, the company’s chief growth officer, will take over as COO. BLOOMBERG
CALIFORNIA REPARATIONS REPORT
In a turning point for the reparations movement, California’s first-in-the-nation reparations task force released a 500-page report laying out the state’s role in perpetuating discrimination against Black Americans. The document extensively describes the harms suffered by descendants of enslaved people, through discriminatory laws and actions relating to housing, education and employment opportunities. The task force will now prepare a reparations proposal for California’s Legislature to consider. In the newly released report, the group also recommended that the state create a state-funded mortgage program to guarantee low rates for qualifying Black applicants, offer more college scholarships to Black high school graduates, and increase investment in Black neighborhoods. NBC NEWS
REAGAN SHOOTER GRANTED FREEDOM
John Hinckley, the man who shot President Ronald Reagan in 1981, has been granted complete freedom. A judge ruled that the 67-year-old was “no longer a danger to himself or others,” adding that Hinckley was profoundly troubled when he shot Reagan, but has shown no signs of active mental illness since the mid-1980s. After a jury found Hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity, he spent two decades in a Washington mental hospital before being granted release while remaining under various living restrictions. Hinckley has lived in Virginia for the last couple of decades, selling books and antiques, as well as starting his own music record label. AP
Reaga-demption?
PLAY-TO-EARN SHAKES UP GAMING
A growing number of video games are using cryptocurrencies to give players opportunities to profit from the time and money they invest in virtual worlds. Now, developers are pitching this concept, known as Web3 or blockchain gaming, as the future of commerce, though critics say it exploits players and is unable to deliver on the promise of "play-to-earn." Now the industry is at a crossroads: Will games remain fun distractions, or will money change everything? Cheddar’s Alex Vuocolo breaks it down in Part 2 of Cheddar's deep dive into Web3 gaming. CHEDDAR
Read Part 1 here.
INSIDE LOOK
Margaret Cho Talks About Importance of Comedy in Queer Rom-Com ‘Fire Island’
Kicking off Pride Month, actor and comedian Margaret Cho joined Cheddar News to talk about her role in the upcoming film “Fire Island,” a rom-com about a group of queer friends on a weeklong vacation at the iconic vacation spot. CHEDDAR
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