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

Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, May 27, 2022:

TEXAS SHOOTING: POLICE RESPONSE IN QUESTION

Reports continue to evolve surrounding the Tuesday shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Questions about the school building’s security are top of mind, with Texas authorities now saying the 18-year-old gunman walked into Robb Elementary “unobstructed” and was in the building for over an hour as he carried out the massacre. Initially, authorities said the suspect was confronted and that he was in the school for less than an hour. The constantly changing information has outraged parents and families of those killed and wounded. President Joe Biden will travel to Uvalde on Sunday to offer support to the victims' families. AP

DOMESTIC TERRORISM BILL FAILS IN SENATE

In the first vote among lawmakers to take action curbing gun violence since the Texas shooting, Senate Republicans blocked a bill designed to combat domestic terrorism. The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, which passed in the House last week after the Buffalo, New York, supermarket shooting, would have set up offices at the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and FBI. Republicans opposed the act, calling it partisan and unnecessary. Had it passed in the Senate, the bill might have opened debate on gun measures among lawmakers. Instead, its failure underscores the challenges of advancing bipartisan gun control legislation in Congress. THE HILL

PUTIN PROMISES ECONOMIC RELIEF

Months of fighting in Ukraine and an onslaught of Western sanctions have badly damaged Russia’s economy. In a rare acknowledgment of the war’s cost, President Vladimir Putin promised Russian citizens he would increase the country’s minimum wage and military benefits. Russia’s central bank also cut interest rates, as prices of consumer goods have reportedly soared. Russia continued its shelling of Ukraine yesterday, killing nine people and injuring 19 in Kharkiv. And former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger suggested Ukraine would have to cede territory to stop the fighting, though peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are at a standstill. NY TIMES

‘TEST-TO-TREAT’ SITES OPEN

The first federally backed "test-to-treat" site opened in Rhode Island, where Covid treatment pills will be available on-site. The Providence clinic will serve as a one-stop shop where patients who test positive for Covid will have immediate access to Paxlovid, the antiviral treatment pill. As the White House projects a surge in coronavirus cases during the summer travel season, it plans to open similar test-to-treat sites in Massachusetts, New York and Minnesota as soon as next week to make Paxlovid more widely available. White House officials say 25,000 to 30,000 courses of the medicine are prescribed daily. AP

HOLIDAY KICKS OFF BUSY TRAVEL SEASON

The Memorial Day Weekend marks the start of the summer travel season, which, as previously mentioned, could trigger a surge in Covid cases. Nonetheless, the travel industry is rebounding. AAA reports that 39 million Americans are expected to travel this weekend, up roughly 8% from last year. The roadside assistance company says about 35 million travelers plan to drive while 3 million will fly. But where are most of them going? Cheddar’s Lawrence Banton talked to Priceline's CEO as well as an Expedia PR manager to provide a better understanding of Americans' travel habits for Memorial Day. CHEDDAR

TRUMPS ORDERED TO TESTIFY

A court has ruled that former President Donald Trump and two of his children, Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr., must testify under oath in an investigation into the Trump Organization’s finances. A four-judge panel upheld Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron’s February ruling enforcing subpoenas for Trump and his two eldest children to give deposition testimony in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ probe. The investigation is reviewing whether the Trump Organization used fraudulent or misleading valuations of its holdings to receive economic benefits like loans and tax deductions. The Trumps can appeal the panel's ruling to the New York Court of Appeals. AXIOS

MAJOR TECH MERGER

In one of the largest technology acquisitions of all time, chipmaker Broadcom is buying cloud services provider VMWare for $61 billion. The purchase will allow Broadcom, which sells tech components for everything from the iPhone to industrial equipment, to expand further into the enterprise software industry. The cash-and-stock transaction is the third most lucrative tech acquisition ever, behind Microsoft’s pending $69 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard, and Dell’s $67 billion purchase of EMC in 2016. WSJ

Most boring $61 billion ever spent.

TIMBERLAKE SELLS SONG CATALOG

Justin Timberlake has sold the rights to his song catalog in a deal worth around $100 million. The catalog was purchased by a fund backed by private equity firm Blackstone in partnership with Hipgnosis Song Management. The partnership was formed in October with a commitment of $1 billion to launch Hipgnosis Song Capital, which has also bought songs from Kenny Chesney and Leonard Cohen. The deal with Timberlake gives Hipgnosis full ownership and control over roughly 200 songs he wrote or co-wrote, spanning from his NSYNC tracks to his work as a solo artist, though it doesn’t include future Timberlake tracks. ROLLING STONE 

SPACEY CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT

Kevin Spacey has been charged with four counts of sexual assault in the United Kingdom. Britain's Crown Prosecution Service said the American actor “has also been charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.” The alleged incidents took place in London between 2005 and 2008, with another happening in April 2013. The alleged victims are now in their 30s and 40s. The 62-year-old Oscar-winning actor is not currently in Britain, so the charges cannot yet formally be applied, and prosecutors haven’t commented on whether they will seek Spacey’s extradition. CHEDDAR

IN MEMORIAM: RAY LIOTTA

Ray Liotta, the actor best known for his role as mobster Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's hit crime drama "Goodfellas," has died. Liotta’s publicist said he died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where he was filming the movie “Dangerous Waters.” Starting his career in 1978 in the daytime soap opera “Another World,” Liotta broke out in the comedy film “Something Wild” before rising to stardom in “Field of Dreams” and “Goodfellas” in the mid-1990s. He later won an Emmy for a guest appearance on the hit TV medical drama “ER” and took on recent roles in “Marriage Story” and “The Sopranos” prequel film, “The Many Saints of Newark,” as well as the Amazon Prime Video series “Hanna.” The Newark native is survived by his fiancée and one child. Liotta was 67. VARIETY

BECAUSE WE'RE ALL WATCHING SOMETHING THIS WEEKEND…

At last, Friday is here, and so are streaming recommendations from Cheddar’s Digital Team. Here are your options: Get ready for the return of Eleven on "Stranger Things" and Ewan McGregor with Hayden Christensen in "Obi-Wan Kenobi." Look back at the golden age of music journalism with Ben Fong-Torres. Watch life through the eyes of Michael Che. Tackle crime in LA with Bosch, or see the criminal justice system from the other side with Riz Ahmed. And maybe save "Empire Records" from being bought out by Music Town. CHEDDAR

**LOVE **HATE **ATE

One thing we love: That everyone in the office has a different favorite Ray Liotta role. It’s gotta be Goodfellas, right?
One thing we hate: Spilling coffee on a white shirt.
One thing we ate: Mister Softee ice cream, in honor of summer approaching.

Need2Know Podcast Note: The Need2Know podcast is taking a break for now. We're looking forward to bringing you more context and analysis on the big stories of the day in a few weeks. In the meantime, check out our archive on Apple or Spotify, or watch on YouTube, and send us your feedback!

Share:
More In Culture
Load More