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Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, May 26, 2022:

TEXAS SHOOTING: SOCIAL MEDIA WARNINGS

Details continue to emerge about the events leading up to the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the gunman allegedly posted on social media three times before the massacre — first that he was going to shoot his grandmother, then that he had in fact shot her, and finally that he was going to shoot up an elementary school. A Texas public safety official said all of those killed were in the same fourth-grade classroom, and that the suspect “barricaded himself by locking the door and just started shooting children and teachers,” before law enforcement broke into the classroom and killed the gunman. AP

Read more: Cheddar's Megan Pratz shares some of her agonizing thoughts about covering this story from Uvalde.

"After more than a decade of covering mass shootings, I am struck by the resilience of communities to rebuild after unbelievable tragedy. I am also struck by the numbness." CHEDDAR

GUN CONTROL BACK ON THE FRONT BURNER

Yet again, all eyes are on lawmakers and gun safety legislation. In March, the House passed a bill that would expand background checks for gun purchases, and now, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is reviving the bill in hopes Democrats and Republicans can negotiate a bipartisan deal to repress the gun violence epidemic in America. After the Senate failed to approve a similar bill following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which left 20 children dead, the outlook is bleak that Congress will agree on a solution. Meanwhile, the most powerful gun lobby, the National Rifle Association, still intends to hold its annual meeting later this week with former President Donald Trump as a featured speaker. AP 

BIDEN SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER ON POLICING

On the two-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to increase accountability and transparency in policing. The order requires federal law enforcement agencies to review and revise policies on the use of force and create a database that tracks officers fired for misconduct to prevent them from jumping from job to job. While the White House can’t require local police departments to participate in the database, it plans to use federal funding to incentivize participation. In a tweet, Biden called the order “the most significant police reform in decades,” adding that it will ban chokeholds and restrict no-knock entries. THE HILL

UKRAINE WAR: RUSSIA MIXES OLD, NEW TACTICS

Russia’s newly narrowed focus remains on the easternmost city still in Ukrainian control, Sievierodonetsk, a riverside town in the Donbas region. Russian artillery barrages have knocked out the city’s water and electrical supplies, driven residents into underground shelters and killed at least six people in less than a day. Ukrainian officials say they expect Russian forces to attempt a similar strategy that helped them capture the southeastern city of Mariupol, which involves siege tactics and encircling smaller cities before eventually taking Sievierodonetsk. CNN

PENNSYLVANIA PRIMARY RECOUNT

Pennsylvania's Republican U.S. Senate primary, a race between celebrity heart surgeon Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund director Dave McCormick, is headed for a recount after the two candidates nearly tied in the May 17 election. Oz, who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump, led McCormick by 902 votes out of the roughly 1.34 million ballots reported by the state. The recount will begin June 1 and be completed by June 7. The winner will face Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman in November’s midterms, in what Democrats see as perhaps their best opportunity to gain a seat in the sharply divided Senate. POLITICO

What are the Oz of that happening?

WHO IS TO BLAME FOR THE FORMULA SHORTAGE?

During a congressional hearing investigating the cause of the nationwide baby formula shortage, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf claimed that an increase in overall purchases from worried parents was partly behind the dwindling formula supplies. After receiving pushback from committee members for blaming parents, Califf took some responsibility for the shortage by acknowledging the FDA could have moved more quickly in overseeing the Abbott manufacturing plant whose shutdown triggered the shortage. Cheddar’s Alex Vuocolo breaks down the political culture of blaming panic buying for product shortages. CHEDDAR

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MUSK UPS TWITTER FUNDING

After putting in another $6.25 billion of his personal wealth to fund his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, Elon Musk's total financial commitment now stands at $33.5 billion. The additional funding sent shares of Twitter up 5%, a much-needed boost for a stock that was tumbling after Musk said earlier this month the deal was “on hold.” It’s a sign the acquisition has seemingly regained traction, and in a letter to investors, Musk doubled down on his commitment to complete the deal. BLOOMBERG
 
To think we almost went a week without Elon Musk-Twitter news.

‘PARTYGATE’ REPORT EXPOSES DAMNING DETAILS

Calls for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to step down are increasing, after a new report revealed more details about Johnson and his staff partaking in boozy government parties that broke the U.K.’s Covid lockdown rules. The bombshell report by civil servant Sue Gray bares details about parties at government offices going until 4 a.m. that included excessive drinking while attendees celebrated “shoulder-to-shoulder” — all while citizens were mostly isolated in their homes. After initially denying the parties took place, Johnson said he takes full responsibility, but insists he will not resign. CNN

AMAZON STRIKES DOWN WORKPLACE AUDIT

Despite calls from activist groups and unions to improve labor conditions at Amazon warehouses, the company’s shareholders voted down a proposal that called for an independent audit of the warehouses’ working conditions. At the shareholder meeting, all 15 proposals brought forward from employee advocates were shot down, including another which asked for an audit of Amazon’s contracts with government entities. Shareholders did, however, approve compensation packages for six of its top executives, despite advisors arguing that the packages were excessive. AP

LEFTOVERS: PEANUT BUTTER

MORE JIF RECALLS: More items are being recalled in connection to the Jif peanut butter recall, where the company called for 45 of its products to be discarded due to a Salmonella outbreak. Now, other snacks made with Jif PB are being recalled, including GetGo apple slices with peanut butter and chocolate-covered peanut butter Ritz crackers. CBS NEWS

RITZ/OREO COLLAB: A new peanut butter snack — supposedly unrelated to the recall — is hitting the shelves: the Ritz x Oreo. Blending salty and sweet, it’s exactly what you think it is: a combo cookie that's one-half Ritz cracker and one-half Oreo. Starting today at noon, a limited amount of 1,000 Ritz x Oreo boxes will be available online at OREO.com/Ritz for only a $3.95 shipping charge. DELISH

INSIDE LOOK

Vinovest Is Into Collectible Wines

Anthony Zhang, CEO of Vinovest, a platform for investing in bottles of fine wine, joined Cheddar News to discuss how his company is bringing this unique opportunity to investors. CHEDDAR

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!

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