Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Monday, March 1, 2021:
COVID-19: VAX RATE
Nearly 4 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are going out the door today after the FDA gave the single jab the green light, but the White House is warning that the supply will be uneven for the next couple of weeks. The vaccination rate has recovered from its weather-related slump: 4.8 million shots were given over the weekend and the daily rate is up to 1.7 million. More than half of Americans 65+ have received at least one dose. ABC NEWS
TRUMP PLAYS THE HITS
Former President Trump made his first public appearance since leaving office, closing out CPAC with a 90-minute speech in which he tore into his opponents in both parties, repeated the false claims he won the election, and teased a possible 2024 run. Trump said the Supreme Court didn’t have the “guts or courage” to overturn the election and listed off every Republican who voted to impeach or convict him and said “get rid of them all!” Trump is hands-down the first choice of Republican voters for 2024, coming in at 55 percent in the CPAC straw poll. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis got 22 percent and no one else cleared 5 percent. POLITICO
CUOMO ACCUSATIONS
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has relented to an independent investigation after a second former aide accused him of sexual harassment over the weekend. Charlotte Bennett, 25, told The New York Times that Cuomo asked her questions about her sex life while they were working together last year at the height of the pandemic. Those accusations follow similar ones made by Lindsey Boylan, another former aide, who has said the governor harassed and kissed her. Cuomo has apologized, acknowledging that he made comments that could “have been misinterpreted as unwanted flirtation.” NY TIMES
NO SANCTIONS FOR MBS
The Biden administration spent the weekend defending its decision not to punish Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after an intelligence report concluded that he was directly involved in the gruesome murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Press Sec. Jen Psaki said that the White House does not sanction leaders of foreign governments as a rule, no matter what they may have done. Democrats, journalists and others have slammed Biden for not taking a more aggressive line against MBS. WSJ
AMAZON UNION DRIVE
President Biden broke with decades of precedent to publicly back Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama who are in the midst of a high-profile vote on whether to unionize. Biden said in a video message that workers must be able to make the decision on their own without pressure or meddling from the company. Amazon has been actively trying to discourage the unionization push in its Alabama facility, which is the closest its U.S. employees have come to unionizing in Amazon’s history. Labor organizers say they were thrilled to get the backing of the president. BLOOMBERG
VINYL SALES
For the first time since 1986, more records were sold in the U.S. than CDs. Vinyl sales skyrocketed 30 percent in 2020, overtaking compact-disc sales by $136 million, according to the RIAA’s annual report. Streaming continues to grow and now accounts for more than 80 percent of revenues for the entire music industry. MBW
GOLDEN GLOBES
Streaming platforms had a big night at the slimmed-down Golden Globes: Netflix took home 10 statues, including the Globes for Best Limited Series (Queen’s Gambit) and Best TV Drama (The Crown) , while Amazon became the first streamer to win for Best Comedy or Musical (Borat). The Globe for Best Drama went to Nomadland and its director, Chloé Zhao, won as well, the first time a woman has won the directing prize in 37 years. Andra Day won for Best Actress (The United States vs. Billie Holiday), and Chadwick Boseman was posthumously awarded Best Actor (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom). VARIETY
GAGA DOGNAPPING
There are reasons to think that Lady Gaga’s dognapping may not have been a targeted hit but a random crime. Gaga’s two Frenchies were found and returned to her, unharmed, while their walker, Ryan Fischer, is recovering from multiple gunshot wounds. LAPD sources told TMZ that Fischer had gone with the dogs to a store along a busy road, and that there’s evidence to suggest that the dognappers spotted the pups and followed Fischer before attacking him. No arrests have been made. TMZ
SPOTTED...
...Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau, Tommy Fleetwood and other PGA golfers, wearing “Tiger red and black” on the Sunday links in honor of Tiger Woods, who remains hospitalized: SEE PICS
…a new marquee getting installed on Broadway, the first since the pandemic. Thoughts of a Colored Man will be the first new show to open whenever the theater industry restarts: WATCH IT GO UP
LEFTOVERS: LOVE CONQUERS ALL
Not even COVID can stop true love. New York couple Joy Morrow-Nulton and John Shults, both 94, grew close and then fell in love as they quarantined during the pandemic. They decided they would get married -- but only once they were both fully vaccinated. The love birds got their second doses together on Friday and say they’re finally ready to start planning their wedding. SPECTRUM NEWS
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!
