Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, July 16, 2020:

COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: With caseloads continuing to rise, more school districts say they can’t safely bring students back in person, and will begin the school year online. Houston and San Francisco are the latest cities to say they’ll start virtually. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has tested positive, the first governor known to contract the virus. Meanwhile, Dr. Fauci is pushing back after White House officials have moved to undermine him, urging them to “stop this nonsense” and get on the same page about fighting the virus. THE ATLANTIC

POLL-A-PALOOZA: President Trump’s approval numbers keep getting worse, according to the latest batch of national polling. Joe Biden now leads Trump by 15 points, 52-37, in the new Quinnipiac poll -- his largest national lead yet. For the first time in that poll, the president is now underwater on the question of his handling of the economy. The new NBC/WSJ poll has Biden up 11. Other battleground state polls show Biden leading in must-win states like Wisconsin and Florida; Biden and Trump are even neck-and-neck in Texas, with 110 days to go. THE HILL 

TWITTER HACK: The Twitter accounts of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Kanye West, Joe Biden, Barack Obama and other high-profile figures were taken over in a major coordinated hack that threw the service into chaos for hours. Twitter says it believes the accounts were compromised from within, meaning that a hacker or group of hackers got into the accounts of Twitter employees who had access to the platform’s internal admin systems, rather than hacking the individual accounts. That would be one of the biggest security failures in social media history. THE VERGE

 We got hacked too. Our follower is very upset.

REPARATIONS: A city in North Carolina has approved reparations for its Black residents. Asheville, N.C. has formally apologized for its participation in slavery, and to make amends it will fund social programs to increase homeownership and business opportunities for Black people, who make up about 10 percent of the city’s population. It will not provide direct cash payments, which is considered the hallmark of a reparations program. CITIZEN-TIMES

PLUMMETING FERTILITY RATE: Researchers are raising alarm about the drop in the global fertility rate. The number of babies being born is approaching 2.1 per woman, the level at which experts say the size of the population starts declining. These trends predate the pandemic and reflect more women around the world having access to contraception, education and work. BBC

Anyone who still thinks there’s gonna be a “covid baby bump” doesn’t already have kids.

NO MASK, NO SERVICE: Walmart, the world’s largest brick-and-mortar retailer, as well as Sam’s Club, will begin requiring masks at all stores nationwide as of Monday. Kroger will follow, instituting a mask mandate next Wednesday. Starbucks and Best Buy have also made face coverings mandatory in stores, and Costco’s had the rule in place since May. CNN

That means you, Karen.

ZOOM IN A BOX: Zoom has announced its first piece of hardware: a 27-inch touchscreen device that comes preinstalled with Zoom’s video conferencing software, high-end microphones and three wide-angle cameras. Cost: $600. The company has been on fire since the pandemic began; this is an effort to make an “out-of-the-box” product for people who use the service a lot but don’t want to fuss with it. TECHCRUNCH

That’s some Apple pricing right there.

NBA BUBBLE UPDATE: The NBA “bubble” in Florida is going about as well can be expected. Several players have been forced to re-quarantine after they got caught for infractions like leaving to pick up food; several others, including Russell Westbrook, have tested positive and been forced to leave entirely. There’s now an anonymous tip line for players and team personnel to report violations -- so far it’s been used by someone to complain about Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler dribbling in his room. ESPN

One thing's for sure, no one will be snitching on any Knicks players, because they aren't there...because they suck.

NICK CANNON FIRING: Nick Cannon is hitting back at ViacomCBS after the media conglomerate fired him over anti-Semitic remarks he made on a podcast. Cannon apologized on Facebook to “my Jewish Brothers and Sisters” but accused Viacom of underpaying Black talent for years, and said he demanded ownership of the show Wild ‘N Out, which he helped create. NPR

Those Mariah Carey alimony checks about to come in handy.

LEFTOVERS: UP IN THE SKY: There’s a pretty good chance to see a rare comet flyby this week if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere. Comet Neowise is trucking through the solar system and will come within about 60 million miles of Earth in a week. These next few days will be the best chance to spot her: About an hour after sunset, keep your gaze on the northeast horizon; the further away from bright lights, the better. If you miss it, Neowise will be visible again in a mere 6,800 years. SPACE.COM

Share:
More In Culture
Marjorie Margolies on Being the First Single American to Adopt Internationally
Marjorie Margolies, an Emmy-winning journalist and former Congressperson, was on assignment as a reporter in South Korea in 1970 when she adopted 7-year-old Lee Heh. She was the first American ever to adopt a child from another country while unmarried. Cheddar News sat down with Margolies, and her son Vu Pham, as she recounted her story.
HP Survey Examines How COVID Impacted Women Seeking Promotions
A recent survey from tech giant HP shows that while women are very interested in advancing their careers, men are still promoted at a much higher rate. Managing Director of North America at HP Stephanie Dismore joined Cheddar News to discuss the data and how changes brought on by the pandemic helped — and hurt — women in the workforce. "This whole idea of hybrid working is a challenge, but it's also an opportunity. And ideally what it can do for women is provide extreme flexibility, and it gives them an opportunity to really be very vocal about what they need and how they can contribute the best in the environment that they're in," she said. "However, at the same time, while women are applying and wanting to advance their careers. COVID actually had the reverse effect. And if you look at other studies, one in four women actually took a step back from their careers or exited the workforce altogether."
Let's Buy an Island Co-Founder Talks Crowdsourcing a Micronation
Marshall Mayer, the co-founder of the Let's Buy an Island crowdsourcing campaign, joined Cheddar News to discuss purchasing of the Coffee Caye Island off the coast of Belize, building it into its own micronation, and what challenges he's faced in this process. "First of all we recognize where we are. We know we're in Belize, we're not, you know, we have no ambitions beyond the fun of this project," he said. "When it comes to actually creating this sort of thing, most of the people that started this project myself included are dedicated world travelers. We love going to sort of the unique and strange around the world and getting to know interesting cultures and interesting areas."
Angela Lewis on the Love for Her 'Snowfall' Role, Advocating for Black Maternal Health
The hit show 'Snowfall' about the cocaine epidemic in 1980s Los Angeles returned for a fifth season in February, and Angela Lewis, who plays Aunt Louie on the show, joined Cheddar News to talk about the love that she has received for her role and her approach towards it. "I think the biggest thing that I do is I have to be confident," she said. "You cannot play a character like Louie without — you can't play her shrinking away from anything. You can't play her being insecure about whatever it is you might be insecure about." Lewis also touched on her advocacy for Black maternal health that had been sparked by her own pregnancy.
Load More