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
Cardiologist Says FDA Is 'Late to the Show' on Teen Vaping Crisis
The shocking rise in teen vaping is a public health crisis that the FDA has been slow to address, according to a nationally recognized cardiologist. Dr. Kevin Campbell, who is also CEO of Pace Mate, a digital cardiac monitoring service, said the recent study from the CDC that linked vaping to a spike in teen tobacco use shows that more serious steps need to be take. The first step? Get rid of the flavored nicotine "pods," which Campbell said are acting as a gateway for teenage beginner vapers to get hooked on nicotine.
Author Says Current Culture Has Led Us Into a Post-Trust Era
What does it mean to trust something -- or someone? A new book looks at trust and how it's eroding because of our current culture. Shiv Singh, co-author of "Savvy," talked to Cheddar about how the problem has developed and how it's impacting our daily lives.
Empowering Women Starts With the Toilet, Melinda Gates Says
The theme of Bill and Melinda Gates' annual letter for 2019 is "surprise." The letter, released Tuesday, acts as a roadmap for how the Gates Foundation plans to invest in technology that will help make the world a better place in the years to come. And, as Melinda Gates told Cheddar in an interview, it starts with poop.
How to Cope with 'Millennial Burnout'
A few weeks ago, a Buzzfeed article that coined the term "millennial burnout" went viral, with readers taking to social media to discuss the very particular sense of exhaustion felt by this generation, and how it's different from the universal stresses of daily life. As Joni Rayos-Samilin, a "transformational" coach, explained to Cheddar, the source of millennial burnout can be traced to ー what else ー the internet.
Gigi Hadid, Martha Stewart, and Other Celebrities Who Swear by CBD
There's a dearth of research to back up the abundance of miraculous health claims tied to CBD ー but that won't stop celebrities from endorsing it. CBD, or cannabidiol, is a component of cannabis or hemp with little to no psychotropic effects. It is purported to have an array of applications to treat everything from epilepsy to anxiety, pain, depression, and sleeplessness. When Congress and President Trump signed the latest version of the Farm Bill into effect, they also legalized hemp, and thereby CBD derived from hemp.
Voice of Ariel Says Character 'Lives And Breathes' Inside of Her
It's one of the most believed classic Disney films of all time, and this year, 'The Little Mermaid' is celebrating 30 years. Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in the 1989 version of the film, talked to Cheddar about the original recording session, being recognized on the phone, and what it was like to see the story come to life on Broadway.
Load More