Need2Know: Fauci Fires Back, Huge Twitter Hack & Comet Flyby

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

More In Culture

Opening Bell: May 16, 2018

A planned summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump is in jeopardy. In a statement this morning, North Korea's foreign minister said the country has no interest in a "one-sided discussion" on its nuclear program. On Tuesday, North Korea also canceled planned talks with South Korea. Starting today, Amazon Prime members will receive exclusive discounts at Whole Foods. Customers will now get 10% off hundreds of sale items in stores and will also get access to rotating weekly specials. The perks are only available in Florida as of today but will be rolled out nationwide starting this summer. Chris Carter and James Peisker, co-founders of Porter Road, join us to talk about their expansion into the digital landscape. Porter Road is a whole animal butcher shop based in Nashville, but the founders recently decided to take their business online.

With One Issue, Allure Editor Boosts Magazine's Inclusivity

Covers for Allure's June issue will feature three Asian women, more than the magazine has had in its entire history. Editor-in-Chief Michelle Lee has made diversity a priority since she took charge two years ago.

Turning the Dial on Cable Advertising

In a bid to compete with streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu for ad dollars, cable networks are crossing over to different platforms.

More Than Half of American Workers Aren't Taking Vacations

In 2017, 52 percent of working Americans left vacation days on the table, a massive spike from the 70s and 80s. This trend is a result of a work culture where people feel like they can't take time off, which has a negative impact both on their well-being and on the economy, says Katie Denis, lead researcher at Project: Time Off.

Trevor Noah Is in No Rush to Host the White House Correspondents' Dinner

The Daily Show host says the dinner is "weird" because it creates an environment where "the press, and the people the press are reporting on, are all chummy-chummy." But he'll step up and take the mic...if President Trump personally asked him to host the annual dinner.

Starbucks Opens Bathrooms to All

The coffee chain announced anyone who walks into a store can use the bathrooms, even if they didn't make a purchase. This is "the absolute right thing" to do, says communication and reputation strategist Deirdre Latour. Starbucks came under fire last month after arresting two black men accused of "loitering" at one of its stores.

Opening Bell: May 11, 2018

Facebook is planning to launch its own cryptocurrency, Cheddar senior reporter Alex Heath has learned. A source says the social media company is "very serious" about building a digital coin for users to make secure online payments. This news comes just days after Facebook reorganized its executive leadership and created a team solely devoted to exploring blockchain technology. Dropbox stock is trading lower even after the company reported a successful first quarter. The cloud storage company beat estimates on earnings and revenue in its first quarterly report as a public company. Dropbox added 500,000 paid users, bringing its total number of paid users to 11.5 million. BUST Magazine will host its annual Craftacular event in Brooklyn this weekend. The event brings together dozens of local artists and businesses. We talk to Debbie Stoller, editor-in-chief and co-publisher of BUST Magazine, and Laurie Henzel, creative director and co-publisher of BUST Magazine, about what to expect.

Pulling Back the Curtain on the 'Internet's Highest Honor'

The Webby Awards have been running for over two decades and have evolved "as the internet has grown," says Claire Graves, executive director of the annual awards. Each year, the best of the best are rewarded for their contributions to the internet. This year, podcasts and games will be honored too. The awards will air on Tuesday.

Chicago Coffee Drinkers Are Most Adventurous

In a recent survey, the Italian coffeemaker found that people in the midwest city are more open to having espresso in their desserts, sauces, and cocktails. "Coffee, as crazy as it sounds, is a very versatile ingredient," says former Top Chef contestant Fabio Viviani, who uses Lavazza coffee at his restaurants.

The Blooming Business of Mother's Day

It's undeniable that Mother's Day brings florists a lot of business. But 1-800-Flowers is going beyond just fresh flowers to stay ahead of the game.

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