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
Training May Not Be Enough to Fix Starbucks's Image Problem
The coffee chain announced it will shut down 8,000 U.S. stores for one afternoon next month to train employees to counter racial bias. The effort is "noble," but we'll need to wait and see if it leads to a real shift, says Nikita Richardson, a staff writer at Grub Street.
Beyoncé's Choreographer JaQuel Knight Explains How "Beychella" Came to Be
The creative director and choreographer was one of the brains behind Beyoncé's internet-stopping performance at Coachella this year. He said it required the utmost secrecy and a lot of coordination. Knight, who is the first choreographer to make it onto Forbes' "30 Under 30" list, also worked on the mega star's iconic "Single Ladies" video.
The Cinema and Culture Behind the Tribeca Film Festival
Pete Torres, COO of the Tribeca Film Festival, talks about the festival and what he considers a very timely closing night screening. This year, the festival will close with "The Fourth Estate," a docu-series that focuses on the New York Times' coverage of the Trump Administration's first 100 days. We also dig into the #TimesUp movement. Torres says the festival will host an entire day of events dedicated to discussion about gender and pay parity. The festival has around 96 films this year, 46% of which are directed by women.
#TimesUp Headlines 2018 TriBeCa Film Festival
Nearly half the films debuting this year were directed by women, says Pete Torres, the festival's COO. Promoting women in the film industry "always has been part of our mission," he told Cheddar Wednesday.
The Fastest Way to Get in Shape For Summer
Fitness legend Denise Austin and her daughter Katie say fitness should focus on quality, not quantity. "Do something every single day, even if it's ten minutes a day," said Denise. The mother-daughter duo have launched tailored workout and nutrition plans for women of all ages.
Trevor Moore Is Going to Save the World on Facebook
The actor and comedian will host a marathon talk show on Comedy Central's Facebook page on Thursday, tackling a range of issues from the Middle East to racism. "We'll basically...solve everything," Moore told Cheddar.
Load More