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Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, September 15, 2021:

LANDSLIDE

Democrat Gavin Newsom will remain the governor of California, at least until next year’s election. Newsom easily beat the Republican effort to recall him from office, according to AP projections. Ballots marked ‘no’ on the question to recall Newsom were ahead by a 30-point margin with two-thirds of votes counted. Democratic leaders of the California state assembly have already said they want to put a referendum on recall elections -- giving voters a chance to recall the recall -- on the ballot next year. AP

COVID-19 LATEST

New Covid cases are continuing to decline nationally, based on the seven-day average, but still on the rise in certain states like West Virginia and Tennessee. Many hospitals in the South are now at or near ICU capacity. There is not a single free ICU bed in all of Alabama, while two dozen hospitals in Florida reported having more ICU patients than beds. NY TIMES

COVID ECONOMIC TOLL

Poverty actually declined in the U.S. last year, in spite of one of the biggest shocks to the economy in history. That’s according to new census data that shows the percentage of people living below the poverty line hit a record low in 2020 even as the pandemic wiped out millions of jobs. The massive amounts of government aid in the form of stimulus checks and other relief benefits appear to have helped avert a much worse recession. Though at the same time, median household income fell last year by close to 3%, for the most significant decline since 2011. USA TODAY

KOREAN ARMS RACE

Both North and South Korea tested ballistic missiles within hours of each other, further escalating tensions in the region. It was the North’s first ballistic missile launch since President Biden took office, violating multiple UN resolutions and coming a couple days after the country claimed to have fired off new long-range cruise missiles. South Korea responded by testing its first submarine-launched ballistic missile. CNN

IPHONE 13

Apple announced its newest line of iPhones, featuring slightly bigger screens, better cameras and faster processors. The iPhone 13 design is more or less the same as the last model, as is the price. Apple also unveiled a new entry-level iPad and an updated iPad mini, and a new version of the Apple Watch with a bigger display. CHEDDAR

INSTAGRAM AND TEENS

Top executives at Facebook have come to the conclusion that Instagram is harmful to a significant percentage of teens -- girls, in particular -- according to internal studies leaked to the Wall Street Journal. The research shows that Instagram’s Explore page is particularly well-suited to exacerbate feelings of inadequacy and “negative social comparison” among young people. In one of Facebook’s own studies of teenagers, more than 40% of Instagram users who reported feeling “unattractive” said those feelings started on the app. WSJ

SPACE RACE

Another billionaire is going into space today, this time for a good cause. A SpaceX rocket and capsule will carry Jared Isaacman, who made a fortune as the founder of a payment-processing company, along with three other civilians on a three-day long trip into orbital space. They will go up 360 miles above Earth, traveling at 17,000 mph and orbiting the planet once every 90 minutes. Isaacman envisioned and funded the mission to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Hospital, which says $100 million has already been committed. The launch window opens at 8:02 p.m. ET: WATCH LIVE

IN MEMORIAM: NORM MACDONALD

Norm Macdonald, the master of deadpan comedy, has died after a long and private battle with cancer. He was 61. Macdonald came up on the Canadian stand-up circuit before he landed a gig on Saturday Night Live, where he became the influential host of Weekend Update in the mid ‘90s. His routine became famous for how hard he went in on O.J. Simpson during that trial, in spite of the reported displeasure of NBC execs (Macdonald always claimed he was fired from SNL because he wouldn’t stop calling Simpson a “murderer.”) He was beloved in comedy circles -- Tina Fey once called him “the last dangerous SNL cast member” -- and a fixture on talk shows. Here’s him telling the legendary “moth joke” to Conan O’Brien: WATCH

BROADWAY'S BACK

Broadway’s biggest shows and musicals have reopened to their first full houses in 18 months. Hamilton, The Lion King, Chicago and Wicked welcomed vaccinated and masked theatergoers back after the longest shutdown in Broadway history, while NYC’s other performing arts institutions are set to open their seasons in the coming weeks. Lin-Manuel Miranda marked the occasion by singing New York, New York through a bullhorn to theatergoers waiting to get in to see Hamilton: WATCH

LEFTOVERS: BOOZE OUT, POT IN

College students around the country are drinking less but smoking more pot. A new study funded by the federal government found that 44% of college students reported consuming marijuana last year -- an all-time high -- while 56% reported consuming alcohol -- an all-time low. Binge drinking also fell nearly 10 percentage points. WASH POST

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