Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, July 15, 2021:
WILDFIRE SEASON
The Bootleg Fire in Oregon is now the largest in the U.S., with 200,000 acres burned and counting. Firefighters on the frontlines say they’ve never seen a blaze move so quickly so early in the season. There have already been 67 large fires across the parched West this year that have burned close to 1 million acres. In northern California, the Dixie Fire broke out near the site of the deadliest wildfire in recent history that destroyed the town of Paradise in 2018. That blaze is 0% contained and residents are being told to prepare to leave at a moment’s notice. AP
CLIMATE CHANGE
AMAZON: Scientists say for the first time that the Amazon rainforest is now emitting more CO2 than it absorbs. The Amazon has been a “carbon sink” for all of human history, sucking up a lot of the greenhouse gases that we emit. Now, mostly because of fires that are intentionally set to clear land for cattle, the rainforest is actually accelerating global emissions, according to the report. GUARDIAN
EUROPE: The EU unveiled a major new climate initiative to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55% this decade, an increase from the 40% original goal. The plan includes a ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, as well as a controversial initiative to tax foreign companies for the pollution they cause on the continent -- the makings of a global trade dispute. NY TIMES
COVID & DRUG O.D.s
A record number of Americans died from drug overdoses last year in the midst of the pandemic, according to the first statistics from the CDC. More than 93,000 people died, largely from synthetic opioids like fentanyl, for a 30 percent increase from the prior year. The surge in overdoses was worst in the South and West, though no region of the country was spared. Only South Dakota and New Hampshire saw O.D.s actually decline. NPR
HOSPITALIZED FOR HICCUPS
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been admitted to the hospital after suffering from 10 days straight of chronic hiccups. His office says he may need emergency surgery. It’s not the first health scare for Bolsonaro, who was stabbed during his 2018 campaign and has had several surgeries since. Last summer, he tested positive for COVID three times after severely downplaying the virus and treated himself with the controversial drug hydroxychloroquine. BBC
ROUGH AIR
Delta Airlines reported its first quarterly profit since before the pandemic, thanks to the American taxpayer. Delta says it expects to be profitable in the second half of 2021 without federal aid as leisure and business travel come back. CEO Ed Bastian acknowledged that the rebound in air travel has been bumpy, saying call volume is higher than it’s ever been and long hold times are expected to remain until the fall. Bastian also expressed frustration with the Biden administration for not opening up the country to international travel from Europe, despite “all the science why it’s safe.” FT
CREATOR ECONOMY
Facebook is ponying up $1 billion through next year to pay creators on both Facebook and Instagram. The social media company has been trying to catch up in the “creator economy” after losing ground to YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat. All of those platforms have invested heavily in tools for influencers and ways to reward them for viral videos. THE VERGE
NFL STAR ARRESTED
NFL free agent cornerback Richard Sherman is being held at a Seattle jail on charges of 'burglary domestic violence'. Sherman allegedly tried to enter his in-law’s home uninvited and then fought with police when they showed up. The five-time Pro Bowler is also reportedly under investigation by Washington State Police for a separate hit-and-run incident that happened earlier. He faces a judge today. ESPN
BRITNEY GETS A WIN
A judge granted Britney Spears’ request to hire her own lawyer as she fights to end her conservatorship. The pop star once again tearfully addressed the court via videolink, accusing her father Jamie of “conservatorship abuse” and demanding that he be removed from the arrangement. Spears’ new lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, is a high-profile celebrity attorney who says his first order of business is pushing out Jamie. VARIETY
SPOTTED...
…Olivia Rodrigo, at the White House to promote the vaccination drive: SEE PICS
...Ashton Kutcher, revealing to Cheddar that he sold his ticket on a Virgin Galactic spaceflight after his wife made him: WATCH
...Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones’ Central Park West pad, on the market in NYC for $21.5 million: SEE INSIDE
LEFTOVERS: NEW COKE
One of the most popular soft drinks in the country is getting a look and taste makeover. Coca-Cola says it is tweaking the recipe of Coke Zero to make it taste more like regular Coke, along with a can redesign and big new marketing push that will feature supermodel Emily Ratajkowski. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, as it’s officially known, is expected to be the soda giant’s biggest driver of growth over the coming years. The company is taking somewhat of a gamble in messing with a tried-and-true formula given the New Coke debacle of the 1980s (if you’re too young to remember that, ask your parents). BEVERAGE DIGEST
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