Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, November 18, 2020:
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The FDA has approved the first entirely at-home testing kit, similar to a pregnancy test, that gives results in 30 minutes. Ohio is the latest state to impose a 10 p.m. curfew that will go into effect for three weeks. North Dakota now has the world’s highest mortality rate per capita -- 1 in 1,000 residents of the state have died of COVID-19. Local news outlets across the country are reporting that there are once again runs on toilet paper, disinfectant wipes and other essentials, though supply chain experts don’t expect shortages to be as bad as they were in the spring. Sen. Chuck Grassley, one of the oldest members of Congress, missed his first vote in 27 years -- breaking the longest voting record in Senate history -- after he tested positive. REUTERS
TROOP DRAWDOWN
The Pentagon has confirmed the reports that the U.S. will cut the number of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq by 2,500 before President Trump leaves office. The troop level in Afghanistan will fall from 4,500 to 2,500, while Iraq will go from 3,000 to 2,500 active troops. Senate Republicans, as well as the head of NATO, are opposing the abrupt drawdown. The president has said before that he wanted all troops home by Christmas. CNN
PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION
President Trump has fired Chris Krebs, the administration’s senior-most official in charge of election cybersecurity. Krebs, a highly respected security expert, was among the officials who came out and called the election the “most secure in American history,” directly contradicting the president’s false claims that it was “stolen.” Meanwhile, Republican appointees in Michigan’s most populous county initially refused to certify the vote tally in Detroit for Joe Biden -- drawing praise from Trump officials -- before backing off amid a public outcry. POLITICO
SOCIAL MEDIA GRILLING
Lawmakers grilled Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey about fact-check labels and other concerns related to misinformation in a virtual hearing on Capitol Hill, three weeks after Zuck and Dorsey were summoned for a similar hearing in front of a different Senate committee. Republicans took issue with the platforms’ labeling of President Trump’s false tweets that he won the election, while Democrats took issue with Republicans taking issue with the labels. Not much was accomplished other than making it clear that both sides of the aisle want to regulate Big Tech, for different reasons. NPR
NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Retail sales for the month of October grew by just 0.3 percent, a worrisome signal for the economy going into the critical holiday shopping season. The worse-than-expected data was compiled before the current virus surge took hold, so any momentum left over from the summer and early fall is going to stall out even more at the worst possible time for retailers, especially given that no more federal aid is coming anytime soon. That is a very bad sign for many stores that are hanging on by a thread and counting on the usual end-of-year lift in sales to stay afloat. WSJ
AMAZON PHARMACY
Amazon will now fill and deliver your meds -- for free and with discounts, if you’re a Prime Member. The e-commerce giant has launched its much-anticipated digital pharmacy, which immediately sent shares of Walgreens and CVS plummeting. Amazon’s entry into the space has been a question of if, not when, ever since it acquired the startup PillPack in 2018. CHEDDAR
THEO OUT
Theo Epstein, one of the greatest operators in baseball history, is stepping down from the Chicago Cubs. Epstein was brought in to rebuild the Cubs nine seasons ago -- a task that looked insurmountable but that culminated in the team’s incredible 2016 World Series win. Before that, he was GM of the Boston Red Sox when they finally ended their title drought in 2004. There have been rumors he might join the front office of the Mets or Phillies. CHICAGO TRIB
CONAN GOES STREAMING
Conan O’Brien has hosted a nightly talk show for 28 years, longer than anyone else in the late-night game. That ends next summer. O’Brien will trade his nightly show on TBS for a weekly variety show that will stream exclusively on HBO Max (like TBS, part of WarnerMedia). Conan was one of the few late shows that didn't go all in on political humor, and the ratings have suffered. THR
SPOTTED...
...George Clooney, on the cover of GQ’s Men of the Year issue. Clooney confirms in the interview the long-running rumor that he once gave each of his 14 best friends a suitcase filled with $1 million in cash, just because: READ IT
...the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, being hoisted onto its perch and looking about as good as could be expected for 2020: SEE PICS
LEFTOVERS: REPORTS OF MY DEATH...
A radio station in France is apologizing after it accidentally published dozens of obituaries for high-profile newsmakers who have not died. Radio France Internationale blamed a technical glitch for publishing obits of Queen Elizabeth, Pele, Clint Eastwood, the Ayatollah and Brigitte Bardot, among others. It’s not uncommon for news outlets to prep obituaries in advance, and any editor will tell you it’s their worst nightmare to mistakenly hit publish when the person is still alive and kicking. EURONEWS
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