Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, July 9, 2020:
BACK TO SCHOOL: K-12: The CDC is revising its guidelines for school reopenings after President Trump attacked the agency and threatened to withhold federal funding for schools that refuse to fully reopen in the fall. The agency had recommended that schools keep students six feet apart in class, which many school officials said was simply not physically possible. Meanwhile, NYC public schools, the largest public school system in the country, will not fully reopen in September; instead, in-class instruction will be limited to two days a week for most students. WASH POST
BACK TO SCHOOL: COLLEGE: The Ivy League became the first D-1 sports league to throw in the towel on all sporting events for the fall semester, in effect putting the entire college football season in limbo. Separately, MIT and Harvard have sued the Trump administration over the guidelines from ICE related to international students, while some top schools are making contingency plans to protect their vulnerable international student population from rules that could cause them to be deported if there are no in-person classes. USA TODAY
HEAT & STORMS: It is hot -- and getting hotter -- across most of the country. The oppressive heat wave is remarkable not so much for record-breaking temps, but for its sheer mass, stretching from California to New England. About 80 percent of the continental U.S. will see the thermometer top 90 in the next few days. At the same time, a tropical system is headed for the Northeast that could turn into a tropical storm by the weekend. If that happens, it’ll be called “Fay” and will be the earliest F-named storm ever recorded. ACCUWEATHER
SCOTUS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RULINGS: The Supreme Court sided with religious employers in a pair of decisions that delivered wins for Christian conservatives. The Court ruled, 7-2, that employers with religious objections can opt out of the Obamacare mandate to provide contraceptive coverage. In a separate 7-2 ruling, the Court ruled that religious schools are exempt from employment discrimination lawsuits. REUTERS
BROOKS BROS BANKRUPT: Brooks Brothers, one of the oldest American retailers and one that has dressed nearly every U.S. president, is bankrupt. The 200-year-old brand filed for Chapter 11 protection, citing the pandemic-related store closures. Even before coronavirus, Brooks Bros. had suffered from a big debt load and changing trends -- with fewer and fewer people dressing up for work. AP
IPHONE 12 RUMORS: Apple is expected to release a new iPhone lineup this fall -- as it does every fall -- and the rumor mill is churning. The iPhone 12 will almost certainly be the first 5G iPhone, and Apple watchers are expecting the price to start at $749 for the base model. For that money, you may not even get the customary EarPods or wall charger, which Apple is reportedly nixing. MACRUMORS
NBA BUBBLE FOOD: As NBA and WNBA players enter the “bubble” in Florida ahead of the upcoming season, they’re sharing pictures of the food being served -- and it looks like something you’d get on a plane. Meals come to the players’ hotel room doors on trays, with everything individually wrapped: SEE PICS
PEACOCK'S NEW CABLE HOSTS: Shepard Smith, the popular former Fox News anchor who was often the ire of President Trump, has signed a deal to host a 7 p.m. one-hour newscast on CNBC. And Joy Reid has been given the 7 p.m. hour on sister channel MSNBC. She will become the only Black woman to host an evening news show on a major network. NY TIMES
'GLEE' ACTRESS MISSING: Naya Rivera, who starred on Fox’s Glee for six seasons, is missing in southern California. Police responded to reports of a child alone on a boat on Lake Piru and found Rivera’s four-year-old son. He’s unharmed, but the sheriff says it’s continuing to search for a “possible drowning victim” in the vicinity. LA TIMES
'WONDER YEARS' REBOOT: ABC is rebooting The Wonder Years with a Black cast, set in Alabama in the late ‘60s. Lee Daniels will produce the half-hour series and Fred Savage, the star of the original, is set to direct the pilot. VARIETY
LEFTOVERS: TERMINAL MAN: An Estonian man who spent the last 110 days stuck inside an airport in the Philippines is finally home. Roman Trofimov was traveling around southeast Asia, and had just arrived at the Manila airport when the country stopped issuing entry visas. His passport was confiscated, and he had been living in the airport’s departure lounge ever since, sleeping on the floor, bathing in the men’s room, and eating at the airport’s restaurants. After chastising Trofimov for flying despite a “travel warning,” the Estonian foreign ministry has now repatriated him. ERR
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