Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, August 13, 2020:
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: The U.S. is in its fourth week of four-digit death tolls, with Florida and Georgia both recording their highest single day tolls yet. The virus is spreading in Hawaii and parts of the rural Midwest that had so far been mostly spared. Data on hospitalizations has slowed after the HHS took control of how it was being collected from the CDC. Lawmakers remain deadlocked on what to do about a new economic rescue bill. NY TIMES
BIDEN-HARRIS DEBUTS: Joe Biden officially introduced Kamala Harris as his running mate at a socially-distanced event in Delaware, where Harris repeatedly hammered President Trump on the administration’s coronavirus response -- a sign that Democrats see that as the cornerstone of their campaign strategy into the fall. The Republican message appears less focused for now: the president called her “phony” and “nasty” while others painted her as a far-left radical intent on hijacking the Biden presidency. WASH POST
FOOTBALL LATEST: The Big 12 is moving ahead with plans to play college football in the fall. The conference will play its normal “9+1” schedule but will shift the season back to Sept. 26 and give every team two weeks off for flexibility. The Big 12 includes Kansas, Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas, among others. The SEC and ACC appear to be moving forward with plans to play as well. In the NFL, the Washington Football Team will play without fans, while the Cowboys say they plan to have fans at AT&T Stadium. NPR
RESTAURANTS IN CRISIS: The restaurant industry in the U.S. appears to be in the early stage of collapse, with trendy hotspots and neighborhood staples alike closing in cities across the country, unable to stay afloat without substantial help from the government. Uncle Boons, one of the most popular restaurants in NYC, is closing. Miami’s losing the iconic Rio Cristal. Racine’s in Denver. Lou’s in San Francisco. The list is piling up. The CEO of OpenTable is predicting one in four restaurants in the country will permanently close because of the pandemic. BLOOMBERG
IN MEMORIAM: SUMNER REDSTONE: Sumner Redstone, the media mogul who turned a family drive-in movie business into a global empire that included Viacom, Paramount Pictures, Simon & Schuster and CBS, died at the age of 97. Redstone was known as much for his hard-charging style as he was for his personal and family drama. He fought publicly for years with his daughter, Shari, over control of National Amusements, the family company, and had ongoing legal battles with live-in girlfriends over his estate. But he also built a media behemoth under the simple proclamation: “Content is king.” OBIT
UBER IN CALIFORNIA: The CEO of Uber says the company will have to temporarily shut down in California if a ruling that it must classify drivers as employees is upheld on appeal. Dara Khosrowshahi says if that happens, it will take months for Uber to retool its business model and would likely return as a smaller, more expensive service. In a recent op-ed, he argued for a “third way” of classifying gig workers: READ IT
NBA BUBBLE GUESTS: The NBA has told players they can’t bring “casual acquaintances” -- defined as anyone “known by the player only through social media or an intermediary” -- with them into the bubble. The league will start to let guests in for the conference semifinals at the end of the month, but sent a memo reiterating that it only applies to family members or those with a “long-standing relationship” to the player. ESPN
TIKTOK COMEDIAN GOES BIG TIME: Sarah Cooper, the comedian who struck viral gold with her lip-sync impersonations of President Trump on TikTok and Twitter, is getting her own Netflix special. Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine will be directed by Natasha Lyonne and executive produced by Maya Rudolph. The special premieres sometime in the fall. If you’re unfamiliar with Cooper’s work, here’s a compilation: WATCH
SWEET HOME SANTA BARBARA: Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan have reportedly bought a home and plan to set down roots in Santa Barbara County, Calif. The couple, along with baby Archie, are said to be the new owners of an $16 million compound in the ultra-wealthy enclave of Montecito, a stone’s throw from the homes of Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey. NOOZHAWK
LEFTOVERS: LET IT FLOW: The Dept. of Energy has proposed a new rule that would change the definition of a showerhead to let more water come out, after President Trump has repeatedly complained about the water pressure in the shower. Since 1992, it’s been the law that showerheads can’t pour more than 2.5 gallons per minute, as a way to conserve water. The Obama administration applied that law for showerheads with multiple nozzles. The new rule would allow each nozzle to spray 2.5 gallons, instead of a total of 2.5 gallons. AP
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