Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, July 7, 2020:
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Dr. Fauci said the U.S. is “still knee-deep in the first wave” of the pandemic, as 12 states are now hitting new 7-day average case highs. Miami is the latest city to close restaurants and gyms again; the mayor of Miami-Dade says the area’s new infections are coming primarily from 18-34-year-olds who have been gathering without masks. There have been nearly 300,000 new cases nationwide in the first week of July. AP
BACK TO SCHOOL: HYBRID MODEL: Harvard and Princeton have announced their plans for the fall semester, which include bringing some students back, but not at the same time, and an emphasis on remote classes. At Harvard, all classes will be online, even for students living on campus, and tuition will be unchanged (around $50,000). Princeton is doing something similar, but will offer a 10 percent tuition discount. Last week, USC reversed its plan to bring students back and will now do most classes online. CNN
BACK TO SCHOOL: FOREIGN STUDENTS: ICE issued its rules for foreign students returning in the fall: students taking classes at colleges or universities that are teaching entirely online will not be allowed to enter the country. If they’re already here, they have to transfer to a school with in-person instruction or face deportation. WSJ
PIPELINES PULLED: Two major oil and gas pipelines have been shelved or cancelled in the last 48 hours, in a sign that investment in new fossil fuel infrastructure is becoming harder to justify. A federal judge ordered the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline to shut down next month while it undergoes an environmental review. That decision came after two energy companies announced they were pulling the plug on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which would have gone under the Appalachian Trail, saying it wasn’t worth the legal and regulatory headaches. BLOOMBERG
'FAITHLESS ELECTOR' DECISION: The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that states can punish members of the Electoral College who vote for someone other than the candidate who won the state’s popular vote. The case came out of an ill-fated attempt by several “faithless electors” who “went rogue” in 2016. The 9-0 decision is a win for state officials who warned that it would turn into a constitutional crisis if electors were able to cast ballots against the will of the voters. NBC NEWS
PPP RECIPIENTS: What do the Girl Scouts, Kanye West’s clothing company, and a minor league baseball team owned by the governor of Ohio have in common? They all received federal small business bailout loans. The Treasury Dept. backtracked and released the names of 660,000 entities that got more than $150,000 in PPP funds. The vast majority of the nearly 5 million small businesses that were approved for loans took less than that. WASH POST
BLACKOUT DAY: Activists have designated today ‘Blackout Day,’ a day for Black Americans to “exercise their spending power” by refraining from buying anything, except for goods and services from Black-owned businesses. Organizers of the movement say it’s the first step in an effort to “rebuild the Black dollar.” COMPLEX
MAHOMES RECORD CONTRACT: Reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes will be playing in Kansas City into the next decade. The Chiefs have reportedly signed Mahomes to a rare 10-year contract extension worth $450 million, complete with a no-trade clause and $140 million injury guarantee. If the numbers are confirmed, it will be the richest deal in football history. ESPN
BUBBA V. TRUMP: NASCAR’s Bubba Wallace has fired back after President Trump accused him in a tweet of not apologizing over the Talladega noose investigation, which the president called a “hoax.” Trump also criticized NASCAR’s ban on Confederate flags. Wallace framed his response as a message to younger generations, ending it: “Even when it’s hate from the POTUS..Love wins.” SEE TWEET
COLIN KAEPERNICK, MEDIA MOGUL: On the heels of a production deal with Netflix, Colin Kaepernick has now signed a first-look deal with Disney to create content that explores race and social justice. To start, the former NFL star-turned-activist will be the focus of a docuseries produced by Disney’s ESPN Films. VARIETY
LEFTOVERS: DOOMSDAY BUNKER: If the news has you ready to pack it in and head underground, why not do it in style? A former missile silo in Kansas is being turned into an ultra-luxe underground condominium complex for the wealthy. Wait out the apocalypse with all the basics -- Sub-Zero fridges stocked with fresh water and canned tuna -- plus your own decontamination room, access to automatic weapons, and even a water slide. Units start at $1 million, plus expenses -- and there’s already a waiting list. CNET
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