Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, November 13, 2020:

COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Dr. Fauci is telling Americans to “double down” on mask wearing and social distancing with “vaccines on the horizon.” But until then, the situation in the U.S. is dire. Detroit is the latest city to close its schools, and the nation’s largest public school system in NYC may be on the brink of going fully remote. Chicago has issued a new stay-at-home order that goes into effect Monday. The national caseload has gone from 100,000 to 160,000 per day in just over a week. Ahead of Thanksgiving, researchers at Georgia Tech have created an interactive real-time map that uses data analysis to estimate the risk that at least one COVID-positive person will be present at gatherings of different sizes, depending on where you live: SEE IT

ELECTION REALITY CHECK

A committee of federal, state and local election officials working under the Dept. of Homeland Security has directly contradicted President Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud, calling the election “the most secure in American history.” Arizona was called for President-elect Biden overnight by NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN, backing up the Election Night calls from the AP and Fox. Biden is the first Dem to carry the state since Bill Clinton in 1996. NBC NEWS

N2K Editor's Note: For those who have sent questions about our use of the title “President-elect” for Joe Biden, we are doing so based on Cheddar's partners at the Associated Press, who have called the election for Biden, in the same way that Donald Trump became President-elect Trump once the AP called the 2016 election for him.

As for concerns about the legitimacy of the vote, election officials in every single state, red and blue, report no evidence of widespread voter fraud or election irregularities.

While it may be natural to compare this election to 2000, unlike that contest -- which hinged on hundreds of votes in a single state -- the 2020 electoral outcome involves thousands of votes across several states that provided the electoral college edge to Joe Biden, delivering him a decisive victory. See more from the nonpartisan FactCheck.org. 

LIFTOFF

If the weather cooperates, NASA and SpaceX will launch four astronauts to the ISS tomorrow, in the first operational mission from U.S. soil since 2011 (the launch back in May was considered more of a demo). The Crew Dragon capsule, currently sitting atop a Falcon 9 rocket on the launchpad at Cape Canaveral, is scheduled for liftoff at 7:49 pm ET Saturday. SPACE.COM

NC FLASH FLOODING

At least seven people have been killed by flooding in North Carolina, brought on by the remnants of Tropical Storm Eta colliding with a cold front. Alexander County, north of Charlotte, bore the brunt of flash floods that swept away roads and inundated a campground, where three bodies were found by rescuers. Dozens of others were rescued. WEATHER CHANNEL

PRIVILEGE TAX

A team at Deutsche Bank is proposing a novel and controversial idea for employees who want to continue to work from home, at least for part of the week, even after the pandemic ends. The team suggests that workers be taxed 5 percent of their salary for the days they work remotely, which would go toward subsidizing lower-income workers who can’t work from home. The report argues that remote workers aren’t contributing to the “infrastructure of the economy” while “still receiving its benefits.” FORBES

INSTA MAKEOVER

If you’ve checked Instagram in the last day or so, you may have noticed a major redesign to the app’s home screen. The Facebook-owned service has given more visible placement to its Shop and Reels (Facebook’s TikTok knockoff) features, at the expense of the search and notification tabs. Instagram is also getting a “vanish mode” (Facebook’s Snapchat knockoff) that makes messages disappear after a short period. ENGADGET

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

The SEC commissioner said this week that he’s “shaken but not deterred” about the rising number of COVID cases within college football. At least 11 games this weekend have been cancelled or postponed, including Ohio State-Maryland and Pitt-Georgia Tech. With the regular season set to end in just over a month, playoffs and Bowl games are now at risk. AP

SUPER BOWL HALFTIME

The Weeknd will headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show. NFL, Pepsi and Roc Nation announced that the Grammy-winning R&B artist has been booked for a show that may look different from years past, depending on what the league decides to do about the pandemic. The Big Game is on for Feb. 7 in Tampa. PITCHFORK

SPOTTED...

...an absolutely gigantic alligator casually taking a stroll around Naples, Fla. during Hurricane Eta: SEE IT

ICYMI: A VET'S LETTER TO HIS SON

A letter from a father serving in WWII to his infant son made the rounds this Veteran’s Day, and given the state of the world, its words ring truer than ever. Jeffrey Smith discovered the letter in his dad’s personal effects last year, and gave it to The Washington Post to reprint in full. Smith calls the letter the “best recitation of American values and guide for living a truly good life as anything I have ever read”: READ IT

Listen to the N2K Podcast! Looking for more context and analysis on the big stories of the day? Check out our podcast! Hosts Jill and Carlo break down the headlines, every weekday morning Listen on Apple or Spotify, or watch on YouTube, and send us your feedback!

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