Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Monday, November 16, 2020:
COVID-19: UNCONTROLLED SPREAD
It took three months for the U.S. to record its first million coronavirus cases. It took a week to record the last million, showing just how fast the virus is now spreading virtually everywhere. Washington and Michigan are the latest states to enact strict new measures to curb the spread. North Dakota, which has the highest rates of cases and deaths per capita in the U.S., has instituted a mask mandate. Chicago is under a stay-at-home advisory as of today. NYC schools will be open today as the city’s positivity rate has remained below the 3 percent threshold. In El Paso, Tex., where refrigerated trucks are now acting as temporary morgues, businesses are reopening after the city’s stay-at-home order was reversed in court. REUTERS
D.C. IN PARALYSIS
For the first time, President Trump appeared to acknowledge that Joe Biden won the election, tweeting “He won because the Election was Rigged” before backtracking and making clear that a concession was not forthcoming. A group of 150 former national security officials has warned that the delay in the transition is creating a “serious risk to national security.” A growing number of Republicans, including former Trump advisers and current governors, are calling for the transition to begin even as legal challenges play out in court. Meanwhile, despite leaders from both parties -- including the president and president-elect -- calling for a major new economic stimulus package, negotiations have not resumed since the election.AP
AQ LEADER KILLED
Israeli agents acting on behalf of the U.S. reportedly assassinated Al Qaeda’s second-in-command in Tehran back in August. Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, aka Abu Muhammad al-Masri, was killed along with his daughter in a drive-by shooting in the Iranian capital. Masri was believed to be the mastermind behind the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Africa and a top lieutenant to Osama bin Laden until he fled to Iran after 9/11 -- even though Iran and al Qaeda are bitter enemies. No one has publicly acknowledged Masri’s death. NY TIMES
TROPIC WATCH
The 2020 hurricane season officially ends in two weeks, but it’s still going strong. Hurricane Iota rapidly strengthened over the weekend, becoming the 30th named storm and 13th hurricane of this record-breaking year. Iota is at Cat 4 status, headed for a potentially catastrophic landfall along the Nicaragua-Honduras coast, where hurricane conditions are expected later today. The region is still recovering from a humanitarian crisis in the wake of Hurricane Eta. TRACK
VACCINE UPDATE
The creator of one of the most promising COVID-19 vaccines says that, assuming the shot is even 50 percent effective, he expects life to return to normal by next winter. Dr. Uğur Şahin, one half of the power couple that runs BioNTech (Pfizer's partner), estimates that the impacts from mass vaccinations will kick in over the summer, with life back to its pre-COVID routines by around this time next year. BBC
WHICH IPHONE FOR YOU?
All four models of the new iPhone 12 series are now in stores. Smaller-handed users are raving about the compact size of the iPhone 12 Mini, while the Pro Max is getting high marks as the most advanced iPhone yet. Here’s how they all look side-by-side: SEE PICS
MASTERY AT THE MASTERS
Dustin Johnson, the no. 1 golfer in the world, won his first Masters green jacket and second career major. The 36-year-old American dominated the back nine in the fourth round at Augusta for a five-stroke victory, the widest margin since Tiger Woods won by 12 in 1997. For his part, Woods had a strong first round but fell out of contention and ended up with his worst single-hole score ever: a 10 on the 12th hole. CBS SPORTS
'CROWN' BINGE
The highly anticipated fourth season of The Crown has dropped on Netflix, the first to feature Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher and monarchy storylines that are familiar to most people alive today. The new season is sitting at an excellent 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and critics say that it’s friendly to newcomers -- so if you haven’t caught up, you can jump right in. VULTURE
SPLITSVILLE...
...for Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis. The couple reportedly split amicably earlier this year after a seven-year engagement, and are said to have a “great co-parenting routine” with their two young kids. PEOPLE
The seven-year engagement was a red flag.
LEFTOVERS: LIFTOFF!
A day after it was scrubbed due to weather, SpaceX successfully sent four astronauts into orbit on behalf of NASA in a dramatic nighttime launch from Cape Canaveral. The three-men, one-woman crew are en route to the ISS in a SpaceX capsule that they dubbed Resilience in a nod to the events of this year. Missing from attendance at the launch was Elon Musk, who is quarantining with a likely case of COVID. AP
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