Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, November 12, 2020:

COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

The U.S. is back up to 1,400 coronavirus daily deaths, a tally that hasn’t been seen since August, as more states add new restrictions. New York will require bars, restaurants and gyms to close at 10 pm and put a limit on private gatherings. Ohio is the latest state to issue a mask mandate. Nevada’s governor told residents they have two weeks to get the virus under control or he will impose new rules. Texas is the first state to hit one million cases, with California on track to become the second any day. WSJ

PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION

President-elect Biden has made his first senior leadership appointment, naming Ron Klain as White House Chief of Staff. Klain is a longtime confidant of Biden who served as his chief of staff during the Obama years. He was also Obama’s “Ebola czar” during the 2014 outbreak and is widely respected in the medical community. As the White House stalls on the transition, GOP Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma says he will use his authority on the Senate oversight committee to step in and make sure Biden is getting the presidential daily briefing by tomorrow. WASH POST

GEORGIA ON EVERYONE'S MIND

The one outstanding Senate race in Alaska has been called by the AP for the incumbent Republican, Sen. Dan Sullivan. That means that control of the chamber will indeed come down to whatever happens in the runoffs for Georgia’s two Senate seats, scheduled for Jan. 5. Before that, the Peach State will do an audit and hand recount of every ballot cast for president, where Biden is winning by about 14,000 votes. CBS NEWS

THE STORM THAT WON'T GO AWAY

Tropical Storm Eta made its fourth (!) landfall overnight, coming ashore north of Tampa with heavy rain, 50 mph winds and knocking out power to about 30,000 Floridians. Eta has been kicking around the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico for two weeks -- strengthening, weakening, strengthening and weakening again as it now moves over the Florida peninsula and then back out into the Atlantic. The Southeast and mid-Atlantic will see heavy rain today into tomorrow. TRACK

STUDENT DEBT FORGIVENESS

Can -- or will -- a Biden administration cancel student-loan debt? Biden has said he’s open to the idea, and Sen. Chuck Schumer has said he believes it would be one of Biden’s first executive actions. The plan reportedly being floated among Democrats is to zero out $10,000 per federal borrower as part of a larger coronavirus relief bill, which wouldn't require Congressional sign off. The majority of borrowers owe less than $20,000. YAHOO FINANCE

RING RECALL

About 350,000 Ring doorbell cameras are being recalled after some of them have caught fire. According to the CPSC, the cameras in question were sold on Amazon between June and October of this year. TECHCRUNCH

MASTERS LIKE NO OTHER

It’s not Augusta in April, but it is still the Masters. The iconic golf tournament starts today, seven months late, from the pristine greens of Augusta National, and without any spectators. Tiger Woods, defending his Masters title, tees off just before 8 a.m. ET. Bryson DeChambeau is the consensus favorite to win the green jacket this year following his U.S. Open victory in September. GOLF CHANNEL

SPOTTED...

...the Bush and Obama daughters, in throwback snapshots shared by Jenna Bush on Instagram, showing her and her twin sister giving Sasha and Malia a tour of the White House during the transition in 2008: SEE PICS

BRITNEY CONSERVATORSHIP

Britney Spears has lost her motion in court to have her father removed as the conservator of her estate. Jamie Spears has been the legal guardian of his daughter’s $60 million fortune for more than a decade, and a judge found that he can continue to control her finances for now. Spears has said she’s afraid of her dad and won’t perform so long as he’s her conservator. AP

LEFTOVERS: MEMES OF THE YEAR

If there was ever a golden age for the meme, 2020 has been it. Four Loko, the boozy drink brand, surveyed Americans in order to rank the top memes of this crazy year. No surprise: 8 of the top ten were pandemic themed: SEE THE LIST

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!

Share:
More In Culture
e.l.f. Beauty Eliminates One Million Pounds Of Packaging Materials
e.l.f Beauty is celebrating a significant milestone in its sustainable journey. Since launching its Project Unicorn initiative in 2019, the company has eliminated more than one million pounds of packaging materials. Ashley Rosebrook, e.l.f. Beauty's chief creative officer, who spearheaded this effort and has continued to work to reduce the brand's carbon footprint, joined Cheddar to discuss this initiative and what the company aims to do next.
Omicron Fuels Concerns Over Holiday Travel
The Omicron variant is raising concerns about how safe it is to travel, just as millions of Americans were getting ready to jet set away for the holidays. Scientists are still trying to understand how much protection vaccines offer against the new variant, and many questions remain unanswered. Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants, gives tips on how to travel safely and comments on the aviation industry's ongoing recovery from the pandemic.
Could This Year's Meme Stock Mania Surrounding GameStop, AMC, and Others Continue in 2022 and Beyond?
As 2021 is approaching its end, the meme stock mania that surrounded companies like Gamestop and AMC this year doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Stocks for both companies plunged to their lowest levels in months on Monday, but on Tuesday, traders seemed to come to the rescue, as the stocks for both companies saw rebounds. Great Hill Capital Chariman Thomas Hayes joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Upward Farms Aims to Reconnect Consumers with Locally-Grown Food
Upward Farms is an indoor vertical farming company on a mission to heal our broken food system and reconnect consumers with organic locally-grown food. The Brooklyn-based company uses its controlled environment farms to grow organic leafy greens, which are sold at whole foods markets in New York City. Upward Farms co-founder and CEO Jason Green joined Cheddar Climate to discuss.
12 Terms of 2021: Infrastructure
Cheddar is looking back at the 12 biggest buzzwords of the year leading up to Christmas. Today's word of the day is "Infrastructure." Definition: (noun) the basic physical and organizational systems that uphold the structure of the economy.
2022 Predictions for Cannabis Industry
The U.S. cannabis industry is on track to hit almost $25 billion in sales, according to New Frontier Data. Vivien Azer, managing director and senior research analyst at Cowen, and Russell Stanley, managing director and equity research at Beacon Securities Limited, join Cheddar News to give their predictions for the budding industry in 2022.
The Environmental Impact of Cannabis Farms
As more states begin to legalize recreational marijuana, there's a growing interest in legalizing cannabis cultivation. As the rise in cannabis farms expands across the U.S., more research is being done to examine its impact on the planet. Michael Katz, executive director at Mendocino Cannabis Alliance, joins Cheddar News to talk about the carbon footprint of cannabis farms.
Load More