Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, September 22, 2020:
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SUPREME COURT SHOWDOWN
THE LATEST: The Senate appears to have the votes to confirm a new Supreme Court Justice after Sens. Chuck Grassley and Cory Gardner threw their support behind President Trump’s still-unnamed nominee. If a vote were to happen before Election Day, it would be the fastest confirmation ever. The president said he will announce his nominee on Friday or Saturday. The name at the top of the shortlist is said to be Amy Coney Barrett, a former law professor who Trump named to the federal appeals court in 2017. Conservatives believe Barrett would give the Court an insurmountable majority on the issue of abortion, which could lead to the eventual overturning of Roe v. Wade. SCOTUSBLOG
RBG SERVICES: Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie in repose outside the Supreme Court tomorrow and Wednesday, where members of the public are invited to pay their respects. The late justice will then become the first woman to ever lie in state at the Capitol on Friday, where a private ceremony will take place. She will be buried at Arlington next week. WASH POST
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The CDC abruptly removed guidance from its website that the coronavirus is airborne, saying it was posted in error and bringing new scrutiny to the agency that’s been criticized for its competence in handling the pandemic. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will address the nation today. He is expected to order pubs and restaurants to close early and urge people to work from home as a dramatic rise in cases has gripped that country. The global death toll is approaching one million, with the U.S. accounting for one in five of those deaths. REUTERS
BETA MAKES LANDFALL
Tropical Storm Beta has made landfall in Texas with 45 mph sustained winds, but it’s the rain that’s the real concern. The storm is set to meander along the Gulf Coast for days, bringing torrential downpours to an area that is still recovering from Hurricane Laura. Beta is the ninth named storm to make landfall in the U.S. this year. ACCUWEATHER
'ANARCHIST JURISDICTIONS'
The Justice Dept. has labeled New York, Seattle and Portland as “anarchist jurisdictions” under President Trump’s instruction, a political maneuver that could lead to those cities being stripped of federal funding -- though that would almost certainly get challenged in court. In a memo, the DOJ said it identified jurisdictions "that have permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract these criminal activities.” NBC NEWS
MARKET SELL-OFF
U.S. stocks are on pace to have their worst September in 18 years. The Dow was down nearly 1,000 points at one point Monday before closing down 500. The S&P fared a bit better and the Nasdaq actually ended the day more or less flat. To blame for the latest sell-off: a combination of renewed worries about global coronavirus outbreaks and the growing likelihood of new lockdowns in Europe, plus an extremely unsettled political landscape in D.C. and no signs of progress on a new relief bill in Congress. MARKETWATCH
QUIBI FOR SALE?
Less than six months since Quibi launched with a whole lot of fanfare and not a lot of viewers, the short-form video platform is reportedly considering selling itself. A sale is one of several “strategic options” the company is said to be considering, along with a potential IPO through a merger. Quibi just won two Emmys but continues to struggle when it comes to signing people up; the service is expected to miss its initial subscriber target by a mile. WSJ
WELCOME TO THE DEATH STAR
Pro football has come to Las Vegas. The Raiders opened their regular season at their gleaming new (and empty) $2 billion stadium, nicknamed the Death Star, by upsetting Drew Brees and the Saints. Raiders receiver Zay Jones may have come up with the most fitting touchdown celebration for the season as he mimicked giving out hand sanitizer to his teammates in the end zone: WATCH
ELLEN IS BACK
Ellen DeGeneres opened Season 18 of her namesake daytime talk show with a monologue that addressed the controversies surrounding the show’s workplace culture. “Things happened here that never should have happened,” she said, taking responsibility “for what happens at my show.” WATCH
EMMY RATINGS
Sunday night’s Emmy telecast is getting high praise for its technical and logistical feats, but did anyone watch? The answer is...not really. Ratings for the Emmys were the lowest in its history, drawing just 6.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen. That’s less than half the viewership of any given episode of NCIS (though in fairness, the Emmys went up against both Sunday Night Football and the NBA Playoffs, which has never happened). DEADLINE
LEFTOVERS: ZERO-EMISSION FLYING
Experts agree that one of the single best things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint is to fly less, given how much commercial air travel accounts for global emissions. Now Airbus says it’s working toward a future where you can fly as often you want without producing any emissions. The airplane maker has unveiled three concepts for hydrogen-powered commercial jets, and says they could be ready to go by 2035. SIMPLY FLYING
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