Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, September 11, 2020:
CLIMATE CHANGE
Ten percent of the population of Oregon has been forced to evacuate and two of the largest fires burning in the state are expected to merge into one. The death toll in California has risen to at least 10 as the August Complex Fire has now officially become the largest in the state’s history. Five of the 10 largest wildfires in California’s modern history are currently burning. AP
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
As the U.S. approaches 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus, President Trump said the country is “rounding the corner,” while Dr. Fauci warned people to “hunker down” for the fall and winter, saying “it’s not going to be easy.” Experts are worried that a second wave has already started in Europe, where France just reported a record 10,000 new cases in 24 hours. A new report from the CDC suggests that dining out may be the single biggest risk factor for contracting the virus. NBC NEWS
RUSSIANS BACK AT IT
Microsoft is warning that the same Russian military intelligence unit that hacked the DNC in 2016 is back at it, having made attempts to infiltrate staffers and associates of both presidential campaigns. Microsoft’s assessment is much more thorough than anything made public by the government, and it comes a day after a whistleblower alleged that top officials at the White House and Homeland Security Dept. suppressed intelligence about Russian hacking because it would “make the president look bad.” NY TIMES
9/11: 19 YEARS LATER
Masks will be plentiful and hugs will be discouraged today when mourners gather in Lower Manhattan, outside the Pentagon and in western Pennsylvania to commemorate 19 years since the 9/11 attacks. At Ground Zero, the traditional reading of the victims’ names will be replaced with an audio recording and only family members will be allowed to enter the memorial grounds. Both President Trump and Joe Biden will be in Shanksville, Pa. to honor the heroes of Flight 93, though they aren't expected to cross paths. NEW CASTLE NEWS
CENTURY 21 CLOSING
Century 21, the New York mecca of off-price department stores, is going out of business. The family-owned retailer says the pandemic hit business hard, but it was pushed over the edge when its insurers refused to pay out any claims related to the disruption from the virus. Nineteen years ago today, the flagship store located directly across the street from the WTC was nearly destroyed when the towers collapsed; less than six months later, the store reopened -- what was, at the time, one of the first symbols of the city’s recovery. Here’s the family discussing why they decided they had to rebuild: WATCH
WALL STREET GLASS CEILING
Citigroup has chosen a veteran banker, Jane Fraser, to be its next CEO, making Fraser the first woman to take the top job at a major financial institution. Fraser, 53, has been at Citi for 16 years and is widely regarded on Wall St. as the obvious choice for the chief executive gig at the nation’s third-largest bank. Fraser, a working mom with two sons, once said: “You can’t have it all at the same time...you can have it all, spread over decades.” REUTERS
NFL OPENER
The Chiefs made fairly easy work of the Texans in the NFL opener in front of a 20 percent capacity crowd in Kansas City. The entire Texans roster stayed in the locker room during the national anthem, while the Chiefs linked arms on the sideline. Both teams then met in the middle of the field in a show of unity, at which point they were met with boos from the fans. The bulk of the Week 1 games are on Sunday, with Tom Brady making his Tampa Bay debut against the Saints at 4:30 p.m. ET. USA TODAY
LIVE FROM NEW YORK...
Saturday Night Live is returning to its home at 30 Rock for the 46th season, the first time the cast will be back at Studio 8H since March. SNL teased the Oct. 3 season opener on Twitter: SEE TWEET
BRUCE IS BACK
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have dropped a new single and accompanying music video. Letter to You is the title track of a new album due out next month. The Boss says he and his bandmates recorded the album live in studio over five days, calling it “one of the greatest recording experiences I’ve ever had.” The record will include three songs that Springsteen wrote in the 70’s and never released. LISTEN
LEFTOVERS: VIRGIN BIRTH
Experts at the St. Louis Zoo can’t figure out how a 62-year-old python laid seven eggs despite not having come in contact with a male in 20 years. The zoo says this type of ball python is technically able to reproduce asexually, but it’s very rare that a snake so old would be capable of reproducing at all, let alone without a mate. AP
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