Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, October 16, 2020:

SPLIT-SCREEN ELECTION

President Trump and Joe Biden mostly stayed on the opposing political tracks they’ve been running on for the last few months at two dueling town hall appearances on NBC and ABC. The president again refused to denounce QAnon, questioned the effectiveness of masks and the legitimacy of the election, but did appear to commit to a peaceful transfer of power for the first time, part of a contentious rapid-fire back-and-forth with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie. Biden was pressed by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on what he would have done differently in the pandemic and his position on packing the Supreme Court. (Biden said he’d give an answer on that question before the election.) AP

SOCIAL MEDIA POLITICAL CONTENT

Twitter has reversed course on a controversial policy that banned users from posting links to hacked materials, admitting it was overly broad and could do harm to journalists and whistleblowers. Joe Biden’s national press secretary told Cheddar that Twitter’s decision to block the sharing of a disputed New York Post article about the candidate and his son was evidence that the allegations in and of themselves are false: WATCH

COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

COVID cases in the U.S. are fast approaching a third peak, led by states like Alaska, Minnesota and Wisconsin that have officials worried about a lack of ICU beds in rural areas. Deaths are, for now, staying relatively flat, at around 800 a day. Dr. Fauci is warning that the country must get its baseline caseload down significantly before the winter. Canada will keep its border with the U.S. closed until America gets cases under control. USA TODAY

MEXICAN GENERAL ARRESTED

Mexico’s former defense minister was arrested at LAX last night by federal agents working on behalf of the DEA. Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda is the highest-ranking Mexican official to be detained on U.S. soil on drug and corruption charges. Mexico’s military generals have generally been considered untouchable -- at least in Mexico -- as the army is one of the few institutions in the country that has broad public support. NPR

YOUTUBE QANON CRACKDOWN

Google is the latest tech giant to crack down QAnon, banning any content related to the conspiracy movement that threatens real-world violence from YouTube. Journalists who cover QAnon say that YouTube has played the biggest role of any platform in moving the group from the fringes into the mainstream, as YouTube videos are often cross-posted to Facebook, where they spread like wildfire. CBS NEWS

IPHONE PREORDERS

Preorders for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro open today, with the devices shipping next week. The cheapest phone in this release is $800, but the big carriers are offering different trade-in promotions: SEE THEM

PLAYOFF BASEBALL

The Braves answered the Dodgers historic win in Game 3 of the NLCS with their own offensive clinic in Game 4, winning 10-2 and putting L.A. on the brink again. Game 5 is tonight, preceded by Game 6 of the ALCS, where the Rays will look to close out the Astros. CBS SPORTS 

SPOTTED...

...Timothée Chalamet, on the cover of the new issue of GQ. The heartthrob debunks the conspiracy theories about those infamous paparazzi photos of he and ex-girlfriend Lily-Rose Depp in deep make-out mode being staged: READ THE COVER STORY

TONY NOMS

The Tony nominations have been announced, even though we still don’t know when -- or how -- the award show will take place. Jagged Little Pill, based on the Alanis Morissette album, notched 15 nominations to lead the Best Musical race. Slave Play scored 12 nominations, the most ever for a play. The nominations come amid the biggest crisis in the history of theater, with nearly all productions shut down indefinitely. BROADWAY WORLD

LEFTOVERS: CLOSE CALL

An old Soviet satellite and a piece of a decommissioned Chinese rocket came within feet of each other overnight, averting a major collision that astronomers had worried could have set off a wave of space debris into low-Earth orbit. The issue of space junk is real: NASA has been ringing alarm bells for years, saying the amount of stuff in orbit -- from human waste to rocket stages -- is already creating hazards for spacecraft launches, operational satellites and the ISS. BBC

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
Alkaline Water Hopes to 'Glom Onto' CBD Craze with Infused Beverage Promising No Benefits
CBD is the latest hot trend in wellness ー and Alkaline Water Company is jumping aboard with a new CBD-infused water. "We just see that as a market we can take right onto, and glom onto," Alkaline Water Company CEO Ricky Wright told Cheddar on Tuesday. "We already have a lifestyle health product in alkaline water ー we see that as a natural extension."
Cannabis is 'Greatest Growth Opportunity in Our Lifetime,' Vertical Wellness CEO Says
Cannabis is about to experience its biggest year yet, according to the CEO of Vertical Wellness ー but 2020 promises even more growth for the industry. "2019 is going to be the biggest year in history, until we get to 2020," Smoke Wallin, CEO of Vertical Wellness, told Cheddar Tuesday. "When you're on an exponential growth curve, every year is going to be giant. But this year is going to be bigger than any year before."
Vuori CEO Is Betting That Athleisure Is Here to Stay
When Lululemon ($LULU) almost single-handedly pushed the athleisure trend into the mainstream, it seemed a passing fad, at best, that regular consumers would spend upwards of $90 or $100 on workout clothes. But years later, Lulu is going strong and new entrants in the space are betting there's even more runway left in pricey nylon leggings. Vuori is one of those brands making a big bet that athleisure is not so much a trend as it is the future of casual wear.
Lifetime Explores 'Grittier' Side of Women in 'Love You to Death': Star Marcia Gay Harden
"Love You to Death," a movie about a real-life case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy and matricide, is just the latest example of Lifetime's recent ventures into "grittier" stories for women, Academy Award Winning actress Marcia Gay Harden told Cheddar on Tuesday. "We are moving away from a docile type of portrayal of women and we're going deeper, we're going darker, we're going grittier, we're going into what really it is to be a woman ー and not the presentation of, or the idea of ー and I think Lifetime is right there with that," Harden said.
Sober January Inspires Beverage Makers To Expand Non-Alcoholic Offerings
Dry -- or sober -- January has become an annual tradition for many, and beverage companies are taking notice. Some distilleries are starting to offer non-alcoholic distilled offerings, and more restaurants are expanding their non-alcoholic selections. Ad Age editor Brian Braiker talked to Cheddar about the why people's tastes are starting to change.
Consumers Use Kayak More When Economic Times Are Tough, CEO Steve Hafner Says
Slowing economic growth may spell disaster for some businesses, but travel booking site Kayak tends to see more business when times are tough. "When we enter a recession, prices come down and so, as a result, services like Kayak get used more frequently as consumers try to find those deals," Kayak CEO Steve Hafner told Cheddar on Tuesday. The International Monetary Fund on Monday downgraded its forecast for global economic growth, sparking fears of a global slowdown. But Hafner said Kayak managed to grow through the last major recession, and he feels good about its prospects moving forward. "It was a bad one, but we grew right through it and I suspect this would be no different than that," he said.
How Cloud9's Marketing VP Is Bringing Mainstream Brands Like Puma to Esports
Cloud9 has been dubbed the most valuable esports company in the world by Forbes Magazine ー a title that is thanks, at least in part, to the organization's powerhouse VP of marketing, Eunice Chen. Chen is an esports vet who has worked for industry stalwart Riot Games and even runs her own tournament production company, Heroeshype. In an interview with Cheddar Sports, she said, "there are always different ways we can break into new markets in esports and beyond."
Oscar Nominations: Netflix Graduates from Red Envelopes to Academy Award Envelopes
"Roma," director Alfonso Cuarón's black-and-white opus detailing life growing up in 1970s Mexico, delivered the first chance at a Best Picture statute for the streaming giant as nominations were announced Tuesday morning. Even if it doesn't win, the nomination marks a significant milestone for a company that has upended just about every aspect of the content and distribution model in Hollywood.
William Jackson Harper Didn't Expect to Break Barriers on 'The Good Place'
"The Good Place," NBC's beloved comedy that continually asks its characters to examine their morality while navigating the afterlife, boasts big-name cast members like Kristen Bell and Ted Danson. But it's actor William Jackson Harper, who plays the indecisive and anxiety-ridden Chidi Anagonye, who has captured fans' hearts ー and the heart of Bell's character, Eleanor Shellstop.
Load More