Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, September 10, 2020:
THE WOODWARD TAPES
Earlier this year, when President Trump was downplaying the threat of the coronavirus, he was privately acknowledging to a journalist that the virus was far more serious than he was letting on in public. As early as Feb. 7, Trump was telling the veteran reporter Bob Woodward that the pathogen was airborne and much deadlier than the flu, even as he was publicly saying it would “disappear” and “all work out fine.” Woodward spoke to the president and other White House insiders on the record, and on tape, for a new book. The book includes reporting that two of Trump’s top aides thought he was “dangerous” and “unfit” and considered speaking out. But the most damning parts come from the president himself, on tape, acknowledging the severity of the coronavirus in private while brushing it off in public. LISTEN TO A CLIP
FIRE IN THE SKY
A wildfire northeast of San Francisco has exploded in size, growing some 250,000 acres in a day and forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes. The smoke from the Bear Fire mixed with fog, casting downtown San Fran in an apocalyptic orange glow. The town of Paradise, which was destroyed in the state’s worst fire two years ago, is once again under threat. At least seven people have died in the fires across California, Oregon and Washington and fierce winds are expected to continue to drive the unprecedented infernos. Residents in San Francisco posted ominous photos of the sun completely blotted out by smoke. SEE PICS
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
New York City restaurants will be able to resume indoor dining at 25 percent capacity on Sept. 30, a significant marker for the one-time epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic that has now kept infection rates well below 1 percent for weeks. The UK will ban gatherings of more than six people starting next week after seeing a resurgence of infections. Europe’s largest refugee camp was completely destroyed in a fire set by residents who were upset at having to quarantine. NBC NY
IRAQ TROOP DRAWDOWN
The Pentagon will cut the number of troops currently stationed in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000 this month. That drawdown has been expected for a while; U.S. troops in Afghanistan are also expected to be cut in half ahead of a planned complete exit by next April as part of a deal with the Taliban. CNN
TALE OF TWO RETAIL SECTORS
JCPenney had reached a deal to sell its stores and remaining assets to two mall operators, Simon and Brookfield, averting a liquidation of the once-popular department-store chain. Separately, the luxury giant LVMH is pulling out of its planned acquisition of Tiffany, citing U.S. tariffs on French goods. With brick-and-mortar retailers from Tiffany to Penney either struggling or altogether bankrupt, e-commerce continues to boom: Amazon says it now has 33,000 salaried job openings across the company. NY TIMES
TIKTOK SALE IN DOUBT
TikTok parent company ByteDance is reportedly in discussions with the federal government on a deal that would avoid a full sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations. President Trump’s self-imposed deadline for a TikTok ban is fast approaching and negotiations for a forced sale to some combination of Microsoft, Walmart and Oracle are said to have gotten harder after China banned companies from exporting A.I. tech that may have included TikTok’s algorithms. WSJ
BACK TO FOOTBALL
The NFL season opens tonight with the defending champions Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Houston Texans. Around 15,000 fans will be in attendance at Arrowhead Stadium for the 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff. The game will be on ABC. YAHOO SPORTS
'DUNE' TRAILER
The first trailer for one of the most anticipated movies of the holiday season has finally dropped. Dune, based on the epic sci-fi novel, stars Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac and Zendaya and is directed by Denis Villeneuve, who did Arrival and the Blade Runner sequel. Dune is on the schedule for a Dec. 18 release but there are rumors it will be pushed until next year: WATCH
OSCAR DIVERSITY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences is getting both praise and criticism after it unveiled new diversity and inclusion rules for any film that wants to be considered for Best Picture at the Oscars. Starting in 2024, movies will have to meet certain requirements for both onscreen and behind-the-scenes roles filled by people from underrepresented groups. Actress Kirstie Alley slammed the rules as “dictatorial and anti-artist,” while the Academy says its trying to reflect the diversity in Hollywood. FORBES
LEFTOVERS: WORLD'S BIGGEST PHOTO
The typical high-end smartphone camera has 12 megapixels. Now imagine a camera with nearly 300 times the resolution. Government scientists have snapped the world’s first-ever 3,200-megapixel (3.2 billion pixel) digital photos from a camera that will be the centerpiece of a new observatory in Chile. The car-sized camera will take pictures of the southern night sky every few days for 10 years, capturing parts of the universe never before seen. You can check out the first test images, though you’d need a display made up of 378 ultra-high-def flatscreen TVs to see the photos in their full resolution: SEE THEM ANYWAY
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