Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, August 7, 2020:

COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: The State Dept. has lifted its global ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory that has been in place for the past four months, saying it will issue alerts on a country-by-country basis. American travelers still face travel restrictions that keep them from traveling to many countries. The governor of Ohio tested positive for COVID-19 just before he was set to meet President Trump -- but then tested negative several hours later, illustrating the convoluted testing landscape that’s still in place across the country. NY TIMES

TIKTOK EXECUTIVE ORDER: President Trump signed two executive orders that give Chinese social media apps TikTok and WeChat 45 days before they are banned in the U.S. over national security concerns. That effectively starts the clock for Microsoft to complete an acquisition of TikTok. CNN

PEOPLE VS. NRA: New York’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit against the NRA, alleging that CEO Wayne LaPierre and other top officials drained the gun lobby of $64 million over years, using the money to fund their own lavish lifestyles. At a news conference, AG Letitia James said she wants the NRA to be dissolved, citing a pattern of alleged  “brazen illegality,” and for LaPierre and others to be banned from working at other nonprofits. The NRA immediately counter sued, calling the suit a political stunt. NBC NEWS

REVISED HURRICANE FORECAST: The tropics are looking pretty quiet right now, but don’t expect it to last. NOAA has revised its forecast for the Atlantic hurricane season, now predicting 19 to 25 named storms to form this year (we’ve already had nine). NOAA has never before forecast up to 25 storms. After 21, forecasters will have to turn to the Greek alphabet for the names. PALM BEACH POST

HISTORY MADE AT VATICAN: Pope Francis has appointed six women to the council that oversees the Vatican’s finances, the most senior roles at the Church ever given to females. Francis had pledged to elevate more women into top roles at the Vatican, which is dealing with a financial crisis made worse by the pandemic. GUARDIAN

CRITICAL JOBS REPORT: There will be a clearer picture of the delicate state of the economic recovery when the July jobs report is released this morning. Economists expect about 1.6 million jobs to have been added in the month, a far cry from the 4.8 million added in June. Other recent employment data suggests that may be a generous prediction, and some analysts say there may actually be a loss in jobs for the month. If the number is grim, it will put even more pressure on lawmakers to come to an agreement on a new rescue package. CNN

GENETICISTS, REJOICE: It’s apparently easier to rewrite the human genome than it is to rewrite Excel. A group of scientists in charge of standardizing the names of genes is changing some of their names, all because of how Microsoft Excel auto-formats data. For example, the gene ‘Membrane Associated Ring-CH-Type Finger 1’ is abbreviated as MARCH1, which Excel converts to the date March 1st. It’s a surprisingly common issue that has serious implications for published research. One study found a fifth of all genetics papers had these kinds of Excel errors. THE VERGE

NFL OPT OUTS: The deadline has passed for NFL players to advise their teams if they plan to opt out of the upcoming season. At least 66 players say they won’t be suiting up, citing the pandemic. The Patriots saw eight players opt out, the most of any team. Meanwhile, the players union says 56 players tested positive in the first rounding of testing since they returned to training camps. AP

KANYE PRESIDENTIAL BID: In his latest interview, Kanye West suggests his presidential bid is an effort to siphon votes from Joe Biden. The rapper tells Forbes that he’s “walking...to win.” When confronted with the fact that it would be impossible for him to win 270 electoral votes, he replied: “I’m not going to argue with you. Jesus is King.” GOP operatives, including a lawyer with ties to the Trump campaign, have been working to get West on the ballot in several swing states. FORBES

SPOTTED...

...French President Emmanuel Macron mobbed by crowds of people as he walked the streets of Beirut, offering to mobilize aid for the devastated city: SEE VID

...Eligible bachelor Bradley Cooper and newly single Jennifer Garner, hanging out on the beach in Malibu: SEE PICS

LEFTOVERS: DULL BLADES: Shower thought: if razor blades are made of steel, why do they get dull so quickly just from removing soft hair? Researchers at MIT were curious, so they put disposable razors under an electron microscope as they cut through strands of facial hair, and were shocked to find that the hairs were creating tiny chips in the blades. The more you shave, the more chips are created. Thus why you have to replace those blades so often. SEE THE EXPERIMENT IN ACTION

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
The Black Student Debt Crisis and the Racial Wealth Gap Divide
Student loan debt continues to be a major concern for tens of millions of Americans who collectively owe about $1.7 trillion. Black college students often take on larger amounts of student debt in order to pay for a higher education. In turn, they are more likely to struggle post-graduation with repaying their debt, creating a racial wealth gap divide. Andre Perry, senior fellow at Brookings Institution joined All Hands to help break down the black student debt crisis.
American Red Cross Calls for Donors Amid Worst Blood Shortage in Over a Decade
The American Red Cross has declared its first-ever "national blood crisis" in the United States. Since COVID hit the U.S. in March 2020, blood donations have declined by 10 percent. American Red Cross Medical Director, Dr. Baia Lasky joined Cheddar News to discuss the country facing the worst blood shortage in over a decade. Dr. Lasky noted that as much as 40 percent of Americans are eligible to donate blood but only about 4 percent do so. "This is going to be ongoing," she said. "This is not an acute shortage. We really do need the commitment of people to come out and donate and donate again." Appointments to donate can be made by using the Red Cross Donor App, at RedCrossBlood.org, or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
'Soil' Funding for Black Female Founders; Bringing West African Culture to Grocery Stores
On this episode of ChedHER: Co-Founder of VC firm CaJE breaks down how she's creating a new era of venture capital and empowering Black women with 'soil' funding to start and grow their businesses; AYO Foods Co-Founder discusses how the brand is bringing West African cuisine to the frozen food industry and building a grocery aisle her daughters can be proud of; Chief Marketing & Customer Experience Officer at Chase Auto talks her experience being a woman of color in the auto industry, and why transportation is so important to financial freedom.
How Transportation Can be Key to Financial Freedom
Renée Horne, chief marketing and customer experience officer at Chase Auto, joins ChedHER to discuss her experience being a woman of color in the auto industry and why transportation is so important to financial freedom.
How This Black Female Founder is Creating a New Era of Venture Capital
Crystal Etienne, Founder and CEO of period apparel company Ruby Love and Co-Founder of VC firm CaJE, joins ChedHER to discuss her experience bootstrapping her company to $10 million, and how she's creating a new era of venture capital and empowering Black women with 'soil' funding to start and grow their businesses.
Load More