Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, September 16, 2020:
CLIMATE CHANGE
HURRICANE: Sally is making landfall this morning near Gulf Shores, Ala., after shifting eastward on her crawl toward land. The storm has been moving at about 2 mph, bringing prolonged torrential rain to the coast -- up to 35 inches in some places. Sally is expected to pick up speed and weaken today. TRACK
FIRES: Firefighters in L.A. are working to beat back a wildfire that has come within 500 feet of the historic Mt. Wilson Observatory. The air from Seattle to San Francisco has now been among the most polluted on Earth for a week, and the haze has settled over much of the continent. Firefighters have been making progress, but there’s still no rain in sight. AFP
BIRDS: Wildlife experts in New Mexico can’t figure out why birds -- possibly by the hundreds of thousands -- keep falling out of the sky. Multiple agencies are looking into the cause; some theories are that the birds are dying because of drought, a recent cold front, or the smoke from the wildfires. NBC NEWS
ABRAHAM ACCORDS
In a major foreign policy win for President Trump, leaders from Israel, Bahrain and the UAE officially agreed to formalize diplomatic relations in a signing ceremony at the White House. Known as the Abraham Accords, the agreement is still vague but will involve the three countries setting up embassies with one another. Israel had already established an unofficial relationship with some Gulf countries, mostly as a way to counter Iran. But the accord makes it official with two of them, and could lead more Arab nations to join. POLITICO
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
President Trump participated in an ABC News Town Hall, where he denied that he downplayed the coronavirus, contradicting his own words to Bob Woodward. He said the U.S. response has been “tremendous” and cast doubt on the efficacy of masks. In NYC, there are slight signs that the virus is reemerging: positive infection rates broke 1 percent for the first time in over a month, NYU had to lock down a dorm after four freshmen tested positive, and JPMorgan sent some employees home after a positive case on the trading floor, less than a week after they came back to the office. BLOOMBERG
BREONNA TAYLOR SETTLEMENT
The city of Louisville, Ky. will pay the family of Breonna Taylor $12 million in a legal settlement over her death, one of the largest ever for a Black victim of a police shooting. The settlement also requires that the city enact certain police reforms, including a rule that supervisors have to sign off on search warrants. Taylor was killed by Louisville police officers executing a no-knock warrant on her apartment in March. The incident remains under investigation by both the city and the feds and no criminal charges have been brought thus far. COURIER JOURNAL
APPLE REVEAL
Apple unveiled a slew of new hardware and software products, including a new entry-level iPad, new iPad Air, two new Apple Watches, a fitness service for Watch users and a three-tiered bundle that puts Apple Music, iCloud and other recurring services under one subscription. The services bundle is already facing criticism that it’s anti-competitive. Spotify immediately blasted the bundle as something that will “cause irreparable harm to the developer community.” Here’s everything Apple announced: CHEDDAR
FACEBOOK FREEZE
Kim Kardashian West is freezing her Facebook and Instagram accounts for 24 hours as a way to draw attention to the #StopHateforProfit campaign. Kardashian, among the highest-profile individual users to sign onto the protest, says the Facebook-owned platforms “continue to allow the spreading of hate, propaganda and misinformation.” THE VERGE
COMEBACK FOR THE AGES
The Denver Nuggets have made history as the first NBA team to come back from a 3-1 deficit twice in one postseason. After coming back to beat the Jazz in the first round, the Nuggets prevailed over the Clippers last night to punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals. Denver has won six straight elimination games and is the first team ever to stage three straight double-digit comeback wins in the playoffs. ESPN
MADONNA THE MOVIE
Madonna will direct and co-write her own definitive biopic for Universal Pictures, an unusual creative setup for an A-list star. The music icon will write the script with Diablo Cody, who won an Oscar for penning Juno. No details yet on casting or a production timeline. VARIETY
SPOTTED...
Derek Jeter’s Tampa Bay mansion, on the market for $29 million. Jeter had been renting the 30,000-square-foot estate to Tom Brady while he got situated with his new team, but the broker says Brady (or Gisele) won’t be around when they give tours. SEE PICS
LEFTOVERS: GIVING WHILE LIVING
One of the greatest runs of philanthropic giving has come to an end. Chuck Feeney, a reclusive billionaire who founded Duty Free Shoppers, has officially given away all of his money to charity. Feeney closed his philanthropic organization after decades of high-impact donations to causes ranging from healthcare in Vietnam to anti-death penalty organizations. He anonymously gave away $8 billion in all, setting aside $2 million for his and his wife’s retirement -- meaning he’s donated 375,000 percent of his current net worth. Feeney, 89, says it’s more fun to give your money away while you’re still alive. FORBES
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