Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, September 3, 2020:

VACCINE OCTOBER SURPRISE?

The CDC has reportedly notified all 50 states to be prepared for a possible coronavirus vaccine approval for healthcare workers by Nov. 1. Dr. Fauci has been saying in interviews that if the data is overwhelmingly positive, the government could begin rolling out a vaccine to high-risk groups before clinical trials are done. Still, many are concerned that the CDC is being pressured to deliver a vaccine -- or even an announcement of a vaccine -- just before the election. POLITICO

SOCIAL UNREST

ROCHESTER: Protests erupted in Rochester, N.Y. overnight over the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died of asphyxiation a week after an encounter with the police back in March. Newly released body cam video shows officers putting a hood over Prude’s head and pressing his face into the pavement for two minutes. Officers had responded to a call from Prude’s brother, who said he was having a mental health breakdown. AP

CALIFORNIA: A police officer in northern California has been charged with manslaughter over the shooting death of Black man in a Walmart in April. The victim, Steven Taylor, was holding a baseball bat when Officer Jason Fletcher shot him less than a minute after appearing on scene. This comes amid protests over the police killing of another Black man in Los Angeles, Dijon Kizzee, who was shot by police after they say he dropped a gun. NY TIMES

KENOSHA: Joe Biden travels to Kenosha, Wis. today, where he will meet with the family of Jacob Blake. This will be Biden’s first trip to the swing state since becoming the Democratic nominee. The latest Fox News poll has Biden leading Trump by 8 points in Wisconsin. JOURNAL SENTINEL

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES

The presidential debates are coming sooner than you think. The first Biden-Trump debate will take place on Sept. 29 in Cleveland. The moderators for all four debates (three presidential, one VP) have been selected: Chris Wallace of Fox News will host the first, Steve Scully of C-SPAN the second, Kristen Welker of NBC News the third, and Susan Page of USA Today will handle the VP debate. ABC NEWS

NAVALNY POISONING

Germany says the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned “without a doubt” by a Soviet-era nerve agent called Novichok. That would, not surprisingly, be in contradiction with what Russian doctors said was a “blood sugar imbalance” that caused the Putin critic to fall seriously ill on a plane two weeks ago. Navalny remains in a medically induced coma in Germany but doctors do not think his life is in danger. GUARDIAN

DEBT TO OVERTAKE GDP

The total debt held by the U.S. government will exceed the size of the economy next year, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the first time that will happen since the year immediately following WWII. This year, the debt is expected to be 98 percent of total GDP. While deficits had already been rising under the Trump administration, the pandemic made them soar -- $3.3 trillion for this fiscal year. Still, most economists say governments shouldn’t worry about deficits in the midst of a severe downturn such as the one the U.S. is currently experiencing. CNN

TWITTER TRENDING TOPICS TWEAK

Twitter has started adding context in the form of pinned tweets and descriptions to its popular list of Trending Topics in an effort to help users understand why a certain phrase, name or meme is going viral. The Trending Topics feature has often been gamed by bots and trolls who use it as a clearinghouse to spread misinformation, conspiracy theories and hate speech. Activists and some Twitter employees have called on the company to get rid of the Trending Topics list altogether, or at least until after the election. THE VERGE

NBA PLAYOFFS

James Harden made a series-saving defensive play in the final seconds of an elimination game to lift Houston over OKC. Harden blocked a potential game-winning three from the Thunder’s Lu Dort with seconds left on the clock, one of the biggest plays of the postseason so far. The Rockets advance to face the Lakers in the second-round in the West. WATCH

'DWTS' CAST REVEALED

The lineup for the new season of Dancing with the Stars has been announced: AJ McLean, from the Backstreet Boys, the rapper Nelly and Tiger King breakout star Carole Baskin will be among the celebs on the floor for the 29th season, which premieres Sept. 14 on ABC. GMA

ROYAL NETFLIX DEAL

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have inked a major deal with Netflix that will have the former royal couple producing films, docs and children’s programming for the streamer. It’s unclear what Harry and Meghan are being paid, and it’s also not known how much either of them will appear on screen. Harry, Meghan and baby Archie now live in southern California full time after breaking from the House of Windsor. LA TIMES

LEFTOVERS: UP, UP AND AWAY

David Blaine’s latest live stunt, in which the magician floated across the Arizona desert hanging onto helium balloons, shattered YouTube’s record for an original live event, bringing in about 770,000 concurrent viewers at its peak. Blaine attached himself to a bundle of balloons and soared to 25,000 feet before he let go and parachuted safely back to Earth. If you missed it, you can rewatch the entire three-hour production: HERE

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!

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