Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, August 20, 2021:
KABUL AIRLIFT
President Biden will address the nation again this afternoon to give an update on the efforts to get Americans and their Afghan allies out of Afghanistan. The U.S. is struggling to expedite the Kabul airlift now that the Taliban has started checkpoints at the airport, spooking Afghans who worked with the U.S. from trying to get in over fears they will be targeted for retribution. Thousands of people have congregated outside the airport hoping to get through. One of those who made it onto the tarmac on Monday and died trying to cling to the side of a C-17 as it took off has been identified as Zaki Anwari, a soccer player with Afghanistan’s national youth team. He was 17. NY TIMES
DELTA LATEST
Three fully vaccinated U.S. senators have tested positive for COVID, adding to the number of breakthrough infections on Capitol Hill. All three are said to be experiencing mild symptoms. In Florida, a growing number of school districts are defying Gov. Ron DeSantis’ ban on mask mandates, while Texas won’t enforce its ban because of court challenges. Meanwhile, some U.S. manufacturers of PPE are saying they’re not prepared to meet the new surge in demand for masks after laying off workers and idling production lines during the lull in the pandemic. CHEDDAR
HENRI EYES NEW ENGLAND
There’s an increasing chance that Tropical Storm Henri could threaten the Northeast, potentially as a Cat 1 hurricane. Henri is still fairly disorganized as it churns about 500 miles off the coast of North Carolina, but the latest models have it strengthening into a hurricane today as it moves north. Eastern Long Island and southern New England could see tropical storm force winds by early Sunday, with a possible landfall Sunday night. If Henri makes landfall as a hurricane, it would be the first time that’s happened in New England since Bob came ashore in 1991. TRACK
STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS
The Biden administration is discharging $5.8 billion worth of federal student loans held by borrowers with disabilities. The Dept. of Education announced it will erase the outstanding loans of 323,000 people who have “total and permanent” disabilities, and make it easier for borrowers with those disabilities to qualify for the relief in the future. Many disabled Americans are already entitled to student loan relief if their disabilities keep them from working, but they had to proactively seek it out. Now, it will be automatically applied. NPR
AMAZON DEPARTMENT STORES
Amazon is continuing its push into brick-and-mortar retail with plans to open several large-format physical locations akin to department stores. The first of the Amazon department stores are reportedly slated to open in California and Ohio and will be about 30,000 square feet -- smaller than a typical mall department store but much larger than Amazon’s other retail locations. The stores are expected to stock items from top brands as well as Amazon’s in-house lines and will also allow customers to exchange items they ordered online. WSJ
FACEBOOK PR BLITZ
Facebook is kicking off a major new PR push, including the launch of a new “transparency report” that shows what the platform says are the most-visited pages and posts. That’s a response to the frequent criticism that Facebook’s most-popular content is often coming from far-right sources. The company is also launching a new app called “Horizon Workrooms” that turns video calls into immersive meetings that you can attend in virtual reality -- what Mark Zuckerberg is calling the first step of the “metaverse.” The big reveal came just as the FTC announced it had refiled its landmark antitrust lawsuit against Facebook after an earlier version was dismissed. THE VERGE
SEX DOESN'T SELL
OnlyFans, the adult-oriented subscription platform, will start banning sexually explicit content in October. OnlyFans creators will still be allowed to post nude imagery consistent with the site’s terms of service, but nothing more graphic. The hammer comes down as OnlyFans is trying to raise money from VC firms at a valuation of more than $1 billion. The site has amassed 130 million users, many of whom are drawn by the sex workers the site is now shutting out. BLOOMBERG
HOST IN JEOPARDY!
Mike Richards, the new Jeopardy! host, is apologizing again, this time after clips resurfaced from a podcast he hosted in 2013 and 2014 in which Richards made disparaging comments about women, Jews and mentally disabled people. Those podcasts have been taken down, but The Ringer listened to all 41 episodes and detailed the specific comments Richards is now apologizing for: READ IT
SPOTTED...
… Ashton Kutcher, promoting his and Mila Kunis’ new wine brand, complete with a fake French accent: WATCH
...Elon Musk’s latest plaything, dubbed the Tesla Bot, a humanoid robot that will use Tesla’s A.I. system to complete “dangerous, repetitive, boring tasks”: SEE IT
...a 25-foot rubber duck that's been floating in a Maine harbor. No one knows who put it there or why, but the locals seem to like it: SEE IT
LEFTOVERS: SOBER SKIES
American Airlines is extending its ban on alcohol sales for passengers in coach through January, in line with the TSA’s extended mask mandate. First-class passengers will still be able to order booze. The move comes as the FAA says it has levied a record $1 million in fines for unruly passengers so far this year. Nearly 3,900 formal complaints of bad passenger behavior have been lodged since January. In a normal year, the FAA gets about 100. ABC NEWS
**LOVE **HATE **ATE
One thing we love: Going down the rabbit hole of sleep playlists on Spotify. This one from the composer Max Richter is our go-to for when it’s time to nod out.
One thing we hate: The Apple TV remote. Breathe on this thing and the channel changes, not to mention it was built to get lost in the couch cushions. Sometimes less really is less.
One thing we ate: Chicken parm on a roll and a large fountain Diet Coke. A time-tested hangover cure that’s best consumed while still in bed.
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!
