Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, August 6, 2020:
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Chicago Public Schools will start the year all-virtual, leaving New York as the last major urban public school district in the U.S. planning for in-person classes. NYC, which is going on four days in a row with no virus deaths, is planning to set up checkpoints near bridges and tunnels to remind travelers coming from hot spots that they must self-quarantine or face hefty fines. In L.A., the city will start turning off the water and power at mansions that continue to host large house parties. BLOOMBERG
BEIRUT: WHAT HAPPENED? In 2013, a leaky Russian cargo ship carrying more than 2,000 tons of ammonium nitrate made a pit stop in Beirut on its way to Africa. The ship was abandoned by its owner, and its highly combustible cargo was transferred to a dockside warehouse, where it remained until this week. The explosion of that cargo on Tuesday killed more than 130 people and destroyed large parts of Beirut -- apparently the result of chronic negligence and incompetence on the part of Lebanese officials who knew of the risk. NY TIMES
CAMPAIGN WRAP: Neither political convention this year will include the typical arena-filled speech from the party’s respective candidate. Joe Biden isn’t going to Milwaukee to accept the nomination, saying he wants to set a good public health example, while President Trump is considering making his official re-election pitch from the White House lawn. Biden’s choice for VP is reportedly down to Susan Rice and Kamala Harris; he is expected to make the announcement any day. His campaign just made the biggest ad buy ever for a presidential candidate: $280 million across TV and digital through the fall, compared to Trump’s $147 million buy. AP
HIROSHIMA AT 75: Bells have already tolled today in Hiroshima, Japan, where a dwindling number of survivors are commemorating 75 years passing since the U.S. atomic bombing of that city. Known as hibakusha, the bombing’s survivors are fewer every year. They now face a world in which tensions between many of the world’s nuclear armed states are back on the rise after years of nonproliferation gains. Here are some of the first-hand accounts from the people who lived through that day 75 years ago: READ
FACEBOOK'S ANSWER TO TIKTOK: If you can’t beat ‘em, copy ‘em. Facebook has launched Reels, a video-sharing platform meant to take on TikTok. Reels lives within Instagram, giving it immediate exposure to the hundreds of millions of people who use that app every day. Facebook says Reels will focus on creators rather than just everyday users. AXIOS
NEW SAMSUNG PHONES: If you like having a big, high-end Android phone, Samsung just launched its new line of Galaxy Note devices. The Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra both run on 5G and feature a stylus. The top-of-the-line Note 20 Ultra has all the bells and whistles you’d expect for a smartphone that starts at $1,300. Both phones can be preordered today for shipment in two weeks. Samsung also released a new smartwatch, tablet and earbuds. THE VERGE
GOLF IS BACK: Ninety-one of the top 100 golfers in the world tee off today at the PGA Championship in San Francisco, three months after it was postponed due to the coronavirus. It’s the first golf major of the year, and will be played without fans. Among the storylines to watch: Brooks Koepka is looking to win his third straight PGA Championship; Rory McIlroy was playing some of the best golf of his life before the pandemic; and Tiger Woods will be looking to see if his bad back holds up. ESPN
ELLEN GETS BACKUP: Jay Leno, Diane Keaton and Ashton Kutcher are among the latest celebrities to throw public support behind Ellen DeGeneres as her talk show remains the subject of questions over whether she presided over a toxic and abusive workplace culture. Ellen’s brother, Vance, has also spoken out, calling his sister a “bright light in a dark world.” DEADLINE
SUMMERTIME SADNESS: Michelle Obama said on her latest podcast that she's been suffering from “low-grade depression” over the various crises roiling the country. The former first lady isn’t alone: in a survey last week, the Kaiser Foundation reported that a majority of American adults now say they believe the pandemic is taking a toll on their mental health. That number is significantly higher for people of color. SEE THE POLL
LEFTOVERS: VERY GOOD BOY: A police dog in Wales spotted a missing mother and her baby after they had become trapped in a ravine on the side of a mountain. And he did it on his first day of work. Max, a two-year-old German Shepherd who had just been licensed as an official police K-9, was called into service to aid the search and found the pair after an hour. They were OK. SKY
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