Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, August 11, 2020:
COVID-19: TRAVEL WRAP
DEVELOPING: Russia says it has an approved coronavirus vaccine, despite not having completed clinical trials. Putin says the vaccine works "effectively enough."
Slowly but surely, travelers are returning to the skies. The TSA says more than 800,000 people crossed a security checkpoint on Sunday, the highest rate since March 17. The agency also says it is confiscating three times the number of guns from travelers. President Trump is reportedly considering banning re-entry into the U.S. by American citizens who authorities have reason to believe are infected with the coronavirus. Americans and legal residents have been exempted from rules barring people from coming into the country. NY TIMES
CHICAGO LOOTING: The day after Chicago police arrested more than 100 people for looting and vandalism along the city’s famous Magnificent Mile, the mayor said the crowd was not among those peacefully protesting, and described their actions as “straight-up felony criminal conduct.” In a dramatic scene, the city briefly lifted the drawbridges over the Chicago River that connect to downtown -- and access to downtown was restricted again last night. The police say 13 officers were injured in clashes. The violence appears to have started after misinformation and rumors spread around the city regarding a police shooting. CHICAGO TRIB
DERECHO! A line of severe thunderstorms with unusually high winds, known as a derecho, caused significant damage as it tore through the Midwest. Wind gusts of 112 mph -- the equivalent of a Cat 2 hurricane -- were clocked in Chicago. The derecho gathered strength over Iowa before moving across the Great Lakes, leaving about a million customers without power. (Meanwhile, there’s still 50,000 people without power in the New York area after Tropical Storm Isaias last week). ACCUWEATHER
LEBANON GOV'T QUITS: The prime minister of Lebanon and his cabinet resigned en masse, bowing to public anger over the explosion last week that killed 160 people. The president of Lebanon, Michel Aoun, has asked the government to stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet can be formed. Lebanon’s government is organized through a power-sharing structure that’s supposed to give leadership positions to different religious factions, but is widely blamed for creating paralysis and corruption. NPR
MICKEY D'S SUES EX-CEO: McDonald’s has filed a lawsuit against its former CEO, eight months after he was fired for having an inappropriate, but consensual, relationship with a subordinate. Steve Easterbrook left the Golden Arches with a $40 million golden parachute, which the company is now trying to recoup. In the suit, McDonald’s alleges that Easterbrook had relationships with three employees, gave one stock options, and committed fraud in the process. CNBC
QANON'S MASSIVE FOLLOWING: Millions of Facebook users follow or belong to thousands of groups affiliated with the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to the results of a leaked internal investigation. The QAnon community has grown exponentially in recent years, helped by Facebook’s algorithms and recommendation engine. The social media giant is considering what, if any, action to take against the group, as well as other extremist communities that populate the platform. NBC NEWS
CAN COLLEGE FOOTBALL BE SAVED? College football’s star players are leading the charge to play this fall, and President Trump has inserted himself into the debate via Twitter. The president retweeted a post from Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, who has been vocal about his desire to get back on the field, and tweeted: "Play College Football!". None of the major conferences have made a decision about what to do. ESPN
'SAVED BY THE BELL' PEEK: One school that is definitely reopening its doors in the fall: Bayside High. Peacock dropped a new teaser for its Saved by the Bell reboot, which stars Jesse Spano as Bayside’s guidance counselor and Zack Morris as the governor of California, plus a new cast of students: WATCH
SPOTTED...a gigantic snake, slithering along a NYC subway platform at about the speed of a rush hour 6 train. Social media users identified the reptile as a non-venomous black eastern rat snake, which are mostly harmless (unless you’re a rat): SEE IT
LEFTOVERS: THE BIG ONE: A swarm of small earthquakes along California’s border with Mexico is being closely monitored by seismologists. It’s the fourth time in recorded history that the area has become suddenly active, and officials say it could increase the likelihood of a major earthquake along the San Andreas fault. The southern San Andreas produces a catastrophic quake about once every 250 years -- the last one was in the 1600s. LA TIMES
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