5 things to know for September 11: Coronavirus, election, protests, wildfires, Lesbos

Today is the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. As we face yet another world-changing tragedy in the pandemic, here’s what we might learn from that dark day 19 years ago.

Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

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1. Coronavirus 

About 30 US states are seeing decreases in new Covid-19 cases, but Dr. Anthony Fauci warns things will probably get worse this fall and winter, and Americans should prepare to “hunker down.” That may mean eating out less: A new study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds adults who tested positive for the coronavirus were about twice as likely to have reported dining at a restaurant in the days before becoming ill. The CDC has also updated its estimated death rate statistics. Overall, the death rate for Covid-19 is less than 1% for everyone but people over 70. But those proportions rise dramatically if people are hospitalized. The CDC also calculates that 40% of Covid-19 cases are asymptomatic, but remember, those people can still pass the virus on to others.

2. Election 2020

Russian, Chinese and Iranian hackers have all tried their hand at compromising people and organizations involved in the 2020 US presidential election. This alarming news was announced by Microsoft, and top US cybersecurity officials were quick to confirm that no election systems have actually been thwarted. Microsoft says the same Russian entities partially responsible for 2016 attacks on the Democratic presidential campaign were also involved in recent attempts. Meanwhile, President Trump’s campaign is still trying to discount the safety of mail-in voting by grilling local elections officials in swing states on everything from vote counting to ballot storage to volunteer vetting.

3. Police violence 

Major decisions in three prominent incidents of police violence could be coming soon. In Louisville, Kentucky, a grand jury was empaneled this week to investigate the March police shooting of Breonna Taylor. The state attorney general says a charging decision should come soon. New York’s attorney general will soon form a grand jury to probe Daniel Prude’s death in Rochester police custody. Prude died in March, and the release of police bodycam video last week led to the suspension of seven officers and allegations of a cover-up. Finally, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the shooting of Jacob Blake is being investigated by state and federal officials. A state Justice Department report due September 22 will determine whether charges are appropriate.

4. Wildfires

Massive wildfires burning in the western US have killed at least 15 people and enshrouded the region in a suffocating haze. Several new fires have cropped up in California, stoked by strong winds. In Oregon, the small cities of Phoenix and Talent, home to about 11,000 people combined, have been largely reduced to ash. Overall, more than 100 fires are still active, and more than 4 million acres of land has been burned. A continent away, wildfires are still ravaging the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. Last month, 29,307 fires were recorded in the area, and scientists worry the rainforest may be approaching the point of no return.

Check your local forecast here>>>

5. Greece

France and Germany have joined forces to help migrants from the Greek island of Lesbos after Europe’s largest refugee camp burned to the ground this week. The Moria camp was home to an estimated 13,000 people, about six times its maximum capacity of 2,200 people. More than 400 of the camp’s residents were unaccompanied children. Now that these people have been displaced once again, French President Emmanuel Macron says he and the German government are trying to get as many European countries as possible involved in resettling them. The fire was allegedly started by people upset at recent coronavirus precautions enacted at the camp.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

The NFL is back. Here’s what happened during the national anthems

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL (and national conversations about patriotism, social justice and their place in one of America’s most beloved sports)?!

Here are some of the most outrageous things the world’s super-rich have asked for on vacation 

Forget the $300,000 dinners, imagine being rich and powerful enough to just summon a penguin.

13 coffins thought to have mummies were discovered after 2,500 years in an Egyptian well

Oh, no no no. This is 2020, and we don’t trust anything anymore. Leave those things ALONE. 

Starbucks is fully transitioning from straws to long-awaited sippy cup lids 

That’s “strawless lids,” if you want to make it sound more grown-up.

Robots won’t take away our jobs. They will make work safer and more efficient

Sounds like something a robot would say … 

THIS JUST IN …

Britain reaches trade deal with Japan

The newly inked free trade agreement is the UK’s first with a major economy since leaving the European Union earlier this year. The UK is racing to finalize dozens of trade deals with countries before its transitional agreement with the EU expires at the end of the year.

IN MEMORIAM

Paying tribute to a stage and screen legend

Diana Rigg, the British actress whose decadeslong career spanned 1960s spy series “The Avengers,” classical theater and “Game of Thrones,” has died at age 82.

TODAY’S NUMBER

15,025

That’s how many apartments remained vacant last month in Manhattan, a new record as people continue to leave the city due to the coronavirus. For perspective, that represents about 5% of all apartments in the area, and the vacancy rate is usually around 1.5% to 2.5%.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“Stony the road we trod,

Bitter the chastening rod,

Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;

Yet with a steady beat,

Have not our weary feet

Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?”

The opening lines of the second verse of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black national anthem. It’s being played before the opening games of the NFL season, and the lyrics are rich with meaning. Here’s a history and analysis of the powerful song.

AND FINALLY

Hydroplaning dolphins! 

May you approach the weekend with the same vigor and enthusiasm as these dolphins. (Click here to view.)