These are the headlines you Need2Know:
* **First Transgender Candidate for Governor:**
Vermont has made history by selecting Christine Hallquist, a transgender woman, to be the Democratic nominee for governor. This is the first time in the U.S. a transgender person has been nominated by a major party for governor. For more on Hallquist's politics, [click here](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/08/15/christine-hallquist-wins-vermont-primary-becoming-first-openly-transgender-major-party-nominee-for-governor/).
* **Pennsylvania Reports on Church Sex Abuse:**
A grand jury report found that hundreds of Roman Catholic priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses molested more than 1,000 children over decades ー and senior church officials systematically covered it up. The Pennsylvania attorney general says the dioceses kept "secret archives" documenting the widespread sexual abuse. Read the story, [here](https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Pennsylvania-Catholic-Church-Child-Sex-Abuse-Report-Grand-Jury-490837551.html).
* **Twitter Suspends Alex Jones:**
The far-right conspiracy theorist and creator of Infowars has been banned from tweeting and can't produce content on the social platform for seven days. Jones's page won't be taken down, but he can't post, retweet, or favorite others' tweets. Twitter said that Jones violated its rules when he posted a link to a video that called for supporters to get their “battle rifles” ready to use against the news media and other critics. Last week, Apple, Facebook, Spotify, and Youtube took down some of Jones's content. For more, [click here](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/aug/15/twitter-suspends-infowars-alex-jones-abuse).
* **Sarah Huckabee Sanders Apologizes for Jobs Claim:**
The White House Press Secretary said Tuesday that President Trump created three times as many jobs for African-American workers during his time in office than President Obama did in two full terms. Bloomberg News fact- checked her statement with Labor Department data, showing Sanders's claim was way off. She later [tweeted](https://twitter.com/presssec/status/1029536929342214144) a correction and apologized for the inaccurate statistic, but defended the administration for creating 700,000 jobs for African-Americans. For more on the jobs figures, [click here](https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/14/politics/sarah-sanders-african-american-jobs-trump-obama/index.html).
Cheddar's Jill Wagner gets into the latest.
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Russian lawmakers have given President Vladimir Putin a military force authorization in Ukraine, and President Biden has described Putin's announcement declaring the independence of two provinces within Ukraine and his subsequent deployment of peacekeepers as tantamount to "invasion. David Tafuri, a former Obama campaign foreign policy advisor and Bush State Department official, joined Cheddar News to discuss. "The Ukrainian military occupies more than 70 percent of those provinces still," Tafuri said, noting Putin alleged having a responsibility to defend those regions. "This would put Ukrainian forces and Russian forces right at each other engaged. And that might be how the war starts."
The major indexes ended Tuesday's session sharply lower due to escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Bill Stone, Chief Investment Officer at The Glenview Trust Company, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he reminds viewers that Wall Street doesn't like uncertainty, and more of the recent losses are due to geopolitics than inflation.
Karim Hijazi, CEO of Prevailion, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says that crypto's decentralized nature will pose obstacles for the FBI's new crypto unit, but it will also make progress with items such as managing fraudulent exchanges.
The Retail Industry Leaders Association released a report alleging the safety risks, economic losses, and potential job losses they link to a surge in shoplifting crimes in the United States. Lisa LaBruno, senior EVP of retail operations at the trade organization, joined Cheddar News to discuss the impact of websites that allow for the resale of unverified goods and passing the INFORM Consumers Act to stamp it out. “We need to hold the online marketplaces accountable for being a favored venue for criminals to resell stolen product," LaBruno said. "And that is exactly what the INFORM Act is designed to do."
The East-West faceoff over Ukraine has escalated dramatically, with Russian lawmakers authorizing President Vladimir Putin to use military force outside his country and President Biden and European leaders responding by slapping sanctions on Russian oligarchs and banks.
Stocks closed broadly lower Tuesday after Russia sent forces into Ukraine’s eastern region and the U.S., European Union and U.K. responded with economic sanctions.
President Biden says he’s “convinced” that Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to launch a further invasion of Ukraine, saying Friday he has “reason to believe” it will occur in the "coming days."
