Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp adjusts his mask prior to a bill signing at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital where the hospital opened a new Emergency Room space, Thursday, July 16, 2020, in Marietta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, July 17, 2020:
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: The U.S. once again shattered its own record of new coronavirus cases: 77,000 on Thursday --14,000 of which were in Florida. In Miami Beach, the party scene on iconic Ocean Drive continues; worried that the Manhattan nightlife scene -- which has moved to the streets -- is getting out of control, Gov. Cuomo told bars in NYC they can no longer serve alcohol unless it’s accompanied by food, and all walk-up bar service will be shut down. Meanwhile, Georgia Gov. Brain Kemp is suing the mayor of Atlanta for defying his order and ordering everyone to wear masks. AP
COVID IN KIDS: In Florida, state data as of July 10 shows nearly one-in-three children who have been tested have been positive. Health officials are now worried that even kids who have mild or asymptomatic cases may be at risk of long-term damage. X-rays are showing lung damage in some children who don’t even get sick, and experts say it’s just not known whether that damage will become a chronic condition. SUN SENTINEL
RUSSIA HACKING VAX TRIALS: The U.S., UK and Canada say they have good evidence that Russian hackers are trying to steal Covid-19 vaccine research. The hacking group known as Cozy Bear, which intelligence agents believe is closely associated with the Kremlin, is said to be using spear-phishing and malware attacks to break into the systems of organizations working on various vaccine candidates. NPR
What a cute name for a group of Russian hackers.
SECOND STIMULUS?The battle over the next phase of economic stimulus is about to begin in earnest next week. The Senate is expected to release its version of a bill, which the House will then reject, at which point both chambers will begin negotiating. At stake: is there any more help coming for small businesses or the millions of Americans who were laid off or furloughed over the last four months? The $600/week enhanced unemployment benefits run out at the end of the month. USA TODAY
MORTGAGE RATES RECORD LOW: Mortgage rates are below 3 percent for the first time ever. The average rate on a 30-year fixed fell to 2.98 percent last week. The 15-year fixed fell to 2.48 percent. These are the lowest rates since Freddie Mac started surveying 50 years ago. The real-estate market is all over the place: record low rates are creating a frenzy for many buyers with stable income, though record unemployment and overall economic volatility is keeping many others away. CNN
TWITTER HACK: The FBI is now leading the investigation into the Twitter hack that compromised the accounts of more than 100 V.I.P. Twitter users, including Barack Obama, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. All that’s known for sure is that someone got access to a Twitter employee’s credentials, which allowed them to control most Twitter accounts for a period of hours. It’s still not known whether any Twitter employees were complicit, or if they were tricked into handing over their information. WIRED
Are you telling us Obama ISN’T sending us back double the amount of bitcoin we sent him?
REDSKINS EXPOSE: In an investigation into the culture of the D.C. NFL team, the Washington Post talked to 15 female former employees who say they were subjected to repeated verbal abuse and sexual harassment from top team officials, including members of owner Dan Snyder’s inner circle, the team’s radio announcer, and scouts. While Snyder was not directly implicated, the women say he presided over a misogynistic and abusive culture off the field. READ IT
KANYE REALLY RUNNING? Kanye West’s presidential ambitions appear to be serious. The rapper has qualified for the general election ballot in Oklahoma and is reportedly taking steps to get on the ballot in Florida and other states as a third-party candidate. According to filings with the Federal Election Committee, a “Kanye 2020” group has been submitting paperwork to run for the last two days. NY MAG
Just imagine the debates.
SPOTTED...
Henry Cavill (and his biceps) building a computer from scratch on Instagram, because why not: SEE VID
If you like watching hot people read computer assembly instructions this is the video for you.
...the home used for the exterior shots in Golden Girls, on the market at $3 million (but it’s not in Florida): SEE INSIDE
LEFTOVERS: TREBEK HEALTH UPDATE: Alex Trebek says in a new video that his cancer treatment is “paying off” and that his “numbers are good.” Trebek, experimenting with a new goateed look, also announced that for the first time ever, Jeopardy! will air classic old episodes from its vault for the remainder of the summer: WATCH
AT&T announced earlier today it is spinning off its media properties in WarnerMedia in a merger with Discovery in a $43 billion deal.Scott Rostan, founder and CEO at Training The Street, joined Cheddar to talk about what the unwinding of the telecom giant's Time Warner media properties means for investors. "I think the investor sentiment is they're digesting the new information, and they're looking into the dividend, especially the reduction of the dividend," said Rostan, noting the transaction allows AT&T to focus on its core telecommunications business.
A 2021 report from UK Research and Innovation found that the shipping industry makes up at least 2.5 percent of the world's total CO2 emissions. It's a problem that energy solutions company, Leclanché, is trying to solve. Founded in 1909, the company has been developing and producing batteries for more than 100 years. Today, Leclanché's lithium-ion battery is used to electrify not just ships, but also railroad locomotives, trucks, and specialty vehicles. Cheddar News spoke with Pierre Blanc, chief technology and industrial officer of Leclanché, to discuss.
Amazon is betting that ammonia could be the fuel of the future, participating in a Series A round for the Brooklyn-based company Amogy in December. Amogy aims to de-carbonize transportation with a clean energy system that uses ammonia as a renewable fuel. Amogy is partnering with Amazon on its first commercial product - an ammonia-powered cargo-shipping vessel. Amogy CEO Seonghoon Woo joins Cheddar Climate to discuss.
One of the world's largest transport companies is kicking off Black History Month with a new initiative aimed at the next generation of business leaders. Today, FedEx announced the launch of its Student Ambassador Program. Participants selected from eight historically black colleges and universities will receive career guidance from FedEx executives. The program is part of FedEx's ongoing commitment to HBCUs and will also help the company expand its pipeline for diverse talent. Cheddar News welcomes senior vice president at FedEx, Jenny Robertson, and Jerryl Briggs, President of Mississippi Valley State University, to discuss.
"Sing 2" has overthrown "Spider-Man: No Way Home" as the number one film at the UK box office. The animated sequel brought in $8.1 million, in just its two first weekends. However, "No Way Home" is still on track to beat "Avatar" as the number one grossing movie of all time.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America has been a driving force for youth mentorship since 1904. The nonprofit organization is launching its annual Big Draft campaign this month in partnership with the NFL, and Artis Stevens, the first Black CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, joined Cheddar to discuss the push for adding more "Bigs" as mentors on his one-year anniversary leading the non-profit organization. "While the NFL is recruiting and drafting more players, they're also helping us to draft more mentors and, particularly, men all the way from across February to all the way to April of this year," Stevens explained.
The Supreme Court will reconsider race-based affirmative action in college admissions. The court will examine admissions policies at Harvard University and The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, which count the race of applicants as a factor in admissions. The court has upheld affirmative action policies in the past, saying it helps to create more diverse student bodies. However, the conservative Supreme Court could be skeptical and even possibly hostile to such policies. Nick Anderson, Higher Education Writer, Washington Post joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
The value of most cryptocurrencies have plummeted in recent months since reaching all-time highs in November, wiping out more than $1 trillion in value globally. The steep crash has some talking about the possibility of a crypto winter, a term referring to a prolonged bearish period where asset prices persistently fall over many months. This all comes as the Fed is expected to raise interest rates, and the Biden administration is working on an executive order to regulate Bitcoin and other assets. Josh Goodbody, COO of Qredo, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the crypto crash, and how the industry might recover from it.
Recent data reveals that streaming giants are struggling to retain subscribers in the months following a major release.
According to data from Antenna, subscriber trends show that users will subscribe to a given streaming service just to watch a particular show, and then cancel those subscriptions shortly after. This comes as the streaming space continues to heat up as new entrants crowd the space. Jon Christian, Founding Partner + Digital Supply Chain Leader at OnPrem joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
