Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, August 27, 2020:

HURRICANE LAURA: DIRECT HIT

LANDFALL: Hurricane Laura slammed into the southwest Gulf Coast overnight, near the city of Cameron, Louisiana, just shy of Cat 5 status with 150 mph winds -- one of the strongest hurricanes to ever make a direct hit on the U.S. More than 1.5 million people along the Texas and Louisiana coastlines were told to evacuate; those who did not were told to prepare for the worst. The storm is now a Cat 2 as the eyewall moves inland over southwestern Louisiana. TRACK

STORM SURGE: The National Hurricane Center warned of a “catastrophic” and “unsurvivable” storm surge along the coast, the biggest since Katrina 15 years ago. A wall of water as high as 20 feet was expected to wash over the Texas-Louisiana border. CNN

REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION

LAST NIGHT: With the country reeling from a deadly virus, record unemployment, social unrest, riots, boycotts, a hurricane and wildfires, Vice President Pence spoke from Ft. McHenry and warned that “you won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America.” Night 3 of the RNC was heavy on a “law-and-order” message, though Pence also recognized the pandemic as a “time of testing” for the nation. CHEDDAR

TONIGHT: On the final night, President Trump will formally accept the nomination from the White House grounds. Teeing him up: his daughter, Ivanka, Rudy Giuliani, Dana White from the UFC, Sens. Tom Cotton and Mitch McConnell, and more. CBS NEWS

KENOSHA LATEST

ARREST: Police have arrested a white teenager who allegedly gunned down two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin and injured another. The suspect, 17, from Illinois, is charged with first-degree homicide in those killings. Authorities say he crossed state lines with a long gun to join a militia that was patrolling the streets. JOURNAL SENTINEL

BLAKE SHOOTING: The Justice Dept. has opened an investigation into the shooting of Jacob Blake. Authorities say Blake had a knife in his car when he was shot repeatedly by a Kenosha officer, who first tried to Tase him. Blake was unarmed when he was shot seven times in the back. The officer who shot him has been identified as Rusten Sheskey. SKY NEWS

SPORTS STRIKE: All three Game 5s in the NBA Playoffs were postponed after players on the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court in protest of the Blake shooting. They were joined by players in the WNBA, MLB, MLS and pro tennis in one of the biggest coordinated walkouts in sports history. No determination has been made about today’s NBA games in the rapidly evolving boycott. ESPN

COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

MEDICAL ADVANCES: Moderna has announced more promising early results from its vaccine trials. The biotech company says elderly patients are seeing similar immune responses to the younger patients also being given the vaccine. Separately, Abbott Labs was given the green-light by the FDA for its $5 rapid test and will begin shipping tens of millions of units. MARKETWATCH

POLICY: The CDC was reportedly instructed by “higher-ups” in the Trump administration to tighten testing guidelines in order to exclude people who are asymptomatic even if they've been in contact with someone who is sick. The virus is known to be transmitted by those without symptoms. The task force is said to have made the final decision to change the guidelines last week, at the same time Dr. Fauci was under anesthesia getting surgery. NY TIMES

ANOTHER FT. HOOD DEATH

The police say there’s no signs of foul play after another soldier at Fort Hood in Texas was found dead after disappearing from the base. What’s believed to be the body of Sgt. Elder Fernandes was found this week and his family is calling on Congress to investigate, saying he was a victim of sexual abuse. Fernandes is the third Ft. Hood soldier to go missing in the last year. ARMY TIMES

IPHONE TRACKING PROMPT

The upcoming version of Apple’s iOS will require apps to make users opt-in to data-tracking permissions, and many app developers -- and advertisers -- are worried the prompt will seriously harm their ability to serve targeted ads on mobile, since most people will decline it. Facebook is warning that the new iOS will cripple its ability to serve ads across other apps. WSJ

D.C. NFL TEAM UNDER FIRE AGAIN

The Washington Football Team’s front office is once again under fire over a new bombshell exposé in the Washington Post. According to multiple former employees who spoke on the record, team employees would cut partially-nude outtakes from the cheerleaders’ calendar shoots into a lewd movie that would be passed around the office, including among executives. One former cheerleader also accuses Dan Snyder, the team’s embattled owner, of suggesting she go to a hotel room to “get to know” one of his friends. At least 42 women have said they were sexually harassed while employed by the team. READ IT

BRITNEY'S MONEY

Britney Spears’ sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, has been taking steps to get more involved in the protracted battle over the singer’s conservatorship. Jamie Lynn was made a trustee of the fortune in 2018, according to newly revealed court filings. It’s unclear what that means for the battle between Spears and her father over his status as a conservator of that trust. Spears has not controlled her own money since her 2007 breakdown. VANITY FAIR

SPOTTED...women’s rights pioneers Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, memorialized in a new statue unveiled in NYC’s Central Park on the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. It’s the park’s first statue that depicts real-life women: SEE IT

LEFTOVERS: MUST SEE TV?

CBS is the first network to debut its fall lineup and it’s...bleak. The big “new” shows are essentially content that was already available elsewhere, like Star Trek: Discovery, which debuted on CBS All Access three years ago. The rest of the schedule is padded with reality TV, but for the first time in 20 years, there’s no new season of Survivor. The producers were unable to figure out how to make the production safe. TV INSIDER

Listen to the N2K Podcast! Looking for more context and analysis on the big stories of the day? Check out our podcast! Hosts Jill and Carlo break down the headlines, every weekday morning Listen on Apple or Spotify, or watch on YouTube, and send us your feedback!

Share:
More In Culture
CES 2022 Begins on Wednesday
We are just one day away from what has been called the most influential tech event in the world. CES 2022 will officially kick off on Wednesday in Las Vegas, but the annual tech summit is being impacted by COVID-19, like so many other recent events. The Consumer Technology Association originally planned for a hybrid event to take place from January 5-8, with some in-person events and some virtual; however, a few big-name companies announced they will not be attending in-person, so the CTA decided to shorten the event by one day, with it now ending on Friday. Consumer electronics senior analyst Will Greenwald joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
California Starts Largest U.S. Food Waste Recycling Program
California's new composting law will affect what residents do in their kitchens. As of this week, Californians will have to recycle excess food in an effort to reduce emissions caused by food waste. Cities and counties will turn recycled food into compost or use it as a renewable energy source. California's new law is the largest mandatory residential food waste recycling program in the country. Rachel Wagoner, Director of the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery called the law 'the biggest change to trash' since recycling started in the 1980s. She joined Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Sweetgreen Launches Salad Subscription Service 'Sweetpass'
Fast-casual restaurant chain Sweetgreen is rolling out its first salad subscription service called sweetpass as it looks to customers tackling new year weight loss and health goals. Members will receive up to 30 percent off of purchases.
Severe Snowstorm Blankets D.C., Mid-Atlantic Region
Washington DC and the surrounding areas saw a record breaking snow storm Monday as a strong storm system works its way across the eastern U.S. The extreme weather event caused extensive damage in the greater Washington area, leaving thousands in the region without power. Jonathan Porter, Chief Meteorologist, AccuWeather, joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss the fierce storm.
Over 3,000 Flights Canceled on Monday Over Severe Weather, Crew Shortages
Airlines canceled more than 3,000 flights on Monday over severe weather and crew shortages. The cancellations come on one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season, and is a continuation of the industry-wide disruption that started before Christmas. Thomas Pallini, Aviation Reporter for Insider joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss.
End of Child Tax Credit Could Mean Slide Back Into Increasing Child Poverty
Millions of Americans with young children have relied on the child tax credit since the federal government began issuing checks in July 2021. The last round of payments was sent out just before the Christmas holiday — at the same time as the omicron variant surged. Leah Hamilton, associate professor of social work at Appalachian State University, joined Cheddar to discuss what the end to the tax credit means as the U.S. sees the end of many relief programs and its highest number of COVID cases since the start of the pandemic. "It'll become harder for families to meet their basic needs, increasing national childhood poverty rates and the proportion of families who have difficulty putting food on the table, maintaining stable housing, and paying their bills," Hamilton said. She also pointed to research that the credit as a long-term investment in children offsets claims that it contributes to macroeconomic impacts like inflation.
NYT Piece Claims Silicon Valley Investors and Founders Contorted Legal Tax Break to Avoid Taxes on Investment Profits
Several Silicon Valley insiders are being accused of contorting a 1990s-era tax break to avoid taxes on millions of dollars of investment profits. The tax break is known as the qualified small business stock exemption, and it allows early investors in certain companies to avoid half of the taxes on up to $10 million in capital gains. A piece recently published in the New York Times says venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz replicated the tax exemption by giving shares of companies to friends and family, who would otherwise face a 23.8% capital gains bill. The CEO of Roblox is also accused of replicating the tax break for his family members at least 12 times. Although the loophole known as 'stacking' is considered to be legal, the Times piece implies that the exemption has been manipulated for the ultra-wealthy to become more wealthy. Greycroft co-founder and Chairman Emeritus Alan Patricof joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Competitive Stock-Trading Mobile App Zingeroo Raises $8.5 Million
There is a new player in the mobile app stock trading space. Zingeroo recently announced a funding round of $8.5 million. The company says it aims to bring 'friendly competition' to stock trading, by literally breaking trading down into daily and weekly competitions between friends. Zingeroo also says it hopes its new approach can make trading more accessible, educational, and social than ever before. Zingeroo co-founder and CEO Zoe Barry joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell for more.
Load More