Debris covers the sidewalk in Southport, N.C. as hurricane Isaias moved through North Carolina early Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020. (WECT-TV via AP)
Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, August 4, 2020:
ISAIAS MAKES LANDFALL: Isaias has been downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall along the North Carolina coast as a Cat 1 hurricane, with wind guests as high as 93 mph. The storm is moving fast and will sweep up through the Eastern Seaboard today. Tropical Storm Warnings are in place from Cape Hatteras to Boston; D.C., Philly and NYC are likely to see wind speeds of 60-70 mph. Isaias may be the strongest storm to hit the New York metro area since Sandy in 2012. TRACK
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: President Trump is criticizing another member of the White House coronavirus task force: Dr. Deborah Birx, after she issued a stark assessment of how the virus is spreading in the U.S. Now Dr. Fauci is defending Dr. Birx, agreeing that the U.S. is seeing uncontrolled community spread in many areas by asymptomatic people carrying the virus. Schools have begun reopening in some states, with chaotic results: there have been quarantines, postponements and closures as students and teachers bring the virus back to school with them. NY TIMES
JUDGE'S PLEA: The federal judge whose son was shot to death at their home by a “men’s rights” lawyer two weeks ago has broken her silence. Judge Esther Salas released an emotional nine-minute video in which she calls for more personal security for judges and asks that her son’s death not be in vain: WATCH
TRUMP TAX INVESTIGATION: The Manhattan DA’s office has suggested for the first time that it’s investigating President Trump and his business for potential bank and insurance fraud. In a court filing, the DA asked the president’s accounting firm to voluntarily comply with a subpoena seeking his tax returns after the Supreme Court ruled that sitting presidents aren’t immune from investigation. NY TIMES
RETAIL APOCALYPSE: The retail bankruptcies keep on coming. Lord & Taylor, the oldest department store in the country, has filed for bankruptcy protection, joining Neiman Marcus. The parent company of Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A Bank has also filed, joining Brooks Bros. The pace of retail bankruptcies through the first half of this year far exceeded the entirety of 2019. AP
ANTIDEPRESSANT BREAKTHROUGH: The FDA has approved an antidepressant nasal spray for use in actively suicidal patients, the first time a drug has been given the greenlight for people who are planning to kill themselves, and a potential milestone for mental health treatment. The quick-acting spray, called Spravato, is a close cousin of the party drug ketamine, and has been used for treatment-resistant depression for the last year but never for people in the midst of an active suicidal crisis. BLOOMBERG
MIRACLE ON ICE: The MLB and NBA have been getting all the headlines, but another pro sports league has been showing success in its restarted season. The National Hockey League resumed play over the weekend, and says no players or staff members have tested positive for Covid-19 since they arrived in two Canadian hub cities. The NHL is conducting a 24-team postseason round robin, with the Western Conference playing in Edmonton and the East playing in Toronto. CNN
THE ROCK BUYS XFL: An investor group that includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has purchased the XFL for just $15 million. The alternative football league was attempting a comeback in the spring but immediately went bust when the virus hit the U.S. There was supposed to be an auction for the remains this week, but only the one bid materialized. Johnson and his partners are reportedly planning to resurrect the XFL once again next year. ESPN
SPOTTED...
...Five-time gold medal winner Katie Ledecky swimming the length of a pool with a glass of chocolate milk balanced on her head. The stunt is part of a new Got Milk? ad campaign: SEE IT
…(ICYMI) A tomato that got Twitter in a frenzy over its striking resemblance to NBA great Larry Bird: SEE IT
LEFTOVERS: THE AMERICANS ARE COMING
With the U.S.-Canada border closed for nonessential travel since March, Canadian police are cracking down on Americans who keep trying to cross the border using the “Alaska loophole” -- telling border agents they’re just on their way to Alaska. American tourists have been caught hiking and boating in Canadian territory, with some boaters even turning off their transponders to avoid detection. NPR
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!
Daniel Madrzykowski, research director at the UL Fire Safety Research Institute, joins Cheddar News to discuss the deadly Bronx fire that killed 19 people and fire safety tips that people need to know about.
Markets closed the day mixed, and well off their lows of the day following a market meltdown earlier in the session. The Nasdaq staged a comeback late in the day, even amid ongoing worries about the Federal Reserve raising interest rates. Doug Flynn, certified financial planner and co-founder of Flynn Zito Capito, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the markets' close and what's driving the major indexes.
Two companies recently announced a new partnership aimed at addressing the growing demand to borrow against crypto - digital assets capital markets firm CrossTower is partnering with commercial bank, BankProv. The companies are launching a crypto lending platform that will allow Bitcoin miners to receive loans to invest in crypto mining equipment. The companies say the program also addresses the difficulty of breaking into crypto mining due to the high cost. CrossTower research analyst Martin Gaspar joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Next-gen social sports platform Break the Love recently raised $2.5 million in seed funding. Break the Love's platform and iOS app allows users to discover and book group-based tennis activities, to either learn, train, or compete. The new company has already gotten support from a few big names in the world of tennis, including the coach of Naomi Osaka, as well as the United States Tennis Association and the brand Wilson. Break the Love founder and CEO Trisha Goyal joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
As the Omicron variant continues to sweep across the country. The US Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments at the end of this week on whether or not the Biden administration can force private companies to vaccinate or test millions of their employees. In addition, the National Nurses United has spearheaded legal action to protect nurses and health care workers, patients, and the public while on the job. President of the National Nurses Union, Zenei Cortez, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
China's ongoing crackdown of its own entertainment industry has been raising eyebrows for once now. With the ruling Communist Party instructing media companies to boycott immoral and overly entertaining stars. But the country has gone even further. Now experts warn that this could lead to further issues such as gender-based violence. Professor at the Institute of Sociology at National Tsinghua University, Hsiu-Hua Shen, and Associate Professor of Politics at Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame Joshua Eisenman, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Today marks one year since the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol. The Country watched as supporters of then-President Trump stormed what was assumed to be the most secure building in the country in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 Election. Several lawmakers, including the Vice President, could be seen ducking down as they feared for their lives. Democratic Michigan Representative Dan Kildee, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Bed Bath & Beyond delivered disappointing fiscal third-quarter results for 2022. Shares initially dove more than 9% in premarket trading on the news but finished the day up nearly 8%. Bed Bath & Beyond has been a meme-stock target for online investors in the past -- so was meme-stock mania a factor in the recent stock movement for the company? Jaime Rogozinski, the founder of the subreddit WallStreetBets, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell for more, as his forum helped spark the meme stock phenomena. He also discussed some decentralized finance services and trends for the retail investor to watch for in 2022.
Digital medical care provider Pear Therapeutics rang the closing bell on the Nasdaq Friday and President and CEO Dr. Corey McCann, joined Cheddar to talk about how the company plans to grow the business of software-based therapeutics and how the first FDA authorized prescription digital therapeutics company will go about treating illnesses like insomnia and addiction. "These really are pieces of software. In many cases, they're apps and in the cases of our addiction products, these are based on something called cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT," he said. "These products change the patient's brain circuitry to help them be abstinent, to help them stay in treatment, and that's exactly what we see in randomized clinical trials and that's what we see in the real world." He also addressed the ongoing mental health crises brought on by the pandemic. **copy updated to remove IPO information as Pear Therapeutics went public in December**
