Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, August 19, 2020:

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION

LAST NIGHT: Joe Biden was formally nominated to be the Democratic presidential candidate by way of a virtual roll-call vote that highlighted both the natural diversity of the country and the generational and cultural diversity of the party. Two more Republicans, Cindy McCain and Colin Powell, recorded speeches in support of Biden -- a sign the Democrats see their path to the White House going through moderate Republicans who may be disaffected with President Trump. Jill Biden delivered the keynote from her former high school classroom, recalling her husband’s personal losses and saying he would “make the nation whole.” HIGHLIGHTS

TONIGHT: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Gabby Giffords are on the schedule, teeing up Barack Obama and Sen. Kamala Harris in primetime. ABC NEWS

USPS ABOUT-FACE: The Postmaster General has reversed course and now says all changes at the Postal Service will be paused until after the presidential election. Louis DeJoy, who will testify in front of House Democrats next week, is suspending any decisions that would have affected post office hours, mail-sorting equipment changes and processing facility closures (though changes that already took effect won't be reversed). Attorneys general from 20 states have joined or filed lawsuits to push back on changes at the USPS that many fear could undermine mail-in voting. CNN

COVID-19: BACK TO SCHOOL: Notre Dame and Michigan State are the latest universities to reverse course on their plans after seeing spikes in positive cases. Notre Dame is moving all classes online for at least two weeks; MSU is going fully remote for the semester. At least 250 new cases nationwide have been tied to fraternity parties. Officials in NYC, the only big city planning to open public schools in a couple weeks, are under growing pressure from teachers to delay the school year. NY TIMES

RUSSIA INVESTIGATION: A Republican-led Senate committee found that President Trump’s former campaign chair, Paul Manafort, had repeated contacts with Russian intelligence agents in the lead up to the 2016 election and represented a “grave counterintelligence threat” to the U.S. The 1,000-page report closes the book on the long-running investigation by laying out extensive evidence of a Russian plot to help Trump win, and Trump advisers who were open to the help. Like the Mueller report, it did not conclude that the Trump campaign conspired with the Kremlin. WASH POST

BULL MARKET IS BACK: The longest bull market in history was replaced by what is now officially the shortest bear market in history. The S&P 500 closed at a record high after flirting with the level for weeks, officially ending the pandemic-induced plunge that began just 126 trading days ago. Despite tens of millions of people who are still out of work, the benchmark stock index is now about 5 percent higher for the year. REUTERS

AMAZON HIRING SPREE: For everyone saying remote work is the future, Big Tech is saying: not so fast. Amazon says it is adding 3,500 white-collar jobs at offices in six cities: Phoenix, Denver, San Diego, Detroit, Dallas and NYC. New York will get 2,000 of those jobs and they will be based out of the former Lord & Taylor flagship store, which was sold to WeWork and then Amazon. Facebook recently signed a major lease of space on the west side of Manhattan, and Google continues to build a new campus down the street. UPI

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Two weeks until the first kickoff, there are six of 10 FBS conferences planning to play football this season. Leading the way is the SEC, which has unveiled its stadium guidelines for the fall: attendance decisions are up to the schools, but masks will be mandated for fans and game-day workers. SI

STUDIO EXEC OUSTED: NBCUniversal vice chairman Ron Meyer, an influential and long-serving Hollywood executive, was forced out of his job after failing to disclose a settlement with an actress with whom he admits he had a consensual affair years ago. That actress is reportedly Charlotte Kirk, who also had an affair with former Warner Bros. chief Kevin Tsujihara last year that led to his ouster. Meyer said he told NBC about the affair because he was being extorted by an unnamed third party. VARIETY

SPOTTED...Kanye West and Steve Harvey, having lunch at an Atlanta Chick-fil-A. The CEO of the fast-food chain was there too, singing hymns: SEE IT

LEFTOVERS: COOKIE ALERT: The Girl Scouts are introducing a new cookie flavor for next year. It’s called Toast-Yay!, and it tastes like french toast. The new flavor will be available in January, when the cookie-selling season kicks off. If you don’t have a neighborhood hookup, the Girl Scouts plan to bring back online ordering in 2021. THRILLIST

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
Thrive Market Offers Healthy and Sustainable Products at Wholesale Prices
Thrive Market is a health-first membership for conscious living, with a mission to make healthy and sustainable living easy and accessible. Nick Green, CEO and co-founder, chatted with Cheddar's Baker Machado about the company's approach and new ventures in 2022. "I grew up outside of Minneapolis, middle class, middle America, and really saw firsthand how hard my mom had to work to put healthy food on the table, on a budget, without a health food store nearby," he said. "Twenty-some years later we looked around and just thought it was crazy that millions of Americans are still struggling with the same thing, and we decided to change it." Recently the brand released a line of organic frozen products and will be introducing new beauty and home brands.
Microsoft Integrating Activision With 'Next Phase of the Internet' as Its Goal
In what could be the biggest deal in video games history, Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard underlines the company's aggressive push in gaming and beyond into its long-term vision of being top dog in the metaverse. Adam Hollander, former director of gamification at Microsoft and founder of Hungry Wolves NFT, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss. “Microsoft always plays chess, not checkers," he said, describing the price tag as an opportunity cost. "It's about integrating Activision Blizzard in with Azure and Windows and Xbox and Hololens and Minecraft and everything else that they're doing for the inevitable goal of being the major player in the next phase of the internet."
Strella Biotechnology Uses Sensors to Interpret Shelf Life of Produce, Monitor About 15% of U.S. Apples
Food waste is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Strella Biotechnology is trying to solve the problem by introducing new technology to a business that's been around for generations -- farming. The 24-year-old CEO created hi-tech sensors that interpret the shelf life of produce and alert farmers when fruits and vegetables are ready to be sent to supermarkets. The company says the process can help farmers make money, reduce food waste and increase the quality of produce. Strella Biotechnology's co-founder and CEO Katherine Sizov and co-founder and COO Jay Jordan joined Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Why Sherpa's Making Climbing Mount Everest Possible
Norbu Tenzing, Vice President of the American Himalayan Foundation and the son of the first Sherpa to ever summit Everest, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss how Sherpa's put themselves in danger for clients, and the dangers of Everest's 'Death Zone.'
What Netflix Investors Should Look for as Streaming Competition Grows
Netflix may not be staying at the top of the streaming wars, according to some wary investors, as competition heats up and it raises prices yet again. Tuna Amobi, director and senior equity analyst at CFRA Research, spoke with Cheddar about what investors should be considering should they stick with the streaming pioneer or drop the investment. "I think it's always mostly about the subscriber growth for the Q4, which is going to be an indicator of how the company has been navigating the speed bumps that we saw early in the year," said Amobi.
'Scream' Makes Some Noise at Weekend Box Office
Daniel Loría, SVP content strategy and editorial director at Boxoffice Media, joins Cheddar News to discuss what helped 'Scream' score number one at the box office and what it means for the horror genre.
Load More