This photo provided by NASA, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launches at Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Thursday, July 30, 2020, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA's Perseverance blasted off atop an Atlas V rocket Thursday morning. It's the first step in an ambitious project to bring the first Martian rock samples back to Earth to be analyzed for evidence of ancient life. (Joel Kowsky/NASA via AP)
Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, July 30, 2020:
TECH CEOS GRILLED: The CEOs of Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon faced hours of aggressive questioning from both Republicans and Democrats as they defended the size, success and reach of their companies. The back-and-forths were often sharp and revealing, but sometimes awkward. House Democrats mostly criticized the CEOs for what they called anti-competitive business practices, while House Republicans focused more on what they said were efforts to stifle conservatives. Google’s Sundar Pichai took the most heat on questions of whether Google uses data to muzzle competitors. TAKEAWAYS
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: The U.S. has surpassed 150,000 coronavirus deaths, with one American a minute dying of the virus on Wednesday. Even as the rate of new infections in some of the hardest-hit states is slowing, deaths are rising at their fastest rate in two months. President Trump has intervened in the negotiations over a new financial rescue package, all but assuring that the enhanced unemployment benefits run out at the end of the week. Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas, who has been working at the Capitol without a mask, tested positive just as he was about to fly on Air Force One with the president. He reportedly called his staff into his office to tell them in person he had the virus. POLITICO
TROPIC WATCH: Tropical Storm Isaias has formed in the Atlantic, becoming the ninth named storm of the season. Tropical Storm warnings are in effect in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands; the system is expected to strengthen as it approaches Florida. The state is closing all its government-run coronavirus testing locations as of 5 p.m today and will keep them closed until next Wednesday at the earliest. TRACK
FEDS TO LEAVE PORTLAND: The White House has reached an agreement with the governor of Oregon to withdraw most of the DHS officers stationed around the federal courthouse in Portland. At the same time, the Justice Dept. is deploying agents to Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee. Separately, in New York, the NYPD is facing questions after a viral video showed plainclothes officers pulling a protester into an unmarked minivan. The police say that the protester was wanted for vandalizing police cameras. OREGONIAN
U.S. TROOPS LEAVING GERMANY: The Pentagon is withdrawing a third of the 36,000 U.S. troops stationed in Germany. Defense Sec. Mark Esper says about half of the 12,000 troops will be redeployed elsewhere in Europe, while the rest will return to the states. President Trump said he wanted to take American troops out of Germany in retaliation for Germany not spending more on its own defense. NPR
KODAK'S MOMENT: Kodak shares are up more than 1,000 percent this week. The left-for-dead photography company has been on fire since it won a $765 million loan from the government to help it transform into a pharmaceutical company, to fight the coronavirus and help reduce the U.S. dependence on foreign drugmakers. Kodak stock was up more than 500 percent just on Wednesday, causing circuit breakers on the NYSE to trip 20 times. YAHOO FINANCE
MISSION TO MARS: NASA has launched an unmanned spacecraft to Mars from Cape Canaveral. The Perseverance rover is expected to reach the Red Planet next February, where it will collect samples and attempt to launch an experimental helicopter into the thin Martian atmosphere. SPACE.COM
NBA VS. MLB: The NBA season kicks off tonight, with the Pelicans playing the Jazz at 6:30 pm ET followed by Clippers vs. Lakers (TNT is carrying both games). So far, the bubble is holding. On the eve of tip-off, the league reported that no players have tested positive since July 20. Meanwhile, in the MLB, the sidelined Miami Marlins are up to 18 confirmed cases as reports suggest team members may have gotten infected when they went out on the town in Atlanta during exhibition play. BLEACHER REPORT
SPOTTED...
...Prince Philip making a rare appearance and looking, in the words of the Daily Mirror’s royal editor, “several decades younger” than his 99 years: SEE PICS
...Kendall Jenner, showing off her redesigned L.A. home to Architectural Digest: WATCH THE TOUR
LEFTOVERS: CABIN CLEANING: JetBlue is the first U.S. airline to start using a new kind of robot that disinfects surfaces using UV light. The robot looks like a beverage cart on steroids, and moves through the cabin while a robotic arm shines UV-C light on seats, trays and other places where coronavirus particles might stick around. The pilot program is taking place at JFK and Ft. Lauderdale airports. SEE IT
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!
Hinge users who have children can opt-in to a $100 stipend up to $25,000 for childcare. Logan Ury, the director of relationship science for the online dating platform, noted the issue as an obstacle for single parents who want to go out on dates. "We have heard that singles with children have a hard time going on dates for one of the reasons being that it's just hard to find childcare and it's hard to be able to afford it," she said. Ury also said that the hot topic among Hinge's users is mental health and the prioritizing of mental health.
Dolly Parton, Eminem, Lionel Richie, and Carly Simon are just a few of the nominees announced for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2022 induction. Results of the voting will be released in May, however, the ceremony date has yet to be announced.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: CEO of HereAfter AI discusses how artificial intelligence can be used to preserve family history and stories, and allow you to 'talk' to loved ones that have passed; Creator of the board game 'Travel Explore Discover' explains how she came up with the idea for this informative and educational board game, and how she's using the proceeds to give back to her community; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Humboldt Current.'
According to the Federal Reserve, the investment gap between Black and white Americans has remained substantial, with only 34 percent of Black households joining in on the historic rise in the markets. Stacey Tisdale, the first Black woman to have reported from the NYSE and the CEO and president of Mind Money Media Inc., said that the data might not be as disheartening as it seems. "I think that number is very deceiving. That Federal Reserve study is actually from 2019, and it's very important that we all look beneath that number and look beneath the surface because there is nothing short of an investing revolution going on in the Black community," Tisdale said.
James Vlahos, Co-Founder and CEO of HereAfter AI, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how artificial intelligence can be used to preserve family history and stories, and allow you to 'talk' to loved ones that have passed.
Ava Rathenberg, Creator of the board game 'Travel Explore Discover,' joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how she came up with the idea for this informative and educational board game, and how she's using the proceeds to give back to her community.
An award-winning performance by the LSU Tiger Girls dance team is going viral on TikTok, but like many other viral tiktoks, this one had a larger story to tell. The story goes back to 2021 when for the first time in 22 years, the LSU dance team was informed it could not compete at Universal Dance Association Nationals. The team made their anticipated return to UDA Nationals this year with a performance that delivered a strong and clear message to their university. The LSU Tiger Girls walked away from the competition with their first national championship title in 12 years, redemption against the university that held them back, and of course- millions of new fans and friends on TikTok.
Solid-state battery maker Factorial Energy recently raised $200 million in a Series D round led by Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis. Factorial says the funding will be used to accelerate commercial production and deployment of its solid-state battery technology, which the company says is safer, and offers up to 50% more driving range than current lithium-ion technology. Factorial also has joint development agreements (announced in late 2021) with Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Hyundai, three of the top 10 global automotive manufacturers, to commercialize its batteries. Factorial CEO Siyu Huang joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL over racial discrimination, exposing a long-running problem the NFL has had with diversity in its top coaching and management positions. Eric Mitchell, the president and CEO of public relations and communications company LifeFlip Media, joined Cheddar News to delve into the scandal rocking the pro football world just before the Super Bowl. "There is a problem. If you look at who owns teams in the NFL, it's right, it's a good old boys club, it's a bunch of old white guys," he said. "So, it's exposing something that's been around for ages and now that we're sitting in 2022 has come up."
This April, Madison Square Garden will be hosting the first-ever women's boxing match to headline at the arena in its 140 years of history in boxing. Undisputed lightweight champion, Katie Taylor, and seven-division champion, Amanda Serrano, will go head-to-head for a career-high guaranteed seven-figure purse for both of them. The pair joined Cheddar News to talk about the upcoming "fight of their lives." "I mean, this is the first step I believe," said Serrano. "Unheard of, two women headlining the Garden, we get in the biggest paydays of our career, I hope it continues to break down barriers."
