Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, August 28, 2020:
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION
LAST NIGHT: President Trump accepted his party’s nomination for a second term in a 70-minute speech from the White House, in which he called Joe Biden “the destroyer of American greatness” who was in lockstep with a far-left ideology. The president cast himself as a crusader for "law and order" and misrepresented his administration’s coronavirus response in front of 1,500 mostly mask-less spectators on the South Lawn. The convention ended with a fireworks display over the Washington Monument that spelled out TRUMP 2020. CHEDDAR
REPUBS FOR BIDEN: On the same day the president delivered his convention’s keynote, more than 150 former staffers of John McCain, Mitt Romney and George W. Bush came out in support of Joe Biden, saying that even though they disagree with some of his policy positions, reelecting Trump threatens to “irreparably damage” American democracy. FORBES
LAURA AFTERMATH
Hurricane Laura has devastated a large swath of the southwestern Louisiana coastline. At least six people are dead, mostly from falling trees. The storm surge ended up being about nine feet -- half of the worst-case models -- and the winds were what caused the most damage. The city of Lake Charles appears to have taken the brunt of the direct hit; a chemical plant was damaged and continues to spew dangerous chlorine gas into the air. About 900,000 homes and businesses are without power in the region. The system is now a tropical depression that will bring heavy rains to the mid-Atlantic today into tomorrow. NOLA.COM
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The White House announced that the federal government would spend $750 million to acquire 150 million rapid antigen tests made by Abbott Labs, after the FDA granted approval for that 15-minute test. The Abbott test has a lot of experts excited because of how easy and fast it is. Meanwhile, the director of the CDC walked back the controversial recommendation to exclude asymptomatic people from testing guidelines, though it’s still on the CDC website. REUTERS
RACIAL JUSTICE
PLAY BALL: NBA players voted to resume playoff basketball, a day after players on the Bucks led a wildcat strike over the Jacob Blake shooting that rippled throughout professional sports. Postseason games will be played today but the schedule is still TBD. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how the bubble was saved: YAHOO SPORTS
D.C. MARCH: Tens of thousands of people are expected today in D.C. for the 57th commemoration of the March on Washington, where they will call for police reform. Rev. Al Sharpton announced at George Floyd’s funeral that he’s leading this year’s event, which comes at a fraught moment in U.S. race relations. The march begins at the Lincoln Memorial at 11 am ET. USA TODAY
INFLATION TRADE-OFF
The Federal Reserve is codifying a major change to U.S. monetary policy that effectively boils down to prioritizing employment over inflation. The central bank is acknowledging that maximum employment is more important to the economy than rising inflation that may result from it. For consumers, that means that borrowing rates for car, home and other loans are likely to remain low for a long time. AXIOS
ABE OUT
Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, Shinzo Abe, abruptly announced that he is stepping down because of health issues. Abe, one of the U.S.’ staunchest allies, cited a flare up of a chronic intestinal condition. A successor has not been named. JAPAN TIMES
MICRO-MART-TOK
Walmart is reportedly the latest American company to enter the race to buy TikTok’s U.S. assets before President Trump shuts down the app. The retail giant is said to be teaming up with Microsoft on a potential bid. The software company Oracle has also joined the discussions with TikTok owner parent ByteDance. Walmart confirmed it was interested in getting involved, a day after TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer resigned just three months into the job. NY TIMES
WELCOME TO THE WORLD...
Daisy Dove Bloom! Katy Perry has given birth to her first child, confirmed by her partner, Orlando Bloom, on Instagram: SEE PIC
SPOTTED...Brad Pitt, 56, arriving in France with German model Nicole Poturalski, 27. The pair are rumored to have started dating this summer: SEE PICS
LEFTOVERS: RISE OF THE MACHINES
Elon Musk’s secretive neurotech company Neuralink is planning to do a demonstration of a working brain-computer “device” today. Musk, who is notorious for over-promising and under-delivering in hyped media events, has said the device will eventually allow people to do things like stream music right to their brain and getting one implanted will be as simple as Lasik surgery. The livestream kicks off at 6 pm ET: WATCH HERE
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