WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is Wednesday’s status check of developments in the U.S. that can influence economic, health and political outcomes:
• The Gulf Coast Tuesday night was facing imminent and massive damage from Hurricane Laura, a category 4 storm with the possibility of becoming even more powerful before ramming the Gulf Coast between Houston and New Orleans. The high winds and storm surge of up to 20 foot walls of water could reshape the geography and potentially cost more than its predecessor Rita, Katrina and Harvey.
• The tangled situation in Kenosha, Wisc., was being monitored by National Guard troops and extra police from neighboring jurisdiction in the wake of Tuesday night’s shooting that killed two under circumstances still under investigation. A 17-year-old from across the border in Illinois was arrested. The police killing of Jacob Tate, aside from prompting daylight protests and nighttime violence, paused the NBA playoffs as players and team managements decided to observe a time-out because of Tate’s death. Investigators said Wednesday a knife was found in Tate’s car and identified the policeman who shot him as a seven-year veteran.
• The third night of the Republican National Convention featured a keynoter from Vice President Mike Pence. Other speakers combined an emphasis on the convention’s law and order theme with a celebration of female empowerment. The White House, which Democratic critics said was being used as a Convention prop, was no longer solid white, having been transformed into red, white and blue by powerful projection lighting.
• The Centers for Disease Control softening of its advice on coronavirus testing was greeted with general disbelief and concern among private sector health care experts. The Department of Health and Human Services said there was no White House pressure to say less testing was advisable despite President Trump’s expressed skepticism the testing regime needed to be improved or maintained as its currently depressed level. The national death toll reached 179,519.
• Facebook complained Apple’s next version of its operating system would make Internet user tracking optional instead of automatic, imperiling its advertising-based business model as well as those of thousands of smartphone applications.
• Upcoming economic data includes the latest Labor Department count of fresh claims for unemployment benefits after last week’s increase along with a revision of second-quarter GDP. The Jackson Hole Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank seminar’s main event is the 9:10 a.m. ET speech by Chair Jay Powell.
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