5 things to know for August 27: Police violence, Laura, RNC, coronavirus, New Zealand

A hurricane, nationwide demonstrations, a major political event … there’s a lot going on, so let’s jump right in.

Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

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1. Police violence

A 17-year-old from Illinois has been arrested and charged with homicide in a fatal shooting that left two dead during protests Tuesday night in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The police chief there said the teen “was involved in the use of firearms to resolve whatever conflict was in place.” Nationwide, the unrest stemming from the police shooting of a Black father, Jacob Blake, over the weekend has crystallized into serious action. Several Milwaukee pro sports teams chose to sit out their games last night, which led to a cascade of paused events nationwide. All in all, a slate of NBA games, several MLB games, plus MLS games and the Western & Southern Open tennis event were canceled or postponed as teams and major athletes, like Lebron James, spoke out against the recent spate of police violence.

2. Hurricane Laura

A monster Hurricane Laura made landfall overnight in southwestern Louisiana, the region’s strongest storm in over a century. It’s a rapidly changing situation, but Laura has weakened to Category 3, passing over Lake Charles as it treks inland. It’s expected to weaken more as the day goes on, but the danger is far from over. Parts of the region are still expected to experience deadly storm surges of up to 15 feet, which the National Hurricane Center warned is “unsurvivable.” Thousands of people along the Gulf Coast have been evacuated, and some 285,000 customers have no power in Louisiana and Texas. In areas already thrashed by the storm, tidal surges may prevent officials from assessing the damage right away. Check here for updates.

Check your local forecast here>>>

3. Republican National Convention 

Vice President Mike Pence and Kellyanne Conway were among the headlining speakers on the third night of the RNC. As reactions to the events in Kenosha unfurled across the sports world, Pence used his VP nomination acceptance speech to make a familiar call for “law and order.” He criticized Joe Biden for acknowledging systemic racism in America’s police departments and said Biden’s policies would lead to “unsafe streets and violence.” The RNC has been marked with controversy, with several speakers criticized for their social media comments and past behavior, raising questions about how the RNC vetted its guests. Then, there’s the ongoing issue of sitting officials engaging in partisan politics — actions forbidden by the Hatch Act. Criticism or no, President Trump is scheduled to formally accept his party’s nomination tonight from the White House lawn.

4. Coronavirus 

The CDC announced it no longer recommends that people exposed to the coronavirus should be tested if they don’t have symptoms. The sudden change caused confusion and even pushback from some leaders, and now a health official says the agency was pressured by the Trump administration to make the changes. Moreover, Dr. Anthony Fauci, arguable the most visible member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, told CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta he was literally in surgery for a minor procedure when the decision was made. There have now been more than 24 million confirmed coronavirus cases around the world, with more than 5.8 million in the United States.

5. New Zealand 

A far-right terrorist who killed 51 Muslim worshipers in New Zealand’s worst mass shooting in modern history has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Brenton Tarrant, 29, was sentenced after pleading guilty to the murders after he opened fire in two Christchurch mosques last year. The sentencing concluded a harrowing, four-day hearing in which 91 survivors and relatives of victims described the pain Tarrant had inflicted on the Muslim community. The courtroom was charged with emotion as the judge read the name of every victim, the injured and the dead, telling Tarrant about the lives he destroyed or cut short. “You showed no mercy. It was brutal and beyond callous — your actions were inhumane,” he said.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Elon Musk is now the fourth-richest person in the world, and he’s about to get richer

Yeah, you have to be pretty rich to pull off blasting a car into space.

Microsoft Word can now transcribe lectures and phone calls 

Sounds like a WFH game changer.

‘Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout’ is the latest big video game you need to know about 

There are little creatures in chicken suits and burger suits running around, and frankly it looks like chaos.

Amazon is opening a grocery store filled with smart devices

Pro: You don’t need to talk to other people. Con: You DO need to talk to all the disembodied Alexa voices.

Bella Thorne is the first person to make $1 million in a day on OnlyFans

If you don’t know what OnlyFans is … Google with caution.

THIS JUST IN …

Deadly floods in Afghanistan

Flash flooding in Afghanistan’s Parwan province has killed at least 86 people and injured at least 106, according to local officials. The flooding was caused by torrential rain that battered the region earlier this week.

TODAY’S NUMBER

$10.5 million

That’s how much Jerry Falwell Jr., the former president of Liberty University, will get in a compensation package from the evangelical school. Falwell resigned Monday after a series of scandals.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“We have not seen, to date, a coordinated national voter fraud effort during a major election and it would be extraordinarily difficult to change a federal election outcome through this type of model alone.”

A senior FBI official, addressing repeated claims by the Trump administration that increased mail-in voting will lead to voter fraud

AND FINALLY

No thoughts, just floating

I keep a YouTube playlist called “Animals for Depression,” and anyway, this is on it. (Click here to view.)