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| Welcome to Wednesday, Daily Briefing readers! There's a lot going on today: President Trump heads to a coronavirus hot spot for a campaign fundraiser, civil rights hero John Lewis will be moved from Washington, D.C., to Georgia, and the CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google will testify on Capitol Hill. |
| Before we get to all that and more, let me be the first to wish you a happy National Chicken Wing Day. You can join me in celebrating with all these deals and discounts.🍗 |
| It's N'dea, let's get this day started with some news. |
West Texas prepares for Trump visit amid coronavirus pandemic |
| Already under fire for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump plans to hold a campaign fundraiser Wednesday in one of the nation's top hot spots: Texas . He is scheduled to travel to Odessa in West Texas, for a "Permian Basin Special Event," a three-part series of fundraisers to be held in the area. Donors will choose from a $100,000-per-person "roundtable" meeting, a $50,000-per-couple photo opportunity, and a $2,800-per-person luncheon with the president. New COVID-19 infections have multiplied since some states, urged on by Trump, began to re-open economies that had been shut down to stop the spread of the virus. Trump's first major campaign event, a June 20 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was "likely" a factor in a recent surge of cases there, according to local health officials. |
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Battle over school reopening continues; US nears 150K COVID-19 deaths |
| As the U.S. approaches 150,000 COVID-19 deaths Wednesday, Florida reported more than 9,000 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and a new record of 186 deaths. In Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown announced students in most counties will likely not return to in-person classroom instruction this fall as counties must report 10 or fewer new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days. |
| Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee revealed his school reopening plan: people must quarantine for 10 days immediately after testing positive for COVID-19 or when symptoms begin. |
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Rep. John Lewis moved from Washington, D.C., to Georgia |
| Civil rights hero John Lewis will lie in state at the Georgia State Capitol rotunda Wednesday in one of the late congressman's last stops that comes after Alabama and Washington, D.C., memorial events. Lewis, who died on July 17 at 80 years old of pancreatic cancer, served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district for 33 years. Notably, he was taken by horse and carriage across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on Sunday — the same bridge he walked with voting rights activists on March 7, 1965, a day that became known as "Bloody Sunday." Lewis will be honored at Georgia's State Capitol in a special ceremony, followed by a public viewing from 3-7 p.m. ET. |
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Emmys not quite 'so white' and more on race in America |
| USA TODAY is launching a new newsletter centered on issues of race and identity! But first, we want to hear from you. Please fill out this survey and become a part of helping us shape what this newsletter becomes. |
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Federal Reserve might signal zero interest rate for even longer |
| With at least 20 states pausing or reversing reopening plans amid coronavirus case spikes, the Federal Reserve could signal Wednesday that it's moving toward an even more market-friendly strategy centered on near-zero short-term interest rates for years . The economy plunged into its steepest-ever recession in the second quarter, with a report this week forecast to show gross domestic product declining at a more than 30% annual rate. Recent economic data shows the economy partly digging out of that hole the past couple of months, but analysts see growing risks of a slide back into recession after the virus spikes forced states to partly shut down again. |
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More news to know |
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Anti-trust hearing with Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google CEOs |
| The CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google will testify before Congress on Wednesday to face questions about anti-trust issues . The House Judiciary Committee will speak to Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sundar Pichai as Congress examines their competitive practices. Lawmakers will look into whether each of the companies are using their position to unfairly eliminate smaller, potential competitors. It could ultimately lead to new limits on how they operate their businesses. Lawmakers have shown interest in Apple's App Store terms and Google's Play Store practices. Facebook faced scrutiny surrounding how it handles user data, and officials have questioned whether Amazon abuses its dominance in e-commerce. The hearing will be live-streamed on YouTube and the government's website. |
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Fact or fiction? ✅ |
| Seeing misinformation on social media? Let us fact check that for you. See the latest work from our fact checking team in our newest newsletter, Checking the Facts. |
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Michelle Obama is officially a podcaster 🎙️ |
| Former first lady Michelle Obama has launched a new podcast on Spotify . "The Michelle Obama Podcast" will teach listeners to "open up new conversations — and hard conversations — with the people who matter most to them." Michelle Obama's first guest will have a familiar presidential voice: Barack Obama. The former commander-in-chief is expected to appear on the premiere episode, where the power couple will hold an intimate conversation about community, the love that powers relationships and life after living eight years in the White House. |
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In better news: Reunited and it feels so good 💞 |
| A look of disbelief slowly grew on Zoe Marziano's face last week when the staff at Children's Specialized Hospital said her parents would finally be allowed to visit her inside the long-term care home for young people with disabilities. It had been 137 days since they last parted with a hug and a kiss March 8. Zoe's facility would be locked down less than a week later to stem the spread of COVID-19. But there they were Thursday, Kimberly and Fred Marziano – Mom and Dad – walking through the doors of the Toms River, New Jersey, facility and toward Zoe, who waited in her wheelchair. The Marzianos' long-awaited reunion was the culmination of a policy change by Gov. Phil Murphy's administration after a USA TODAY Network New Jersey story this month documented Zoe's struggles with isolation. Thursday was a reunion that Kimberly and Fred will remember for a long time. And Zoe? "That smile never left her face the whole 30 minutes we were allowed to spend with her," Kimberly said. |
 | | Fred Marziano reading to his daughter Zoe for the first time in almost five months after visiting restrictions were made more lenient amid the COVID-19 pandemic. | | Courtesy of the Marziano family | |
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