These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
* **Former Democratic VP Will Speak at McCain's Funeral:**
Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks Thursday at Sen. John McCain's funeral in Arizona. Thousands of mourners paid their respects on Wednesday to the late Senator during a public viewing at the Arizona State Capitol. [See photos here](https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/29/politics/gallery/mccain-memorials/index.html).
* **Cuomo and Nixon Square Off in Only Televised Gubernatorial Debate:**
Governor Andrew Cuomo and actress Cynthia Nixon faced off Wednesday during the first and only televised debate ahead of New York's September 13 gubernatorial primary. Cuomo is seeking a third term in office; Nixon, known for her role on "Sex and the City," has argued that her opponent isn’t progressive enough. [Here are some takeaways](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/nyregion/cuomo-nixon-debate.html).
* **Critics Say U.S. Open Penalty Was Sexist:**
U.S. Open officials apologized Wednesday after critics slammed a chair umpire for penalizing French player Alizé Cornet on Tuesday for briefly taking her shirt off during a break in her match. The chair umpire issued Cornet a code violation, despite the 100-degree heat. Critics said the warning was sexist, as male players have not been penalized for similar actions. For more information [click here](https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/us-open-apologizes-french-tennis-player-alize-cornet/story?id=57473120).
* **Hurricane Season on the Horizon:**
The Atlantic hurricane season has been fairly quiet so far, but forecasters say hurricane activity may “ramp up over the next couple of weeks” in the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Experts said one storm has the potential to affect Florida over Labor Day weekend. For more, [click here](http://time.com/5381396/alize-cornet-us-open-shirt/).
Cheddar's Jill Wagner gets into the latest.
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An independent watchdog within the IRS reports that while taxpayer services have vastly improved, the agency is still too slow to resolve identity theft cases. And National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins says those delays are “unconscionable.” Erin M. Collins said in the report released Wednesday that overall the 2024 filing season went smoothly, though IRS delays in resolving identity theft victim assistance cases are worsening. It took nearly 19 months to resolve self-reported identity theft cases as of January, and Wednesday's report states that now it takes 22 months to resolve these cases.
Amazon.com Inc. surpassed $2 trillion in market value for the first time in afternoon trading on Wednesday. The push higher for Amazon’s stock market valuation comes a little more than a week after Nvidia hit $3 trillion and briefly became the most valuable company on Wall Street. Nvidia’s chips are used to power many AI application and its valuation has soared as a result. Amazon has also been making big investments in AI as global interest has grown in the technology. Most of the company’s focus has been on business-focused products.
Climate change doesn’t just mean more extreme weather – it also leads to billions of dollars in lost productivity, tourism, and stresses infrastructure.
It’s an annual tradition: the Fed’s banking ‘stress test.’ A year after the regional banking crisis, there are good reasons to make sure they’re prepped.
Summer is upon us, which means weddings, trips overseas, and trips to see Taylor Swift. Avoid a “Cruel Summer” with these budget-friendly tips and tricks.
