Akouos Announces Expansion of Executive Team and Board of Directors – BioSpace

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Alan Smith, Ph.D., Joins as Chief Technology Officer

Saira Ramasastry Joins Board of Directors; Arthur Tzianabos, Ph.D., Role Expanded to Chairman

BOSTON, Aug. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Akouos, Inc. (Akouos) (Nasdaq: AKUS), a precision genetic medicine company dedicated to developing potential gene therapies for individuals living with disabling hearing loss worldwide, today announced the appointment of Alan Smith, Ph.D., as chief technology officer. In addition, the company announced that Saira Ramasastry has been appointed to its board of directors as audit committee chair, and board member Arthur Tzianabos, Ph.D., has been appointed chairman of the board.

Alan brings terrific experience in the development and manufacturing of complex biologics, and a proven track record of building teams and establishing infrastructure to support in-house GMP manufacturing capabilities, said Manny Simons, Ph.D., founder, president, and chief executive officer of Akouos. Alan joins Akouos at a pivotal time as we prepare to advance our lead program, AK-OTOF, to IND submission next year. We are also excited to welcome Saira, an esteemed life science leader, to our board of directors, and delighted to expand Arthurs role to chairman of our board. Together, these appointments will be instrumental as Akouos continues to grow into a fully integrated genetic medicine company developing innovative potential therapies for a variety of inner ear disorders.

Dr. Smith joins Akouos with more than 30 years of experience in research and development, manufacturing, and quality in the areas of cell and gene therapies. He has contributed to more than 25 FDA regulatory submissions for cell therapy products and devices. Prior to Akouos, Dr. Smith was executive vice president, technical operations at Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, where he led cell product manufacturing, viral vector manufacturing, process development, assay development, GMP supply chain and logistics, worldwide facilities functions, and the design, construction, and startup of multiple GMP manufacturing facilities. Previously, Dr. Smith was vice president of research and development and cellular therapeutics for LifeNet Health and its subsidiary, The Institute of Regenerative Medicine. Earlier in his career, Dr. Smith served as president and chief executive officer for Cognate BioServices Inc. and chief operating officer and senior vice president of research and development for Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Smith is also a former adjunct professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School, California State University, Long Beach and Utah State University. He holds a B.S. in chemistry from Southern Utah University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Utah State University.

Ms. Ramasastry is managing partner of Life Sciences Advisory, a firm that she founded to provide strategic advice and business development solutions for life science companies. Ms. Ramasastry is also a health innovator fellow of the Aspen Institute and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Prior to founding Life Sciences Advisory, Ms. Ramasastry was an investment banker with Merrill Lynch & Company, where she helped establish the biotechnology practice and was responsible for origination of mergers and acquisitions, and strategic and capital markets transactions. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, she served as a financial analyst in mergers and acquisitions group at Wasserstein Perella & Co., an investment banking firm. Ms. Ramasastry currently serves on the board of directors for Vir Biotechnology Inc., Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd., and Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. She holds a B.A. in economics with honors and distinction and an M.S. in management science and engineering from Stanford University, as well as an M. Phil. in management studies from the University of Cambridge, where she is a guest lecturer for the Bioscience Enterprise Programme and previously served on the Cambridge Judge Business School Advisory Council.

Initially appointed as an independent director to Akouoss board of directors in July 2018, Dr. Tzianabos has now been appointed to serve as chairman. Dr. Tzianabos is currently the chief executive officer and president of Homology Medicines, Inc., leading the efforts to develop genetic medicines for patients with rare genetic diseases. Previously, Dr. Tzianabos spent nine years at Shire Plc, where he worked on the development and launches of multiple treatments for patients with rare genetic disorders. Prior to joining Shire, Dr. Tzianabos was an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and maintained laboratories at the Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Womens Hospital and the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Harvard Medical School. He serves on the board of directors for Stoke Therapeutics, Inc., the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, and the development board for the University of New Hampshires College of Life Sciences and Agriculture. Dr. Tzianabos holds a B.S. in biology from Boston College and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of New Hampshire.

About AkouosAkouos is a precision genetic medicine company dedicated to developing gene therapies with the potential to restore, improve, and preserve high-acuity physiologic hearing for individuals living with disabling hearing loss worldwide. Leveraging its precision genetic medicine platform that incorporates a proprietary adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector library and a novel delivery approach, Akouos is focused on developing precision therapies for forms of sensorineural hearing loss. Headquartered in Boston, Akouos was founded in 2016 by leaders in the fields of neurotology, genetics, inner ear drug delivery, and AAV gene therapy.

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Akouos Announces Expansion of Executive Team and Board of Directors - BioSpace

Coronavirus vaccine breakthrough: New generation cure that stops virus developed – Express

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The revolutionary treatment prevents the coronavirus from entering the bodys virus receptor cells while at the same time allowing immune systems to recognise the virus and learn how to fight it.

In the future it could also be used with other viruses such as seasonal influenza.

If human trials of the new therapy are successful a daily supplement or nasal spray could be ready by early next year and allow pre-pandemic life to resume without social distancing.

This would also remove the need for the conventional vaccines being developed across the globe, including at Oxford University, which experts think are likely to need annual booster injections and may only reduce the severity of Covid-19 in the same way as the existing flu jab.

The new treatment, being developed in the US and funded by British investors, is made from a synthetic protein sequence modelled on the coronavirus which acts like a cork and stops the infection from entering the bodys virus receptor cells - known as the ACE-2 receptors.

It has been assessed by leading experts at the University of California and the results of a promising laboratory study were published in the preprint journal Bio Archive on Friday.

This showed the new therapy, known as Sars-Block, stopped 95 to 100 per cent of the virus from entering coronavirus receptor cells.

Andre Watson, a bioengineer and expert in nano science who invented Sars-Block, said: This is very exciting and could revolutionise the way we treat and prevent infection.

Usually if you get infected with a virus you have to wait it out.

If all goes well this novel form of treatment would protect you from becoming ill by blocking the infection from progressing in your body while also allowing your immune system to recognise and fight it at the same time.

He added: We hope now we can fast track to human studies and have the first doses ready by early 2021.

Mr Watson, founder and chair of leading genetic medicine company Ligandal, has carried out the work with Robert Stroud, professor of biochemistry at the University of California San Francisco and member of the UK Royal Academy, together with experts in immunology, computer science and biophysics.

The work is being funded by a British syndicate of investors led by Adam Hamdy, author and medical strategy consultant.

He said: The work conducted by Andre Watson and the Ligandal team could change the way we fight lots of viral diseases. Meeting the challenge of coronavirus is the first step.

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Coronavirus vaccine breakthrough: New generation cure that stops virus developed - Express

Global Cell and Gene Therapy Market, Forecast to 2025 by Product, Disease, End-user and Region – COVID-19 Updated – PRNewswire

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DUBLIN, Aug. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Cell & Gene Therapy Market - Global Outlook and Forecast 2020-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

In-depth Analysis and Data-driven Insights on the Impact of COVID-19 Included

The study considers the present scenario of the cell and gene therapy market and its market dynamics for the period 2019-2025. It covers a detailed overview of several market growth enablers, restraints, and trends. The report offers both the demand and supply aspects of the market. It profiles and examines leading companies and other prominent ones operating in the market.

Key Questions Answered

1. What is the cell and gene therapy market size and growth rate during the forecast period?2. What are the factors impacting the growth of the cell and gene therapy market share?3. How is the growth of the healthcare segment affecting the growth of the cell and gene therapy market?4. Who are the leading vendors in the cell and gene therapy market, and what are their market shares?5. Which product type/ end-user type/region is generating the largest revenue in the Asia-Pacific region?

The global cell and gene therapy market by revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 30.9% during the period 2019-2025

The global cell and gene therapy market is one of the fastest-growing segments in the regenerative medicine market. The market is expected to grow at a faster pace during the forecast period. The demand can be attributed to the growing prevalence of several chronic diseases such as cancer, cartilage related problems, wounds, diabetic foot ulcer, genetic disorders, and other rare diseases across the globe.

The prevalence of cancer and diabetes is increasing in the global population, which is influencing the growth of the market. There is a large unmet need in the treatment available, which is filled by cell and gene therapies. The market is growing due to the increased availability of funding from various public and private institutions. Besides, there is increased support from regulatory bodies for product approval. Several governments are creating awareness of cell and gene therapies in the population.

Cell and Gene Therapy Market Segmentation

The global cell and gene therapy market research report includes a detailed segmentation by product, disease, end-user, and geography.

In 2019, the cell therapy segment accounted for a market share of over 53% in the global cell and gene therapy market. The segment is expected to grow at a steady rate during the forecast period due to the increase in the target population and the rise in the number of countries preferring cell therapies in their patients. Increased therapeutic benefits are attracting several countries to invest in this technology and conduct a high number of clinical trials. However, the lack of advanced infrastructure in developing countries is hindering the growth of the segment.

In 2019, the oncology segment accounted for a share of over 40% in the global cell and gene therapy market. Oncology has been one of the targets of intense research for the gene therapy procedures & approach. More than 60% of on-going gene therapy clinical trials are targeting cancer. The segment is expected to grow at a promising rate on account of the high prevalence of cancer diseases, especially in low and middle-come countries. The market is growing at a double-digit CAGR, which is expected to help the segment as many cell and gene therapy for cancer are commercially available.

The dermatology application segment in the cell and gene therapy includes wound care management among patients. Vendors are focusing on the development and commercialization of advanced wound care products for the treatment of chronic and acute wounds, thereby increasing the growth of the wound care market. The increased pervasiveness of diabetics is increasing acute and chronic wounds, including surgical wounds, pressure ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, and other wounds.

In 2019, the oncology segment accounted for a share of over 40% in the global cell and gene therapy market. Oncology has been one of the targets of intense research for the gene therapy procedures & approach. More than 60% of on-going gene therapy clinical trials are targeting cancer. The segment is expected to grow at a promising rate on account of the high prevalence of cancer diseases, especially in low and middle-come countries. The market is growing at a double-digit CAGR, which is expected to help the segment as many cell and gene therapy for cancer are commercially available.

The dermatology application segment in the cell and gene therapy includes wound care management among patients. Vendors are focusing on the development and commercialization of advanced wound care products for the treatment of chronic and acute wounds, thereby increasing the growth of the wound care market. The increased pervasiveness of diabetics is increasing acute and chronic wounds, including surgical wounds, pressure ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, and other wounds.

Segmentation by Product

Segmentation by Disease

Segmentation by End-user

Insights by Geography

In 2019, North America accounted for a share of over 60% of the global cell and gene therapy market. There are more than 530 regenerative medicine companies, including cell and gene therapy manufacturing developers. The number of products approved in North America grew significantly in 2019, with developers filed for marketing authorization for 10+ regenerative medicines, many of which we expect to be approved in 2020. Within the next 1-2 years, the number of approved gene therapies is expected to double.

The US and Canada are the major contributors to the cell and gene therapy market in North America. Regulatory bodies are supporting several investigational products, fast track approvals, RMAT designation for the faster approval of the product into the market. The alliance for regenerative medicine and Medicare and Medicaid is working together to bring the structured reimbursement channels for cell and gene therapies.

Segmentation by Geography

Insights by Vendors

The global cell and gene therapy market is highly dynamic and characterized by the presence of several global, regional, and local vendors offering a wide range of therapies. Dendreon, Gilead Sciences, Novartis, Organogenesis, Osiris Therapeutics, Vericel, Amgen, and Spark Therapeutics are the leading players in the market with significant shares.

Vendors such as NuVasive, APAC Biotech, Nipro, Orthocell, bluebird bio, J-TEC, and Terumo are the other prominent players in the market with a presence, especially in the cell therapy market. Most leading players are focusing on implementing strategies such as product launches and approvals, marketing and promotional activities, acquisitions, increased R&D investments, and strengthening their distribution networks to enhance their share and presence in the market.

Prominent Vendors

Other Prominent Vendors

Market Dynamics

Opportunities & Trends

Growth Enablers

Growth Restraints

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/is5t27

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [emailprotected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

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Global Cell and Gene Therapy Market, Forecast to 2025 by Product, Disease, End-user and Region - COVID-19 Updated - PRNewswire

SpaceX launches and lands prototype of its Mars rocket Starship in key short flight test – CNBC

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SpaceX's prototype Starship launches in a short first flight test at the company's facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

SpaceX

The fifth prototype of SpaceX's next-generation Starship rocket passed its most critical test yet, taking off and landing in a short flight on Tuesday at the company's facility in Texas.

Starship prototype Serial Number 5, standing at about 100 feet tall, launched gradually and rose to about 500 feet above the ground before returning back to land on a concrete area near the launchpad.

"Progress is accelerating," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted after the flight.

SpaceX's prototype Starship launches in a short first flight test at the company's facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

SpaceX

SpaceX has a fleet of rockets that it uses to launch satellites and astronauts, anchored by its Falcon 9 series that has launched 87 times and landed its booster after 48 of those launches.ButStarship represents the company's aim to make obsolete even the cost-saving advances of its Falcon 9 rockets. While Falcon 9 rockets are partially reusable, Musk's goal is to make Starship fully reusable envisioning a rocket that is more akin to a commercial airplane, with short turnaround times between flights where the only major cost is fuel.

Musk last yearunveiled the Starship prototype, built of stainless steel and dwarfing the company's existing spacecraft. SpaceX is developing Starship with the goal of launching as many as 100 peopleat a time on missionsto the moon and Mars.

SpaceX's Starship prototype SN5 on the company's landing pad after completing its flight test.

SpaceX

After SpaceX in May launched a pair of NASA astronauts in its first crewed mission, Musk pivoted the company's attention, declaring that the top SpaceX priority is now development of Starship. Musk said in an email obtained by CNBC that Starship's program must accelerate"dramatically and immediately,"

SpaceX released video of the flight test captured by an aerial drone, as well as a camera underneath the rocket that showed the Raptor engine and the legs deploy for landing.

President Donald Trump also shared video of SpaceX's SN5 flight, although he appeared to confuse the company with NASA in a tweet.

Although it wasn't a NASA test, leaders of the agency were notably paying attention to the SpaceX flight. NASA associate administrator Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen offered his congratulations to Musk's company on the successful flight.

Starship is one of SpaceX's ambitious programs, for which the company has raised about $3.5 billion in private capital to fund. But after a successful test flight a year ago completed by a previous iteration, known as Starhopper, the Starship program suffered several explosive setbacks in development. Those setbacks are part of Musk's motivation for asking more of SpaceX's about 8,000 employees to spend more time in Texas, even offering use of the company's private jet if people are willing to move from the company's facilities in California and Florida.

The extraordinary relocation offer underlines how crucial Musk sees the Starship project. SpaceX is already bidding for NASA contracts with Starship, most recently winning $135 million to compete against Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to deliver astronauts to the Moon. The company's Boca Chica team is already working nearly around the clock but Musk wants more, urging SpaceX employees to help Starship development progress even more quickly.

A look at the Raptor engine underneath SpaceX's prototype Starship rocket and the small legs that deployed for landing.

SpaceX

Musk revealed in a series of tweets what the next steps for Starship's development will be. He said the company will conduct "several short hops to smooth out launch process" before adding more pieces to the rocket for high altitude flights. Additionally, the stubby legs underneath the rocket won't remain as Musk said the next version will be about "60% longer," with later iterations being "much wider & taller."

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McDonald’s sues ousted CEO, alleging employee relationships – Las Vegas Sun

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Published Monday, Aug. 10, 2020 | 10:51 a.m.

Updated 1 minute ago

McDonalds says it's suing Stephen Easterbrook, the CEO it ousted last year over an inappropriate relationship with an employee, alleging Monday that he covered up relationships with three other employees and destroyed evidence.

The company now wants to reclaim millions of dollars in compensation paid to Easterbrook.

McDonald's does not tolerate behavior from employees that does not reflect our values, said McDonald's President and CEO Chris Kempczinski, who was promoted following Easterbrook's departure, in a message to employees Monday.

The lawsuit puts a spotlight again on a years-long reckoning over sexual harassment at Chicago-based McDonald's and its 39,000 restaurants. In the U.S. alone, more than 50 workers have filed separate sexual harassment charges against McDonalds with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or in state courts.

Leaders with Fight for $15, which supports higher wages and unions for fast food workers, said Monday that McDonald's should use any money it recoups from Easterbrook for worker-led programs that combat sexual harassment.

In his message to employees, Kempczinski said he is committed to making sure that employees are encouraged and comfortable coming forward with information about any behavior that doesn't align with our values.

McDonald's also told workers Monday it is conducting a global survey and listening sessions to assess the current state of its corporate culture. The assessment will be completed and shared with employees in November, McDonalds Chief People Officer Heidi Capozzi said in a message obtained by The Associated Press.

McDonalds fired Easterbrook last November after he acknowledged exchanging videos and text messages in a non-physical, consensual relationship with an employee. Easterbrook told the company that there were no other similar instances. An initial search of his cellphone confirmed that.

Based on what the company knew at the time, McDonalds board approved a separation agreement without cause that allowed Easterbrook to keep nearly $42 million in stock-based benefits, according to Equilar, which tracks executive compensation. Easterbrook also collected 26 weeks of pay, amounting to compensation of about $670,000.

According to the lawsuit, McDonald's received an anonymous tip in July that Easterbrook had engaged in a sexual relationship with another employee. After an investigation, McDonald's confirmed that relationship as well as two other physical, sexual relationships in the year before he was fired. Easterbrook also approved a special grant of restricted stock, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, to one of those employees, the lawsuit said.

The company said Monday that Easterbrook removed evidence of those relationships including sexually explicit photos and videos sent from corporate email accounts from his cell phone, preventing investigators from learning about them prior to his firing. But that evidence remained on the company's email servers.

McDonald's didn't say why those servers weren't checked during its initial investigation. In the lawsuit, the company says it relied on Easterbrook its highest ranking executive to be truthful.

That reliance caused the company injury, McDonald's said in the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, which was filed in Delaware, McDonalds said it would not have terminated Easterbrook without cause if it had known of the additional relationships.

Tim Hubbard, an assistant professor of management at the University of Notre Dames Mendoza College of Business, said firing a CEO with cause can lead to protracted, expensive legal battles, which is why boards try to avoid it. Easterbrook's case seemed clear-cut, he said.

But Hubbard applauded McDonald's for reopening the investigation when new information came forward. He said McDonald's experience may teach other companies not to reach severance agreements without a thorough investigation.

Thats my big hope with this thing, that we learn from it, he said. Companies are not going to settle for this anymore.

McDonalds is now attempting to block Easterbrook from exercising his stock options and said it will seek compensatory damages.

It's unclear how much Easterbrook might have to pay. In the lawsuit, McDonald's says Easterbrook's separation agreement makes clear that his 2018 and 2019 equity awards may be forfeited if the company determines he has engaged in detrimental conduct. Easterbrook was awarded more than $29 million in stock-based compensation in those two years.

Telephone and email messages seeking comment were left with Easterbrooks attorney.

Easterbrook and his wife divorced in 2015, the same year he became McDonalds CEO. Easterbrook, who is British, began his career with McDonalds in 1993 when he served as a finance manager in London.

McDonald's has taken steps to halt harassment in its ranks. In 2017, Easterbrook assured McDonalds board that he and other executives were completing anti-harassment training. Last October a month before Easterbrook was fired McDonalds introduced a new harassment training program for its 850,000 U.S. employees. But franchisees who own 95% of McDonalds U.S. restaurants arent required to offer it.

McDonalds shares were flat at $204.23 in midday trading.

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Appeals of Nazi camp guard conviction in Germany dropped – Las Vegas Sun

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Published Monday, Aug. 10, 2020 | 8:14 a.m.

Updated 2 hours, 40 minutes ago

BERLIN (AP) All appeals against the conviction of a 93-year-old Nazi concentration camp guard have been dropped, a Hamburg court said Monday, making the decision legally binding and easing the way for possible future prosecutions.

Bruno Dey was convicted last month of 5,232 counts of accessory to murder in Hamburg state court equal to the number of people believed to have been killed at Stutthof during his service there in 1944 and 1945.

Because he was 17 and 18 at the time of his alleged crimes, Deys case was heard in juvenile court and he was given a two-year suspended sentence.

Dey was convicted under new legal reasoning that even though there was no evidence linking him to a specific crime, as a camp guard he was guilty of accessory to murders committed while he was there.

The reasoning had been successfully used in the past to convict death camp guards, and the precedent set in 2015 when a federal court upheld the 2015 conviction of former Auschwitz guard Oskar Groening.

Dey's case extended the argument to apply to a guard at a concentration camp camps where people were killed by the tens of thousands, but that did not exist for the sole purpose of extermination like the Nazi death camps.

His conviction is now considered legally binding, after his attorney and three people who had joined the trial as co-plaintiffs decided to retract their appeals, the Hamburg state court said.

That eases the way for more possible prosecutions of concentration camp guards even though it's 75 years since the end of World War II.

Last month, another former Stutthof guard, aged 95, was charged and the special prosecutors office that investigates Nazi-era crimes has more than a dozen ongoing investigations.

Initially a collection point for Jews and non-Jewish Poles removed from Danzig, Stutthof from about 1940 was used as a so-called work education camp where forced laborers, primarily Polish and Soviet citizens, were sent to serve sentences and often died.

From mid-1944, when Dey was posted there, tens of thousands of Jews from ghettos in the Baltics and from Auschwitz filled the camp along with thousands of Polish civilians swept up in the brutal Nazi suppression of the Warsaw uprising.

More than 60,000 people were killed there by being given lethal injections of gasoline or phenol directly to their hearts, shot or starved. Others were forced outside in winter without clothing until they died of exposure, or were put to death in a gas chamber.

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Wynn Resorts disclosed positive worker numbers. Will others do same? – Las Vegas Review-Journal

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Wynn Resorts is the first major Strip gaming company to publicly disclose how many of its employees have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Health experts say the figure alone, about 300, doesnt say much.

Its interesting that they shared that, but it really doesnt tell me anything other than the fact that Wynn is doing some testing and obviously following up on the results, said Brian Labus, a UNLV epidemiologist and member of the governors medical advisory team.

But industry watchers and marketing professionals say the decision to disclose that information was good marketing and could influence other gaming companies to follow suit.

This pulls the cover off for everyone else, said former Wynn executive Nehme Abouzeid, now the president of consulting firm LaunchVegas. Customers and employees will ask other operators, How come youre not as forthcoming as Wynn?

Several other gaming companies have shared information on testing but have not disclosed how many of those tests came back positive.

Passing the test

Casinos and gaming establishments closed their doors in March when Gov. Steve Sisolak shut down Nevada businesses because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hotel-casinos were allowed to reopen starting June 4 with social distancing and health protocols in place.

Some gaming companies, like Station Casinos and Las Vegas Sands Corp., tested all employees before they returned to work on June 4 and now regularly test some or all of their employees. Others, like MGM Resorts International, are requiring tests only for staff who exhibit symptoms of the coronavirus or have been in contact with someone who has it.

Hotel-casinos are not required to disclose the number of employees who have tested positive for COVID-19, but they must contact the Southern Nevada Health District when they discover a positive case among staff. The district is not obligated to confirm or share further information about positive cases.

But some resort workers have asked for more transparency in how their employers disclose positive tests. Multiple employees at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas told the Review-Journal in June that the company wasnt telling them how many of their co-workers had the coronavirus.

Its with this background that Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox told shareholders Tuesday that the company has had roughly 300 employees test positive for the coronavirus out of 16,750 tests, about a 2 percent positivity rate.

Maddox told shareholders the company tested all of its employees before they returned to work, developed an algorithm where we surveil our staff and randomly tests 500-600 employees every couple of weeks. Maddox said he was proud of the companys testing efforts, and its 10 in-house contact tracers have determined 99 (percent) of those 300 people were exposed outside of Wynn.

It isnt clear how that algorithm identifies who to test or where those positive employees work. In response to questions seeking further clarity, Wynn Resorts spokesman Michael Weaver said the company doesnt discuss results out of respect for employee confidentiality.

Gauntlet thrown?

How many other gaming companies follow suit remains to be seen.

Each company will do things their own way, but Wynns decision sets the standard, said Joshua Swissman, founding partner of another hospitality consulting firm, The Strategy Organization.

In an interview after a Thursday earnings call, Golden Entertainment President Charles Protell said the company tested all employees returning to work at its Nevada casinos and taverns. He said under 2 percent of nearly 6,000 tests came back positive.

Sands and Station Casinos have shared how many tests theyve administered but havent said how many tests came back positive: A Sands spokesman said The Venetian has given nearly 30,000 tests over three months, and Station Casinos CEO Frank Fertitta said the company had administered more than 12,000 tests as of a Tuesday earnings call.

Representatives for Caesars Entertainment Inc., Boyd Gaming Corp. and MGM Resorts International didnt return a request for comment asking if they would release their own positive case numbers.

Its no surprise to Abouzeid that Wynn Resorts was the first to share its testing results.

In April, Wynn published a reopening health and safety plan with ideas for reopening the state.

Abouzeid said he was impressed with the companys transparency about its plans and now its positive cases, which could win the hearts and minds of employees, guests, vendors and the public.

Disclosing the positive cases indicates Wynn Resorts is playing the long game on public perception and employee culture, rather than worrying about the possibility of short-term drops in visitation, Swissman said.

Question mark

Though Wynn Resorts disclosure is the most detailed among Strip gaming companies, the information lacks context.

Without knowing how many of those positive employees interact with customers or work in Las Vegas, its hard to draw many conclusions about what those positive tests mean for Wynns local properties and the local gaming industry, UNLV hospitality professor Amanda Belarmino said.

She said Wynn is aiming for transparency by sharing its positive case numbers and total tests. However, she said, there are employee privacy concerns that factor into releasing additional context.

Theyre trying to balance the needs of the employees with the needs of the guests, but I think it does raise a lot more questions, Belarmino said.

What Wynns positive cases proclamation does suggest is that employees likely arent catching the virus at work and the company could be identifying asymptomatic employees before they unknowingly spread the virus, the professor said.

I think its a very good sign in terms of the industry itself as a whole and Wynn properties, in particular, that theyre doing the right thing in terms of preventing the spread of the virus, Belarmino said.

Labus, the epidemiologist on Sisolaks advisory team, said Wynns announcement doesnt mean much without context on how, who and why the company is testing.

The fact employees tested positive isnt surprising, as hospitality and gaming is the states largest employer, he said.

But, he adds, just because its a Wynn employee that tested positive doesnt mean it had anything to do with Wynn or put any other co-workers or guests at risk, Labus said.

Labus said he believes Wynn is accurately portraying its own data, though he noted its also fair to wonder whether an employee would be as forthcoming sharing with their employers contact tracer intimate details of their lives outside of work.

I think thats the thing thats a question mark. All we have is an answer at the very end of it, how they got to that number, we dont know, so its hard to say what it really means.

The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson. Las Vegas Sands operates The Venetian.

Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.

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Las Vegas-Area Creative Organizations Launch the Producers Alliance of Southern Nevada – Broadway World

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The organization was created out of the desire for these organizations to be seen by policymakers.

Creative organizations across Nevada and the Las Vegas area have launched Producers Alliance of Southern Nevada, 8 News Now reports.

"Every company is trying to find its own way to continue and they've lost revenue," said Sarah O'Connell with Eat More Art Vegas.

One organization that is struggling financially is The Playhouse, which was forced to close five months after opening.

"We are relying solely on the kindness of our patrons," said Benjamin Loewy, owner of The Playhouse. "We are still obligated to pay certain bills and have zero income. We are being held to the same standards as 2,000 seat amphitheaters, and that's something we are struggling to keep up with."

The Producers Alliance of Southern Nevada was created out of the desire for these organizations to be seen by policymakers.

"Our first job is to band together so we can speak with one voice and hopefully get policies tailored to protect the local arts community that is right now overlooked," O'Connell said.

Learn about all local art projects and more at EatMoreArtVegas.com.

Read the original story at 8 News Now.

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Las Vegas-Area Creative Organizations Launch the Producers Alliance of Southern Nevada - Broadway World

2 neighborhoods were hit hard by the virus. Officials admit being unprepared. – Las Vegas Review-Journal

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Amid a growing number of COVID-19 cases in two Latino neighborhoods, health officials say they werent fully prepared to curb the diseases spread when the outbreak began in March.

Now, Latinos account for 1 in 4 local coronavirus cases, a greater share than that of any other racial or ethnic group in the Las Vegas Valley.

Officials said they are attempting to make up lost ground with increased testing opportunities in Latino neighborhoods and expanded Spanish-language public health outreach. Theyre also partnering with community leaders in hopes of overcoming long-standing mistrust between immigrant families and government agencies.

People are scared to go to a clinic, for one reason or another. As a result of that, they go without treatment, said Guy Girardin, president of Puentes, a Las Vegas nonprofit working to connect Latinos with health and social services. Its kind of this snowballing effect.

Neighborhoods with the valleys greatest concentration of Latino residents have also seen the regions highest infection rates. The hardest-hit are ZIP codes 89110 and 89030, located near each other in east Las Vegas and the city of North Las Vegas, respectively.

Las Vegas City Councilwoman Olivia Diaz, who represents the citys predominantly Latino east side, said many residents are low-wage essential workers who dont have the luxury to work remotely. Fears of becoming sick are often outweighed by the necessity to continue working to pay for rent and groceries.

Since Nevada allowed casinos to reopen in early June, the official tally of cases in 89110 and 89030 has increased more than sevenfold. As of Aug. 7, more than 4,600 residents had tested positive throughout the pandemic.

The whole concept of COVID-19 testing is really a moot point for a lot of people, Girardin said. They basically see it as that I might test positive, but Ive got no choice. I have got to go to work to support my family. That may at the onset seem selfish, but its reality.

Once a person is infected, he or she can unknowingly bring the disease home to large, multigenerational households, where it can be difficult for family members to self-isolate.

Angie Leyva, a Latina mom of four who shares her Las Vegas home with her 63-year-old mother, saw all but one of her family members catch COVID-19 within a month. While the familys symptoms have been mild, the school first-aid safety assistant said knowing that her children and mother probably became infected at home has been distressing.

We havent gone to big parties. The kids would barely go out, she said. Its hard to know how or who passed it on to us, but it only took one for all of us to get it.

Response falls short

The Southern Nevada Health District, the government agency leading the valleys fight against the novel coronavirus, has been working to address shortcomings in its pandemic response in Latino communities.

After elected officials raised concerns about a lack of testing sites in east Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, the district last month hosted weekend testing at five middle schools in and around the area. Health officials collected specimens from more than 5,000 people.

The health district also erected a permanent testing site at All Saints Episcopal Church on Washington Avenue, which serves a large Latino congregation. More than 5,000 people have been tested at the site since it began operations in late April.

But testing is only one part of the problem, said acting Chief Health Officer Dr. Fermin Leguen. Efforts to contact Latinos who test positive for COVID-19 have been hamstrung because not enough health district employees speak Spanish.

Leguen said he had directed his staff to use part of $6 million in new federal grant monies to hire more bilingual disease investigators, whose duty it is to ask infected people to isolate themselves and help track down their close contacts.

Health district employees who do not speak Spanish are also using an over-the-phone interpreting service to survey Spanish speakers. Clark County has also loaned 10 of its staff members to the health district to focus on outreach to the Latino community.

The agency is not much in the demographics of this community, said Leguen, a Cuba native who took the health districts helm in the fall. It is something we have to make an effort to address.

The lack of preparedness became more apparent as cases surged in ZIP codes 89030 and 89110. Both neighborhoods have a population that is about two-thirds or more Latino, double that of the county as a whole.

The spike among Latinos led county and city officials to create a government-led coalition of health experts, community leaders and Spanish-language media outlets to better educate people on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The initiative, titled Est en Tus Manos (Its in Your Hands), was launched in late June and aims to connect with Latinos where they are, whether that be at a neighborhood supermarket, their church or through their school.

The efforts appear to be working, Diaz, the Las Vegas councilwoman, said. Before the campaign, she would shop at a Hispanic grocery store in her neighborhood and see only about one-third of customers wearing face masks. Today, virtually everyone is participating.

We have to be aware theres not a one-size-fits-all approach in terms of reaching folks, she said. I think in this circumstance there has to be a level of trust for people to take in and internalize the information and take heed.

Changes in business

At one longtime Latino institution in the 89030 ZIP code, adapting to the new normal has taken time.

Customers and vendors at Broadacres Marketplace must have their temperature taken before entering the 50-acre outdoor market in North Las Vegas. President and CEO Greg Danz said hes hired extra security guards to enforce mandatory mask-wearing and social distancing rules. Anyone who refuses to comply is escorted off the property.

Its been a big learning curve, Danz said. I think the community is getting it. Is it perfect? Probably not, but were definitely working with everyone to improve.

While Danz said hes unaware of any Broadacres employees or vendors who have contracted COVID-19, the novel coronavirus has taken a measurable toll on the market.

The venues pavilion, typically filled with live music and dancing, has lain quiet since Broadacres reopened in May. Thousands fewer customers are coming in each weekend compared with this time last year, and Danz said about one-fifth of vendors have either temporarily suspended their operations or walked away altogether.

Before the pandemic, shop owner Luis Arturo Cordoba Reyes made his living at Broadacres selling soccer jerseys, toys and games of foosball $5 for 20 balls across from carnival rides owned and operated by his parents.

Business is so slow now that hes started also working at a local restaurant to support his own family. The 26-year-old fears that job could end without warning if theres an outbreak among the staff.

I dont even come on Saturdays because when I would come, it would be too hot and (I would) only get $5, he said of vending at Broadacres. Thats not worth my time.

Faults in our system

On Monday, Gov. Steve Sisolak acknowledged that the pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on minority communities that face disparities in access to health care, food and job opportunities.

I think it has pointed out some of the frailties and the faults in our system, he said. And were going to do everything we can to fix this, not just for the pandemic but as we move forward and permanently.

Indeed, median household incomes in the 89110 and 89030 ZIP codes were among the lowest in the valley before the pandemic crippled Southern Nevadas tourism-driven economy. The accompanying layoffs by service industry employers have left many people in the area struggling to make ends meet.

Theres a lot of anger right now. A lot of fear. A lot of anxiety, said the Rev. Rafael Pereira of All Saints Episcopal Church. How am I going to pay my bills? How am I going to pay my rent?

The church typically conducts two Spanish-language services on Sundays. Now, priests preach to a camera in an unoccupied church, illuminated by softbox lighting as congregants watch on a Facebook livestream video.

Being unable to gather at church has made an already strenuous time even more difficult, Pereira said. Hes spent a lot of time in recent weeks counseling families whose members have lost work.

Stopping the spread of COVID-19 in Latino communities will remain elusive until their economic uncertainty is addressed in some fashion, Girardin said.

In late July, Puentes collaborated with dozens of other providers to hold a resources fair at the Mater Academy school campus in the 89110 ZIP code. By the time the event began, shortly after 8 a.m., hundreds of vehicles had already lined neighborhood streets, with the earliest having left home before the sun had begun to rise.

Volunteers handed out not only fresh foods but also back-to-school supplies and pages of Spanish-language instructions on how to apply for social services and help paying for rent, utilities and health care.

Puentes has also launched a program to deliver groceries and cleaning supplies to homes that need to isolate because a family member has tested positive for the virus. More than 100 households are receiving support.

You cant deal with a pandemic without dealing with all communities, Girardin said. And if community spread continues to happen in vulnerable populations, ultimately its just going to spread into the other communities.

Contact Jannelle Calderon at jcalderon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @NewsyJan on Twitter. Contact Michael Scott Davidson at sdavidson@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861. Davidson is a member of the Review-Journals investigative team, focusing on reporting that holds leaders and agencies accountable and exposes wrongdoing. Follow @davidsonlvrj on Twitter.

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2 neighborhoods were hit hard by the virus. Officials admit being unprepared. - Las Vegas Review-Journal

Tech giants back legal challenge to Trump’s foreign worker restrictions – Reuters

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Small toy figures are seen in front of diplayed Amazon logo in this illustration taken March 19, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top U.S. tech firms including Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and Facebook Inc (FB.O) filed a legal brief on Monday backing a challenge to U.S. President Donald Trumps temporary ban on the entry of certain foreign workers to preserve jobs for Americans during the coronavirus pandemic.

In the brief, filed in a lawsuit brought in California by major U.S. business associations, the companies argued that the visa restrictions will hurt American businesses, lead employers to hire workers outside the United States, and further damage the already struggling U.S. economy.

Trump issued a presidential proclamation in June that suspended the entry of a range of foreign workers until the end of the year, a move his administration said would free up jobs for unemployed Americans amid the economic fallout of the pandemic.

Among those affected by the temporary ban are skilled foreign workers entering on H-1B visas and managers and specialized workers being transferred within a company on L visas - both visa types used by tech companies. Trumps ban also blocks seasonal workers entering on H-2B visas, with an exception for workers in food supply chain jobs.

In the brief filed on Monday, the companies argue Trumps proclamation could do irreparable damage to U.S. businesses, workers and the economy, and was based on a false assumption that it would protect U.S. workers.

Global competitors in Canada, China, and India, among others, are pouncing at the opportunity to attract well-trained, innovative individuals, the brief reads. And American businesses are scrambling to adjust, hiring needed talent to work in locations outside our nations borders.

Apple (AAPL.O), Microsoft (MSFT.O), Netflix (NFLX.O) and Twitter (TWTR.N) were among 52 companies that signed the brief, which was filed in a lawsuit brought by the National Association of Manufacturers, which represents 14,000 member companies, as well as in a similar lawsuit brought in Washington, D.C.

Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Nick Zieminski

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Tech giants back legal challenge to Trump's foreign worker restrictions - Reuters

Ranked: The World’s 20 Biggest Tech Giants, by Brand Value – Visual Capitalist

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The pandemic has businesses everywhere on the ropes, with many firms filing for bankruptcy since lockdowns began. Despite the uncertainty, tech giants and major digital retail brands are still thrivingand some are running circles around those that are less pandemic-proof.

Using data from Kantar and Bloomberg, a recent brand report released by BrandZ shows which tech companies are proving their worth to consumers during COVID-19 chaos. With data covering almost 4 million consumers, BrandZ also reveals that the tech sector leads the worlds 100 most valued brands in terms of financial power and consumer sentiment.

Heres how the top 20 tech brands from the report stack up:

Out of the top five tech brands, Microsoft made the biggest moves with 30% brand value growth. Other big movers in the top 20 were Instagram (owned by Facebook), Adobe, and LinkedIn (owned by Microsoft), rising 47%, 29%, and 31%, respectively.

Broken down by nation, U.S. brands are dominating techs heavy hitters, claiming 14 of the worlds top 20 tech brands. Chinese brands round out much of the remaining top 20, including tech entertainment and social media giant Tencent, which rose 15% in brand value since 2019.

Techs top brands are raking in billions of dollars, capturing consumer mindshare, captivating people, and comforting them during volatile months. Apple, Microsoft, Google, Tencent, and Facebooktechs leading contingenthave made those moves look easy during what are rough times for many world brands.

While most tech brands in the upper half of the top 20 saw significant increases in brand value, only Facebook and IBM were in decline from 2019, at -7% and -3% respectively. The biggest loss in techs top 20 came from Chinas Baidu, which fell by -29% in 2020.

Waning consumer trust, thanks in part to the perceived misuse of personal data, is a gap that techs popularity alone wont fill forever. (Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, nearly 25% of Facebook account holders reported being extremely or very concerned about their personal data.)

Coming in at eighth place, Facebook-owned Instagram gained 47% in brand valuea huge percentage, but less than the whopping 95% growth it had in 2019.

On the whole, digital apps have been faring well during the pandemic, especially those built for entertainment, shopping, social connection, and delivery.

These brands had anticipated, even invented, the online-offline dynamics of modern life that became indispensable for survival during the lockdown homebound weeks of avoiding the contagion.

BrandZ 2020 Global Top 100 Report

While the brand value growth rates of tech giants arent entirely immune to the effects of COVID-19, the likes of Apple, Microsoft, and Google are growing steadily, surpassed only by e-commerce leader Amazon.

With data collected into April 2020, BrandZs report on the worlds top 100 brands reflects multiple shifting needs and consumer concerns at a categorical scale.

While consumer affinity for e-commerce and social media brands has increased, fast food and beer brands took a hit, despite reports of increased alcohol consumption and food delivery during lockdown. It would seem then, that consumers have been valuing their tools and means of consumption.

Of the reports 14 brand categories, only six increased in value, mostly by less than 5%. Of the top risers, six were tech brands and six were mainly e-commerce.

Other upwardly mobile brands were those in the apparel and personal care categories. Much like retail, those categories had an increasing reliance on technology to deliver their products.

The above chart shows overall categorical changes for 2020 led by retail, tech, and insurance. In the opposite corner, energy, and bank brands took the biggest hits.

The economic impacts of COVID-19 are undeniable. Even still, BrandZs top 100 brands marked a steady increase of 6% in value in 2020, compared to 7% the previous year.

This pandemic has offered up era-defining change, with tech and e-commerce seizing the day. But in a climate where nothing can be taken for granted, brands large and small are still taking their knocks.

For now, the brands that are embraced by consumers will be those that can apply a salve to the blows that 2020 keeps delivering.

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Ranked: The World's 20 Biggest Tech Giants, by Brand Value - Visual Capitalist

Moving Tiktok’s ownership to Microsoft will benefit tech giants not users – The Next Web

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In what seems to be a common occurrence, Chinese video-sharing app TikTok is once again in the headlines.

After months of speculation about national security risks and users data being harvested by the Chinese Communist Party, US President Donald Trump has announced plans to ban TikTok in the United States any day now.

In response, a deal is being negotiated between TikToks parent company ByteDance and US software giant Microsoft. If successful, Microsoft will take over the apps operations in the US and potentially also in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

A US ban would not be unprecedented. India barred TikTok last month, alongside dozens of other Chinese-owned apps and websites.

[Read: Facebook launches Instagram Reels globally amidst TikTok drama]

According to reports, ByteDance has agreed to sell some of its TikTok operations to Microsoft. The deal, which is unlikely to progress before mid-September, would appease US regulators and could be seen as a way forward for TikTok in Australia.

Microsoft has indicated any takeover would include a complete security review and an offer of:

continuing dialogue with the United States government, including with the president.

Moving ownership to a US company could help address concerns surrounding the perceived influence of the Chinese government over TikTok. But there will need to be strong oversight to ensure existing user data is transferred entirely to Microsofts control.

While Microsoft has pledged to ensure TikTok data are deleted from servers outside the country after it is transferred it would be difficult to prove copies had not been made before control was handed over.

Whats more, a Microsoft-owned TikTok may not appeal to everyone. Some may think Microsoft is too closely tied to the US government or may consider it a monopoly holder in the personal computing market.

Also, it would be naive to think foreign governments will not be able to covertly access US-stored user data, if they are so inclined.

Should the deal go ahead, it may open an opportunity for the Australian and New Zealand governments to align with a US-supported initiative.

Australia is still deciding how to proceed, with the Senate Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media due to hear from TikTok representatives on August 21. The committee has been tasked to look at the influence of social media on elections and the use of such platforms to distribute misinformation.

TikTok wont be alone though Facebook and Twitter are both due to attend. It is, however, unlikely the Microsoft acquisition will have much influence on the proceedings as the deal is still in the early days of discussion.

Microsofts acquisition may introduce fresh concerns about the US governments influence over TikTok. Although, this is perhaps more politically palatable than potential Chinese government influence over the app given the Chinese Communist Partys unsavoury record of privacy abuses.

Perhaps the only winner from the deal would be ByteDance itself. A product that is increasingly disliked by foreign governments will only become harder to sell with time. It would make sense for ByteDance to cash out its asset sooner rather than later.

The deal would also likely earn it a significant payout, given TikToks millions of users.

Despite ongoing allegations, there is no solid evidence of a threat to either national security or personal data from using TikTok. Many of the concerns hinge on data sovereignty specifically, where data are stored and who can use and access them.

TikTok has responded to allegations by stating its user data are not stored in China and are not subject to Chinese government influence or access.

That said, while TikTok user data may well be stored outside China, it is unclear whether the Chinese government has already secured access, or will seek to do so later through legal channels.

There are, however, other potential issues that may be driving the USs concerns.

For instance, in 2018 an unexpected consequence of sharing fitness tracker data through the Strava website inadvertently revealed the locations of secret US military bases.

Thus, services such as TikTok which are meant to be relatively benign (if used ethically) can, under certain circumstances, present unexpected threats to national security. This may explain why Australias defence forces have banned the app.

Threats from the US against TikTok are not new.

The countrys Secretary of State Mike Pompeo indicated TikTok was being examined by US authorities in early July. And suggestions of a national security review go as far back as November last year.

However, in regards to Trumps most recent threat, one contributing factor may be the personal feelings of the president himself.

There are theories much of the new hype over TikTok could be a reaction from Trump to an ill-fated political rally in Tulsa.

A number of TikTok users reserved tickets to the Trump rally and didnt show up, as a protest against the president. The rally saw only a few thousand supporters attend, out of hundreds of thousands of allocated tickets.

This article is republished from The Conversation by Paul Haskell-Dowland, Associate Dean (Computing and Security), Edith Cowan University and Brianna OShea, Lecturer, Ethical Hacking and Defense, Edith Cowan University under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Moving Tiktok's ownership to Microsoft will benefit tech giants not users - The Next Web

When will India Start Adopting the World’s Tough Scrutiny of Global Tech Giants? – The Wire

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These are quixotic times in India. On the economic front, the Narendra Modi government appears to have embarked on yet another grand project. It wants to offer the Indian market on a platter to the much-criticised data behemoths and other tech giants from the United States.

Today, there is global optimism towards India. This is because India offers a perfect combination of openness, opportunities, and options. Let me elaborate, India celebrates openness in people and governance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi boasted in his interaction with the US India Business Council on July 22.

India has attracted more than $20 billion foreign investment between April and July, he claimed. However, he did not provide the breakup of these investments or which companies had actually invested.

That these imploring calls of Prime Minister Modi to the US business behemoths contradict his grand pronouncements on the Atmanirbhar campaign of self-reliance is well known.

Otherwise, it is difficult to explain that, at a time when the American tech companies are being pilloried in their own Congress for their anti-competition policies, India is ready to embrace them. One popular strategy seems to enable key tie-ups with Indian monopoly giants to monetize the data of more than 400 million Indian users of GAFA Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple.

Consider for a moment the proceedings against the GAFA companies in the US Congress on July 29. These proceedings appeared like the infamous 1994 congressional hearing of the tobacco executives who raised their right hands to claim that cigarettes were not additive. CEOs Mark Zukerberg of Facebook, Sundar Pichai of Google, Tim Cook of Appeal and Jeff Bezos of Amazon also raised their right hands to say that everything they are doing is for the public good. If that is the case, how is it that they are able to rake up profits to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars.

Of course, the Congress just simply dismissed the claims of the CEOs of four tech companies. Indeed, they were lampooned for stifling competition and bringing monopoly into the data industry.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal tore into what she described as Facebooks strategy to prevent competitors from getting footholds by copying competitors. Facebook is a case study, in my opinion, in monopoly power because your company harvests and monetizes our data, and then your company uses that data to spy on competitors and to copy, acquire and kill rivals, said Jayapal, raising several questions to Mark Zukerberg.

Our founders would not bow before a king, nor should we bow before the emperors of the online economy, warned Congressman David Cicilline, the chair of the committee looking into the dangerous practices adopted by the GAFA companies. He suggested the time has come to break up these companies.

Microsofts Satya Nadella could not attend the proceedings as he was busy negotiating with TikTok, which could soon become the new jewel in the Microsoft crown. It remains to be seen whether the deal will go through, as President Trump is placing near-extortionist demands on Microsoft to comply with.

Consider the investments made by big Silicon Valley tech companies in India. Facebooks $8.8 billion, amount to a bet that Jio Platforms Ltd, and Mukesh Ambani, the chairman and shareholder of its parent company, Reliance Industries Ltd are the players best positioned to bring legions of Indian consumers fully into online and e-commerce, according to a Wall Street Journal report of 20 May.

Already, Facebook has a huge presence in India and generates more than $100 million in the Indian market. How hard will it be for Facebook and WhatsApp to manipulate public opinion and influence elections for the party of its liking? And what are the chances it will be the ruling party, whose chief has already embraced Zuckerberg?

Google has also invested more than $4.5 billion in Indias Jio Platforms Ltd. Google is exploring an investment in a move that could pit the US internet group in a battle against Facebook for the worlds fastest growing mobile market, says Financial Times of 28 May.

Amazon has reportedly tied up with Bharti Airtel to fend off Mukesh Ambanis Reliance Jio and Microsoft in the battle for Indias cloud computing market, according to a report in the Financial Times. Ironically, these very companies are now going to be the largest beneficiaries of the Modi governments munificence. They can use the data of hundreds of millions of Indian users for creating demand for future products through their machine intelligence involving use of complex algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI).

While Siraj-ud-Daulah valiantly fought against the East Indias companys armies to stop the plunder of India, the Modi government seems to revel in joy for turning the Bharat into the playground for American tech behemoths.

Ravi Kanth Devarakonda is a senior journalist.

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When will India Start Adopting the World's Tough Scrutiny of Global Tech Giants? - The Wire

New York unveils landmark antitrust bill that makes it easier to sue tech giants – The Guardian

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New York state is introducing a bill that would make it easier to sue big tech companies for alleged abuses of their monopoly powers.

New York is Americas financial center and one of its most important tech hubs. If successfully passed, the law could serve as a model for future legislation across the country. It also comes as a federal committee is conducting an anti-trust investigation into tech giants amid concerns that their unmatched market power is suppressing competition.

Bill S8700A, now being discussed by New Yorks senate consumer protection committee, would update New Yorks antiquated antitrust laws for the 21st century, said the bills sponsor, Senator Mike Gianaris.

Their power has grown to dangerous levels and we need to start reining them in, he said.

New Yorks antitrust laws currently require two players to collaborate in a conspiracy to conduct anticompetitive behavior such as price setting. In other cases companies may underprice products to the point where they are even incurring a loss just to drive others out of the market anticompetitive behavior that New Yorks laws would currently struggle to prosecute.

Our laws on antitrust in New York are a century old and they were built for a completely different economy, said Gianaris. Much of the problem today in the 21st century is unilateral action by some of these behemoth tech companies and this bill would allow, for the first time, New York to engage in antitrust enforcement for unilateral action.

The bill will probably be discussed when New Yorks senate returns to work in August but is unlikely to pass before next year. It has the support of New Yorks attorney general, Letitia James.

For more than 100 years, our antitrust laws have served as critical protection for consumers and small businesses from unchecked corporate power to choke off competition and limit consumer choice. While our states antitrust laws remain essential to these protections, we support legislation to strengthen them further to meet the challenges of todays economy, said James. State Senator Gianaris legislation is an important tool to do just that.

Gianariss bill comes a week after a heated exchange between the leaders of the USs largest tech companies and the House committee investigating them. At the hearing Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Googles leaders were told they had too much power, are censoring political speech, spreading fake news and killing the engines of the American economy.

I was struck by the brazen tone of the witnesses, said Gianaris. Some of the things they were admitting to appeared to me to be violations of existing laws.

Gianaris said states needed to take a lead while the federal government decides what, if any, action it will take.

Whether its the existing laws not being strong enough or the existing laws not being enforced, they clearly feel invulnerable. That is a microcosm of the entire problem. They have become too powerful economically which leads to them becoming too powerful politically and they feel like they can get away with things nobody else can, he said.

Everyone recognizes the problem. The federal hearing really shines a light on that, he said. So far Gianaris said the bill had received a very positive response. I am anticipating movement on the bill in the next session.

One thing we know, and we have learnt this the hard way in the last four years, is that the states need to be prepared to step in when the federal government is not being aggressive enough. This is clearly an example of that.

Gianaris said it wasnt too late to act, but its later than it should be. These problems should have been addressed years ago.

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New York unveils landmark antitrust bill that makes it easier to sue tech giants - The Guardian

Amazon Is a Private Government. Congress Needs to Step Up. – The Atlantic

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Ken Buck, a Republican representative who is a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, continued the theme, grilling Bezos about evidence that Amazon had deliberately allowed counterfeits to proliferate on its site in order to extract protection money from suppliers. He cited the experience of PopSockets, a start-up in his home state of Colorado that makes popular phone accessories. The companys founder told the subcommittee that Amazon declined to rid its website of fake versions of his products until he agreed to spend $2 million to advertise on the site.

The subcommittee also has evidence that Bezos had leveraged his exceptional backing from Wall Street to block upstart competitors from gaining a foothold; that Amazon lost $200 million in a single month selling diapers below cost in a bid to force the parent company of a popular rival, Diapers.com, to agree to be acquired; that Amazon sold Echo speakers below cost and bought up potential rivals such as Ring so that its Alexa voice assistant could dominate the smart home market. Lawmakers have also documented the consequences of these practicesthe small businesses, the software developers, and the product inventors who live in fear of being crushed at Amazons whim.

Amazon, of course, is just one of the tech giants under the antitrust subcommittees scrutiny. The panel is building a case that these companies have created a form of private governmentautocratic regimes that are tightening their control over our main arteries of commerce and information. As such, they threaten Americans liberties. Our founders would not bow before a king, Cicilline said at the hearing. Nor should we bow before the emperors of the online economy.

Congress has not conducted so detailed an investigation of monopoly power in the lifetimes of most Americans, so its hard to conceptualize where it might lead. But if the past is any guide, it could precipitate both new laws and antitrust prosecutions. In 1938, for example, Congress set up a commission to examine concentration across multiple industries. Its findings led the federal government to file a major antitrust case, change the patent laws, and, in 1950, pass sweeping legislation to restrict mergers. Congress conducted other investigations of monopoly in the 1950s and 1960s, and the results shaped antitrust enforcement. But then, beginning in the 1970s, monopoly was sidelined as a concern by both political parties.

The Houses antitrust subcommittee is resurrecting this tradition, and there are signs its work is already having an effect. State attorneys general in New York and California have reportedly opened antitrust investigations into Amazon.

But a multiyear court fight is not the only way to restructure Amazon and the other tech giants. The subcommittee may recommend a more straightforward approach. Congress could approach digital platforms the same way it did the railroads, another pivotal technology that governed market access. In the late 19th century, a handful of railroad barons used their control of the rails to monopolize other industries. They captured the market for coal, for example, by blocking rival producers from using the rail lines to get their coal to market. They also charged farmers exorbitant rates to ship their crops. Congress responded by setting up a commission to oversee rates and ensure that the railroad companies did not discriminate against some customers by imposing higher prices or different terms of access. Then, in 1906, Congress enacted a law barring the railroads from maintaining an ownership stake in firms that produced goods requiring rail transportation, thereby dissolving their ability to self-deal.

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Amazon Is a Private Government. Congress Needs to Step Up. - The Atlantic

‘Anathema’ to competition: What are the sticking points between US tech giants and India over data protection? – Times Now

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India's proposed data protection regulations have received pushback from US tech giants.  |  Photo Credit: Twitter

India's plan to regulate 'non-personal' data has received significant pushback from US-based tech behemoths Facebook, Google and Amazon who, via the US-India Business Council (USIBC), has labelled the data sharing principals outlined by the Indian government as anathema to the promotion of competition, alleging that it will deter foreign investment made by technology companies into the Indian digital eco-system, and hurt economic growth.

In late July 2018, the Narendra Modi-led government introduced a far-reaching piece of data privacy legislation called the Personal Data Protection Bill, for Parliamentary review, reportedly, based on the European Union's Global Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that came into effect in May that year.

However, privacy analysts have noted that there are elements of the proposed legislation that differ markedly from the EU's GDPR, that have, over the last two years, caused consternation among foreign tech players eager to gain access to India's lucrative digital markets.

The first of these relate to the cross-border flow of information and India's data localisation requirements. As per the current draft of India's data protection Bill, foreign entities are permitted to transfer personal data of users to servers outside India, as long as a copy of this data is stored in a local facility. Notably, it also bars any cross-border processing of what India deems 'critical personal data.' The treatment and use of another category, 'sensitive personal data' also requires companies to meet heightened consent, notice and compliance obligations.

Tech outfits like Facebook and Google have claimed that the India's data localisation demands are based on faulty logic, raising concerns that 'sensitive data' of Indian users may very well be entangled with that of non-Indian users, amounting to a privacy threat to non-Indians, if their data is stored locally. Separating Indian user data from non-Indian data, as Facebook has previously asserted, can prove to be extremely challenging.

The second bone of contention that US-based tech outfits have over the India's proposed data protection legislation has to do with non-personal data. In July, a goverment-appointed panel recommended the set up of a regulator to oversee the use and treatment of anonymised data, or data stripped of any personal identifiers.

The panel proposed that firms operating within India's digital eco-system be made to share data with other entities including their competitors, presumably, to prevent monopolistic or anti-trust practices.

Non-personal data is any dataset that does not contain information that can be used to identify individual persons. For instance, data collected by a taxi service will, naturally, contain details like a person's name and address. This data can only be classified as non-personal if such details are removed. However, there remain key concerns about whether data can truly be made anonymised with several studies showing that perfect anonymisation may not be possible, flagging risks to personal privacy.

Facebook, Google and other tech outfits have alleged that mandating sharing of this data goes against the principles of competition.

The non-personal data a company providing digital services collects can allow it to gain a critical advantage over its competitors, especially in highly competitive markets. The counter-argument here is that non-personal data, by itself, is of little use, and it is the way that this data is analysed, via artifical intelligent algorithms and other data mining tools that is, in truth, how companies gain leverage in the market.

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'Anathema' to competition: What are the sticking points between US tech giants and India over data protection? - Times Now

Microsoft Joins Tech Giants in Forming the Open Source Security Foundation – WinBuzzer

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Microsoft is part of a group of tech industry heavyweights who have formed a new foundation focused on open source. Specifically, the Open Source Security Foundation wants to increase security around open source services.

Joining Microsoft in the Open Source Security Foundation (OSSF) are Red Hat, Google, JPMC, IBM, NCC Group, and OWASP Foundation. Microsofts own GitHub is also a part of the group. Announced Monday, the collective of tech companies are also joined by the JPMorgan Chase banking firm.

All of the foundation is hosted at the Linux Foundation. In the announcement, the group said the intention is connect and secure software by leveraging the Linux Foundation. For example, the Core Infrastructure Initiative (CII) and the GitHub-initiated Open Source Security Coalition (OSSC), are part of the initiative.

In a confirmation post, Microsofts chief technology officer Mark Russinovich says the foundation will improve the security of open source software by building a broader community, targeted initiatives and best practices.

Given the complexity and communal nature of open source software, building better security must also be a community-driven process.

For a list of current project being looked at by the Open Source Security Foundation, head to the official GitHub page.

Russinovich explains securing open source software can benefit every company in the foundation, as well as users:

Open source software is core to nearly every companys technology strategy and securing it is an essential part of securing the supply chain for every company, including our own. With the ubiquity of open source software, attackers are currently exploiting vulnerabilities across a wide range of critical services and infrastructure, including utilities, medical equipment, transportation, government systems, traditional software, cloud services, hardware and IoT.

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Microsoft Joins Tech Giants in Forming the Open Source Security Foundation - WinBuzzer

Tech Giants Earned Billions from Pandemic Now They Need to Bridge Digital Divide for Kids – Siliconeer World’s First South Asian Digital Daily

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(Above, l-r): Pedro Noguera, Dean, USC Rossier School of Education; Shaun R. Harper, Executive Director of the USC Race and Equity Center; Daniel (Dan) Domenech, Executive Director of the School Superintendents Association; Eddie Valero, Supervisor for District 4, Tulare County Board of Supervisors; and Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Associate Professor of Education, Psychology and Neuroscience at the Brain and Creativity Institute and USCs Rossier School of Education. (Siliconeer/Zoom screen grab)

By Sunita Sohrabji/EMS Contributing Editor

As school districts around the nation grapple with how to educate students this fall, education experts called on tech giants which earned billions from the pandemic to chip in to bridge the digital divide.

No district or community can wait for leadership or funding from federal or state agencies to fill the growing equity gap, a panel of experts on school equity issues agreed at a July 31 Ethnic Media Services news conference. Communities have to turn inward and find the resources kids need to thrive.

With over 11 million students around the nation lacking lap tops, and many regions still reliant on antiquated DSL technology, panelists singled out the role of tech giants.

Jeff Bezos (founder and chief of Amazon) is raking in incredible profits for his business during the pandemic, as is Facebook, Google and Apple, noted Pedro Noguera, Dean of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California (USC).

They have a moral responsibility to bridge the digital divide but they dont act. They should be held accountable by Congress to invest in access to the Internet. It is a basic right at this point in our history, Noguera said.

Amazon announced its Q2 revenues on July 30. Despite the pandemic, the company doubled its net revenue from $2.6 billion for Q2 in 2019 to $5.2 billion in net revenue for the months of April, May, and June. Sales increased 40 percent to $88.9 billion in the second quarter, compared with $63.4 billion in second quarter 2019, said the company in a public statement.

Apple announced gross revenues of almost $58 billion, with $11 million in revenue.

In June, following the killings by law enforcement officers of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, corporations pledged to spend billions of dollars on addressing structural racism and inequities, noted Shaun Harper, Executive Director of USCs Race and Equity Center.

Many of those tech companies made those announcements about the money that they were putting up without fully even knowing how they were going to spend those dollars, Harper said.

That is a lever that could be easily pulled. Just say to them, Amazon, heres how you could direct some of those resources that will help address some of the racial equity issues pertaining to schooling, particularly schools that primarily enroll mostly black and brown students.

Harper noted that people of color, who are going to be impacted more heavily by decisions on how to safely open schools, have largely been left out of the discussion. So less attention has been paid to making sure schools have grief and trauma centers for students who have lost a family member, or personal protective equipment, testing, contact tracing and cleaning supplies for food service workers, janitors, and groundskeepers, roles held primarily by people of color.

He also noted that none of the plans addressed the bullying being suffered by Asian American students for their supposed association with the coronavirus.

It doesnt help when the president of the United States repeatedly refers to it as Kong flu and the Chinese virus. It further puts Asian Americans at risk, he said.

Dan Domenech, Executive Director of the School Superintendents Association which represents all school superintendents across the nation, said his organization has asked Congress to spend $200 billion to bridge the digital divide, ensuring that students have laptops and quality access to the Internet. Increased costs for getting students back to learning work out to $490 per child, he said.

Senate Republicans have proposed a $70 billion package to aid school districts. Senate Democrats have proposed $175 billion. Domenech noted that similar to a federal provision which mandates all households have telephone access a separate provision could mandate that all households must have access to high speed internet.

The communications companies are unwilling to do this, said Domenech. The solution here is to get the federal government to put up the money, he said, noting that this was unlikely to happen before schools reopen, because the Senate July 31 recessed for summer vacation. The House has canceled its August recess until a relief bill is passed.

Eddie Valero, who serves on the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, spoke of two measures in the California state Legislature which would require communications companies to provide high-capacity broadband to all residents. Large portions of the state still have only DSL networks, which transfers data at much slower speeds, therefore making it incompatible for technologies like Zoom, the top choice for distance learning.

These bills are game-changers for education, said Valero, adding that the measures would focus on developing the infrastructure to deliver fiber broadband in currently under-served areas.

We have reached a pivotal moment in real time where we need to re-envision what school looks like for the future. We can no longer look back or stay stagnant, stated Valero.

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Professor of Education, Psychology and Neuroscience at the Brain and Creativity Institute and Rossier School of Education at USC, said the pandemics isolation has over-stressed childrens brain systems. Kids watching their parents struggle over the loss of a job or possible eviction become anxious themselves, but without the ability to interact with other people to help them through their crises.

Immordino-Yang advocated for a system which utilizes college-ready recent high school graduates who are not able to attend college this fall. We could tap into those young people and help them to become tutors, teachers helpers, and education activists for the kids in their vicinity.

Junior and senior high school kids could also be tapped to tutor younger students, said Immordino-Yang. They need to feel not like Im waiting here isolated for the world to reopen, but instead that they have agency to actually build their community during this terrible time period.

Video clips from the briefing:

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Tech Giants Earned Billions from Pandemic Now They Need to Bridge Digital Divide for Kids - Siliconeer World's First South Asian Digital Daily

Treasury yields fall slightly as investors monitor stimulus bill and U.S.-China tensions – CNBC

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U.S. government debt priceswere lower Monday morning as investors monitored the state of U.S. stimulus talks and the latest fraying of relations between Washington and Beijing.

At around 2:50 a.m. ET, the yield on the benchmark10-year Treasury notewas higher at 0.5673% andthe yield on the30-year Treasury bondedged up to 1.2431%. Yields move inversely to prices.

President Donald Trump on Saturday signed a series of executive orders on coronavirus relief, circumventing Congress after lawmakers failed to agree on a fresh round of fiscal stimulus to temper the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the executive orders have been widely criticized as ineffective and unconstitutional, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday signaled a willingness to restart negotiations.

Chicago Federal Reserve President Charles Evans said in an interview with CBS News on Sunday that a fresh round of financial aid would be vital to enabling workers to stay home and curtail the spread of the pandemic. The U.S. has now reported more than 5 million confirmed cases of Covid-19, with more than 162,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Investors also have an eye on relations between the U.S. and China in the aftermath of Trump's executive order banning Chinese tech giants TikTok and WeChat. U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar voiced strong support for Taiwan on Monday, a move likely to further irk Beijing.

On the data front, JOLTs job openings for June are expected at 10 a.m. ET ahead of consumer inflation expectations at 11 a.m. ET.

Auctions will be held for $54 billion of 13-week Treasury bills and $51 billion of 26-week bills.

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Treasury yields fall slightly as investors monitor stimulus bill and U.S.-China tensions - CNBC

Dragon astronauts describe sounds and sensations of return to Earth – Spaceflight Now

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Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are seen Sunday aboard a helicopter that carried from the SpaceXs Go Navigator recovery ship in the Gulf of Mexico to Naval Air Station Pensacola, where they boarded a NASA jet for a flight back to their home base in Houston. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Two days after becoming the first U.S. space fliers splash down in the sea in more than 45 years, astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on Tuesday described their fiery ride back to Earth aboard SpaceXs Crew Dragon capsule to cap a flawless test flight, setting the stage for operational flights beginning later this year.

Riding in their commercial Crew Dragon spacecraft, which they named Endeavour, the astronauts parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico Sunday after plunging through Earths atmosphere on a return trip from the International Space Station.

I personally expected there to be certainly not issues with the vehicle but some challenges, some things that were maybe not quite what we expected, said Hurley, the Crew Dragons spacecraft commander, and a veteran of two prior space shuttle flights. I mean, even on our shuttle flights we had things that happened something that you certainly wouldnt have expected in a real flight.

My credit once again is to the folks at SpaceX, the production folks, the people that put Endeavour together, and certainly our training folks, Hurley said. The mission went just like the simulators. Honestly, from start to finish, all the way, there were really no surprises.

Hurley and Behnken launched May 30 on top of a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, becoming the first astronauts to launch into orbit from U.S. soil since the retirement of the space shuttle nearly a decade ago. The next day, the duo docked with the space station to join commander Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner.

Behnken joined Cassidy on four spacewalks in June and July to finish a multi-year effort to upgrade batteries on the space stations solar power truss. Hurley assisted with operating the stations Canadian-built robotic arm, and both Dragon astronauts helped perform maintenance, scientific experiments and other tasks during their two-month stint on the orbiting research lab.

But the prime objective of Hurley and Behnkens mission designated Demo-2, or DM-2 was to verify the performance and capabilities of the Crew Dragon spacecraft. They were the first astronauts to fly into space on a Crew Dragon, following the unpiloted Demo-1 test flight to the space station in March 2019.

The final major task for the Crew Dragon Endeavour spaceship was the return to Earth.

Hurley and Behnken floated into the capsule Saturday, and the ship autonomously detached from the space station. A series of maneuvers using the Dragons Draco thrusters steered the capsule a safe distance from the station and lined up with the targeted recovery zone in the Gulf of Mexico roughly 34 miles (54 kilometers) off the coast near Pensacola, Florida.

A final 11-minute deorbit burn allowed the Crew Dragon to drop back into the atmosphere. A thermal shield protected the capsule and the astronauts inside from the scorching heat of re-entry, and temperatures outside the spacecraft were expected to reach up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,900 degrees Celsius).

As expected, a sheath of plasma around the spacecraft blocked communications for several minutes between the astronauts and SpaceX mission control in Hawthorne, California. Mission control regained contact with the crew moments before the capsule deployed two drogue parachutes to stabilize its descent through the atmosphere, then unfurled four large orange and white main chutes to slow the capsule to about 15 mph (24 kilometers per hour) for splashdown.

Hurley and Behnken were the first U.S. astronauts to return to Earth for a water landing since the Apollo-Soyuz mission in July 1975.

The Crew Dragons return to Earthwas more than what Doug and I expected, said Behnken, who served as the spacecrafts pilot.

As we kind of descended through the atmosphere, I personally was surprised at just how quickly the events all transpired, Behnken told reporters Tuesday. It seemed just like a couple minutes later after the (deorbit) burn was complete, we could look out the windows and see the clouds rushing by at a much accelerated rate.

Once we descended a little bit into the atmosphere, Dragon really came alive, Behnken said. It started to fire thrusters and keep us pointed in the appropriate direction. The atmosphere starts to make noise. You can hear that rumble outside the vehicle, and as the vehicle tries to control, you feel that little bit of shimmy in your body. And our bodies were much better attuned to the environment, so we could feel those small rolls, pitches, and yaws. All those little motions were things we could pick up on inside the vehicle.

It took just 12 minutes from the time that the Crew Dragon encountered the uppermost reaches of the discernible atmosphere until splashdown. NASAs winged space shuttles made a more gradual descent, taking roughly 30 minutes from the start of re-entry until touchdown on a runway.

As we descended, through the atmosphere, the thrusters were firing almost continuously, Behnken said. I did record some audio of it, but it doesnt sound like a machine, it sounds like an animal coming through the atmosphere with all the puffs that are happening from the thrusters and the atmospheric noise. It just continues to gain magnitude as you descend down through the atmosphere. I think we both really, really noticed that aspect of things.

Behnken, a 50-year-old veteran of two space shuttle missions, also described what the crew felt when the Crew Dragons trunk section jettisoned just before the deorbit burn, along with the sensations inside the spaceship when mortars fired to deploy the parachutes.

All the separation events, from the trunk separation through the parachute firings were very much like getting hit in the back of the chair with a baseball bat just a crack, and then you get some sort of a motion associated with that, Behnken said.

He said that feeling was pretty light for the trunk separation, but with the parachutes it was a pretty significant jolt, and a couple of jolts as you go through dis-reefing (expansion) of the parachutes as well.

Behnken said he quoted to Hurley during the re-entry a humorous scene from the 1985 comedy filmSpies Like Us,where Chevy Chase asks DanAykroyd if he wants some coffee after training in a spinning centrifuge.

I took a line from an old movie that Doug and I were both familiar with at one point, he said. Under the G-load of about 4.2 Gs, I said, Want to get some coffee, much like wed seen in an old movie that we had watched because that was really the feeling that we had. Thats the best way to describe if youve seen an old movie that happened to have some guys whod been in a centrifuge. Thats what we felt like.

The Crew Dragon capsule is equipped with an altimeter to estimate the ships altitude using GPS navigation data, and the astronauts were watching the display during the final descent under the parachutes.

Its not super-accurate everywhere that youre located, so we got below zero for our altitude on that indicator, which was a little bit surprising, and then we felt the splash and we saw it splash up over the windows. It was just a great relief, I think, for both of us at that point, Behnken said.

SpaceX provided audio recordings from the Crew Dragons first orbital test flight to help prepare Hurley and Behnken for the ride during launch and re-entry. Behnken said that helped the astronauts know what to expect as the rode the Crew Dragon for the first time.

We were really comfortable coming through the atmosphere even though it felt like we were inside of an animal, Behnken said.

He said it was difficult to see out the windows, which are located near the astronauts feet, during the period of entry with the highest G-loads. Instead, the astronauts focused on their touchscreen displays.

The thermal control system inside the capsule was designed to keep the temperature below 85 degrees Fahrenheit, or 29 degrees Celsius, as temperatures reached their hottest outside the spacecraft during entry.

I do feel like I felt some warming of the capsule on the inside, Behnken said.

Behnken offered a similarly vivid account of the ride into orbit on top of SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket. The astronauts were the first people to rocket into space on a Falcon 9.

By the time the capsule was through the hottest part of re-entry and the G-forces subsided, the capsules windows were blackened from the ordeal. Scorch marks were also visible on the outer skin of the crew capsule, and those were anticipated by SpaceX and NASA.

You can see from just an overall view of the capsule that re-entry is a pretty demanding environment, with the different scorches on the vehicle, and the windows were not spared any of that, Hurley said. To look out the windows, you could basically tell that it was daylight but very little else.

Hurley said the Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft was rock solid during the descent back to Earth.

Personally, I expected the entry to diverge somewhat from what we saw in the simulation, Hurley said. What I mean by that is as the capsule gets into the thicker atmosphere just prior to the drogues (parachutes) with Dragon, I expected there to be some divergence in attitude control because its a real tough problem for the ship as it gets into thicker air to maintain perfect attitude control.

He expected the vehicle might command the drogue parachutes to deploy a bit early to help stabilize its attitude, or orientation. That wasnt required Sunday.

The vehicle was rock solid right up until the nominal drogue deploy altitude, Hurley said. You could feel it, you felt the decel (deceleration), you knew the drogues both worked, and then it was the same with the mains. We felt the different stages of dis-reef, and then right to the impact in the water We kind of had a feeling that it would not be as much (of an impact) as a (Russian) Soyuz landing as it was described to us, but it was going to be a pretty firm splashdown, and then even how we bobbed in the water, and how the vehicle sat in the water.

By all accounts, the Crew Dragon aced the test flight. NASA expects to convene a review in late August or early September to formally certify the Crew Dragon for operational crew rotation flights to and from the space station.

Three NASA astronauts and a Japanese astronaut are training for the first operational Crew Dragon mission, known as Crew-1, for launch on a six-month expedition to the space station as soon as late September. Sources said the late September launch schedule is somewhat optimistic, and theres a chance SpaceXs Crew-1 launch might be delayed until after the launch of the next Russian Soyuz crew capsule, which is set for Oct. 14.

So my compliments to SpaceX and the commercial crew program. The vehicle performed exactly how it was supposed to, and you feel really good about Crew-1, and what they should expect and what they should see when they fly their mission, Hurley said.

For now, NASA and SpaceX officials say they remain hopeful for a Crew-1 launch before the end of next month.

After splashdown, the crew waited for SpaceXs recovery team to arrive at the capsule and hoist it onto a recovery vessel. Once on-board the boat, the astronauts waited the SpaceX team to ensure there were no toxic vapors leaking from the capsules propulsion system, then technicians and medical personnel opened the hatch to help Hurley and Behnken out of the spacecraft.

Hurley said the astronauts took some time after splashdown to test out a satellite phone they had on-board. If they had landed off course well away from SpaceXs recovery team, they could have used the phone to call rescue forces.

The astronauts first tried calling SpaceX mission control in California.

When we called they said standby, Hurley said. Sowe decided we would exercise our judgment and use our phone to call some other folks.

Hurley joked Sunday night that the astronauts were making prank satellite phone calls to whoever we could get ahold of, which was kind of fun.

They called NASAs flight director and their wives both veteran astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Hi, this is Bob and Doug. Were in the ocean.'

This was a great chance to reassure them that we were in the water, we were ok, we were feeling good, Hurley said. And at that point, we were still waiting on SpaceX, so we just decided to call a few other people that we knew their phone numbers.

After getting out of the SpaceX capsule, getting out of their pressure suits and completing initial medical checks, the astronauts rode in a helicopter from SpaceXs recovery vessel to Naval Air Station Pensacola, where they got on a NASA jet for the trip back to their home base in Houston to be reunited with their families.

Their first meal back on Earth? A pizza.

Amid an exercise protocol to help readapt to Earths gravity, the astronauts said they are looking forward to spending time with their families. The astronauts began training for the mission in 2015.

Theres a lot of stuff to do in the next few weeks, Hurley said. Were hoping at some point to take some time off and share some more time with our families since they were the ones that really had to sacrifice over the last five years.

The astronauts said their experience flying the Crew Dragon gives them confidence the spacecraft is ready for regular crew rotation flights, pending analysis of all the data from the Demo-2 mission.

They do need to look at the data from our entry, Behnken said. Its not just the end users anecdotes of how well it performed. They will do a very thorough review, both on the SpaceX side and the NASA side, to make sure that theyre comfortable. But from a crew perspective, I think its definitely ready to go.

There are things that could be improved to make things a little bit more comfortable, or a little bit more efficient inside the vehicle for those crews. But from a crew perspective, I think were perfectly comfortable that Crew-1 is ready when they finish the engineering and analysis associated with certification, Behnken said.

Hurley added that the extension of the Demo-2 missions duration from several days to two months also offered a chance of engineers to gather more data on the capsules performance, increasing confidence that the spacecraft will be ready for the roughly-six Crew-1 mission beginning later this year.

Theres a certification process that Endeavour hasnt completed yet, and it will likely be weeks, Hurley said. From my experience of flying fighters and testing fighters theres a lot of scrutiny on a first light, and theres a lot of work that goes into a first flight, but you cant let your guard down, and youve got to take a look at the data, youve got to listen to the hardware, and its probably going to take a few flights.

We certainly did our best, and I think the teams did their best, to script this flight to be a full-up test flight, but there are certainly things on Dragon that could be tested more, Hurley said.

Behnkens wife is astronaut Megan McArthur. NASA announced last week she will be the pilot on the Crew-2 mission, which is slated launch in the spring of 2021 and will use the same reusable Crew Dragon spaceship flown by Hurley and Behnken on the Demo-2 test flight.

For me, I think in the short term I transition into a support role, Behnken said Tuesday. Illdefinitely be focused on making sure that her mission is as successful as possible and supporting her just as she did for me over the last five years with the uncertainty in our launch dates and the uncertainty in our return dates.

Its definitely her turn to focus on getting her mission, while I take care of the things that need to be taken care of for our home life, said Behnken, an Air Force colonel and flight test engineer.

Throughout their flight, Hurley and Behnken shared images on Twitter of daily life on the International Space Station and spectacular snapshots of planet Earth, showing views of cities, mountain ranges, oceans and tropical cyclones.

The perspective that you have from low Earth orbit of our planet is just one of just complete awe, said Hurley, a retired Marine Corps colonel and fighter pilot. First of all, of how beautiful the planet is, that there are no borders that you can see from space that the atmosphere is so thin.

The United States, and the world, has been dealing with so much chaos and drama, and the pandemic, and all the things that have been going on in the world, Hurley said. If it were me, it would make me feel better to see these pictures from space, so we just felt like it was a way to have folks maybe have a distraction for awhile, and also to appreciate the planet that weve been given.

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Dragon astronauts describe sounds and sensations of return to Earth - Spaceflight Now