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5 Things to Know

5 things you need to know Wednesday

Editors
USA TODAY
Donald Trump delivers an address via video to delegates on the second day of the Republican National Convention at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

Day 3: Republicans set their sights on November

The Republican National Convention reaches its halfway point Wednesday, after Donald Trump finally claimed the party’s presidential nomination in a roll call vote Tuesday. In keeping with tradition, Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, will get his moment in the sun and address the nation in primetime.  Other key speakers will include Eric Trump, the third child of Donald Trump and first wife Ivana Trump; Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a former presidential hopeful who’s probably thinking ahead to 2020; and former House speaker Newt Gingrich, another candidate who was passed over as Trump’s vice president pick.

Scorching heat to bake most of U.S. this week

A grueling heat wave is geared up to sweep across the central and southern U.S. starting Wednesday, heading to the mid-Atlantic and Northeast by the weekend. Sixteen states have already posted heat advisories and warnings, and major cities such as Dallas, Chicago and St. Louis are in extreme heat zones. The heat index, factoring in temperature and humidity, could reach 120 degrees in some locations. Experts say people should avoid the midday sun to prevent dehydration and heat stroke. The sweltering July weekend comes after what was the hottest June on record.

Vigil planned for Baton Rouge police officers

Members of the Baton Rouge community will gather Wednesday at the Louisiana State University campus to honor the lives of the three police officers who were killed in an ambush Sunday. The event, organized by the LSU Student Government, will be held “in the spirit of coming together as #OneBatonRouge,” according to the Facebook event page. . Other vigils have been held across the state to mourn 32-year old Montrell Jackson, 41-year-old Matthew Gerald and 45-year-old Brad Garafola.  A makeshift memorial appeared outside the hospital where two injured officers are being treated.

DuPont, Dow Chemical shareholders expect to approve mega deal

Shareholders vote Wednesday on finalizing a $130 billion merger of Dow Chemical and DuPont announced in December. Approval will mean the demise as a separate entity of 200-year-old DuPont, though the DuPont name would re-emerge in an agricultural company intended to be spun off from the merged corporation. That and another spinoff would be based in DuPont's home state of Delaware, with a third, materials sciences spinoff based in Midland, Mich., Dow's hometown. DuPont retirees are (still) wondering if their pensions will be affected. Questions also remain about the extent of planned cuts, especially in light of pre-merger layoffs at Dow and DuPont.

The company name of Dow appears above its trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Pokémon Go set to arrive in Japan

Pokémon Go is available in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, but its biggest market finally gets to check out the game Wednesday: Japan.The game will launch in the Asian nation, according to media reports, and Japan will also host the first sponsored locations, with McDonald's turning several of its restaurants into gyms where players train their characters. The hit game is an augmented virtual reality experience where players capture "pocket monsters" called Pokémon. Already, it has been downloaded more than 30 million times and raked in $35 million in global revenue, according to research firm SensorTower.

And the essentials:

Weather: The central U.S. heat wave will continue, while a few showers and storms hit the Southeast.

Stocks:  Global stocks seesawed ahead of the U.S. market open.

TV Tonight: Wondering what to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at the Republican National Convention, Ghostbusters and Wayward Pines.

Be inspired: Their father fled death in Iraq, now his sons are saving lives in Phoenix.

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