Donald Trump's campaign denied accusations its candidate incited gun rights activists to violence after he told a rally "Second Amendment people" could perhaps stop Hillary Clinton from appointing Supreme Court judges. (CNBC)
Nearly one in five Republicans want Trump to drop out of the election, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday.
Newly released emails have renewed questions about overlap between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department. The messages show a foundation executive contacted aides to then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, seeking to connect a foundation donor to the Lebanese ambassador and requesting a foundation associate be considered for employment at the State Department. (NYT)
Clinton leads Trump in three key battleground states — Iowa, Ohio, and Pennsylvania — according to new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist surveys. (CNBC)
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Wednesday the United States needs an emergency jobs program and a "green New Deal." She also proposed paying for student loan forgiveness with a quantitative easing program. (CNBC)
Brazil's Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of indicting President Dilma Rousseff on charges of breaking budget laws, moving forward impeachment proceedings. (Reuters)
Bank of America (BAC) hosted a private meeting of investors in Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX) during which turnaround plans were discussed, Reuters reported. The dinner was attended by Valeant board member Bill Ackman and came six weeks before Valeant reported earnings and unveiled a reorganization plan Tuesday. (Reuters)
Procter & Gamble (PG) is paring back its efforts to target specific users on Facebook (FB), the Wall Street Journal reported. The world's largest advertising spender will not cut overall spending on Facebook, but concluded targeted ads are not as effective as it once thought. (WSJ)
Facebook on Tuesday launched measures to override ad-blocking software on its desktop website. At the same time, if offered users new tools to opt out of ads they don't want to see. (CNBC)
Tesla (TSLA) said one of its cars operating in "autopilot" mode had crashed in China, and is investigating the incident. The driver claimed Tesla's sales staff sold that function as "self-driving." (Reuters)
Florida health officials have locally transmitted by mosquitoes in a one square mile area in Miami. (AP)
BY THE NUMBERS
There are just two government economic reports due out today, neither of which is likely to be market-moving. The Labor Department's monthly report on Job Opportunity and Labor Turnover (JOLTS) is out at 10 a.m. ET, and the monthly federal budget statement is out at 2 p.m. ET.
The Mortgage Bankers Association issued its weekly look at mortgage applications at 7 a.m. ET. Mortgage applications jumped 7 percent as rates dropped on weak GDP.
The Energy Department has its usual Wednesday look at oil and gasoline inventories at 10:30 a.m. ET. The inventory report is most likely among all these numbers to have some market impact, with oil under pressure this morning on renewed oversupply concerns.
Notable earnings reports out this morning include JD.com (JD), Michael Kors (KORS), Ralph Lauren (RL), and Wendy's (WEN), while today's after-the-bell reports include Blue Buffalo (BUFF), Middleby (MIDD), and Shake Shack (SHAK).
STOCKS TO WATCH
Dow component Walt Disney (DIS) reported adjusted quarterly profit of $1.62 per share, 1 cent above estimates, with revenue also exceeding forecast. Disney revenue at its movie studio and theme parks divisions were better than expected, but investors are focusing on a revenue miss at Disney's cable networks business.
Pacific Gas & Electric (PCG) was found guilty of federal charges in connection with a 2010 natural gas pipeline explosion in California that resulted in eight deaths and 58 injuries. The utility company could be liable for a fine of up to $3 million.
Yelp (YELP) surprised the Street by reporting a second-quarter profit of 1 cent per share, compared to estimates of a seven cents per share loss. The customer review website operator's revenue also exceeded analyst forecasts, as does its current quarter revenue forecasts.
SolarCity (SCTY) lost $2.32 per share for its latest quarter, smaller than the $2.44 per share loss anticipated by analysts, and the solar equipment company's revenue easily topped estimates. The company did say that closing new project financing deals were delayed due to the takeover talks it had been holding with Tesla.
Sony (SNE) announced a September 7 event involving its PlayStation video game console. Analysts say it is likely Sony will unveil a successor to the PlayStation 4 at that event.
WATERCOOLER
Serena Williams's Olympics effort ended Tuesday with a loss to Ukraine's Elina Svitolina. Williams and sister Venus were knocked out of the doubles in the first round this week.
Michael Phelps claimed his 20th and 21st gold medals in the 200m butterfly and the 4x200m freestyle relay on Tuesday.
The U.S. women's soccer team advances to quarterfinals at the Rio Olympics despite tying Colombia on Tuesday after the Americans gave up a goal in the final minute.