By some estimates Hispanic voters may account for 13% of the electorate in the November election and thus could be the deciding factor in the outcome.

That’s why The Lincoln Project—the anti-Trump conservative group—is joining forces with a coalition of Hispanic voting rights and mobilization groups to get Hispanics to vote for Joe Biden.

The LP is also out with a new Spanish-language ad condemning Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis. “It’s a little like the regular flu,” Trump states in the ad.

You know, the one you get a flu shot for. Boom, done. Taken care of. He’s also heard proudly stating how he’s “always wanted to play it down,” referring to COVID-19’s deadly impact. “I still like playing it down,” he adds, despite the 200,000 Americans who have died from it.

The LP is collaborating with Mi Familia Vota, UnidosUS Action Fund, and Nuestro PAC in a bid to persuade Hispanics that Biden is the right choice this November.

In addition to the ad, this Wednesday the four organizations are holding a virtual Town Hall they are billing as possibly the “largest bi-partisan gathering of Hispanic voices in modern politics.”

The Lincoln Project Hispanic Steering Committee—including legendary Hispanic advertising and marketing mavens Lionel Sosa and Cesar Martinez-Gomariz--will be working with the aforementioned Hispanic voting organizations to lead voter outreach and mobilization efforts across the country.

Amazon is introducing several new products for its Echo and Ring lines, including the Ring Car Cam, which automatically begins recording inside a car if a driver says, “Alexa, I’m being pulled over.” It sends the video directly to the cloud.

That’s fallout from “driving while Black” incident headlines, when Black and other minority drivers have claimed mistreatment when stopped by police, typically for alleged driving offenses. 

Nathan Ackerman, Ring’s head of mobile products, told CNET’s website Roadshow, "Traffic stops can be a time when having video is important, so that everyone remains on their best behavior. So, we developed a feature to support that.” 

The Car Cam, retailing for $199.99  when it hits the market in 2021,  goes both ways. The camera pointed outward could detect would-be thieves or give you a glimpse of the car that hit you while you were parked. It notifies your smartphone, allowing you to activate a camera to see what’s going on. With the home security brand branching out to autos, other new products include Ring Car Alarm and Ring Car Connect.

If any of that sounds revolutionary, consider what Ring’s doing back at your house. 

Ring’s new Always Home Cam is an indoor drone that flies around your home on a predetermined path set by the user, for security purposes. Homeowners get the chance to check out the scene throughout the house without having to have a separate camera in each place. 

That notion may sound bizarre, at least at first, and mighty intrusive if someone’s at home. Ring says it only records when it’s in flight. When in motion, it makes an audible sound, which Ring called “privacy you can hear.” It will be priced at $249.99 when it goes on the market, also next year.

All these items will need Federal Communications Commission  approval before they go on the market.

The Ring and Amazon product showcase was a reminder of the approaching holiday season, along with Amazon Prime Days, reportedly Oct. 13 and 14. 

Amazon also featured a  boatload of new Echo devices and improvements, like a new model with a digital clock, and generally better-looking, better-sounding versions of those products where Alexa lives. Some are spherical. There’s also a new version of the Echo Dot Kids edition, which can read a story to your kids. 

A new version of Echo Show, the visual counterpart to the audio version, now features a 10-inch HD video screen on a swivel that can now follow you around to let you keep watching what you want. It has Netflix built in, and Zoom and Skype capabilities, too. 

A new version of the Fire stick used with Amazon Prime will soon allow you to use your big-screen TV for video calls.. 

Also among the new products is Luna, a cloud-based gaming service that runs on all kinds of devices and operating systems and is fortified by the Luna game channel. The new controller connects directly to the cloud and costs $49.  Given the economic wallop of game and gaming devices, it’s likely to be the best-received product launch of them all.

TikTok has received a temporary reprieve from being removed from U.S. app stores.

A Trump Administration executive order had set a September 27 deadline requiring that, if TikTok’s U.S operations were not sold by that date, its app would be banned from sale in app stores. The order did not attempt to stop the continued use of TikTok by existing U.S. users.

On September 26, after TikTok filed for an injunction to block the ban on downloads, Judge Carl Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the Trump Administration to either delay the ban or file a written response by 2:30 p.m. September 27.

On the deadline day, Judge Nichols announced that he was granting part of TikTok’s injunction request, temporarily stopping the ban on app-store downloads.

The court order was sealed, so his reasons for granting the partial injunction are not public as yet.

In seeking a temporary injunction, TikTok argued that the executive order is “capricious,” violates the First Amendment, and would do the company irreparable harm. It also pointed out that a judge in San Francisco recently blocked the administration from enforcing a similar ban on the messaging app WeChat.

Nichols asked the parties to review his injunction decision and indicate by 11 am on Monday, September 28 whether the order can be unsealed.

“We’re pleased that the court agreed with our legal arguments and issued an injunction preventing the implementation of the TikTok app ban,” TikTok said in a statement.

The Commerce Department also released this statement, indicating that it will continue to “vigorously” defend the executive order:

“On September 27, 2020, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia granted a nationwide preliminary injunction against the implementation of Executive Order (E.O.) 13942, limited to the Secretary of Commerce’s Identification of Prohibited Transactions with TikTok/ByteDance involving ‘any provision of services… to distribute or maintain the TikTok mobile application, constituent code, or application updates through an online mobile application store.’  The E.O. is fully consistent with the law and promotes legitimate national security interests.  The Government will comply with the injunction and has taken immediate steps to do so, but intends to vigorously defend the E.O. and the Secretary’s implementation efforts from legal challenges.”

After Oracle and Walmart agreed to acquire TikTok’s global operations, Trump expressed tentative approval of such a deal and extended his deadline by a week, to September 27.

However, soon after the proposed deal was announced, TikTok owner ByteDance asserted that it would keep control of 80% of the newly formed TikTok entity, at least until an IPO could be implemented at an unknown date. Oracle and Walmart counter-asserted that ByteDance would have no ownership or control.

Trump has since said on Fox News that he will not approve the deal unless the U.S. partners have total control.

In short, for the moment, the outcome is still in limbo.

Verizon has signed a multi-year agreement to be the official 5G and Official Wireless Services partner of the National Hockey League in the United States.

Additionally, as a season-long Fantasy Sports Partner of the NHL, Verizon Media's Yahoo Sports also will have the opportunity to offer game highlights and other official NHL-produced content to its fantasy players. Yahoo Sports will also receive an Official Sports Betting Partner designation and associated promotional rights for use in connection with its strategic partnership with BetMGM.  

The deal includes Verizon bringing 5G and Mobile Edge Computing innovation to U.S. NHL arenas and NHL fans. It also makes Verizon the Official Mobile Edge Computing Partner in the United States and an Official Technology Partner.

Verizon will also pilot the development of a Mobile Edge Computing use case for in-venue applications which could include real-time access to video highlights enabled by Verizon 5G technology.

With the focus of the partnership on 5G, Verizon will have opportunities to work with arena operators to install Verizon 5G in select U.S. NHL arenas and to offer consumer demonstrations of the technology at NHL events once fans are allowed to return to stadiums. 

The 2020-2021 NHL season will tentatively begin Dec. 1. No decision has been made regarding whether fans will be allowed to attend games. 

Via the partnership, Verizon will aim to highlight solutions that enhance the fan experience and build the next generation of hockey fandom no matter where they are, says said John Nitti, chief media officer, Verizon.

“5G Ultra Wideband opens up new opportunities for sports fans and now especially NHL fans to interact with their favorite teams and players, giving them the ability to watch the game from multiple angles, as well as get stats and fantasy scores on players through immersive fan experiences,” Nitti says in a release. 

American Honda Motor Co.’s  Acura luxury brand will launch creative for the TLX on Sunday during a televised race ahead of the vehicle’s on-sale date Monday. 

The campaign debuts during the International Motor Sport Association Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio on NBC Sports. The 2021 TLX will lead the pack of vehicles at the race as the Official Pace Car.

Acura’s motorsports program has done well this year, winning the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Champions in multiple divisions with both the NSX GT3 race car in IMSA GTD Division. 

The 60-second spot from MullenLowe uses cinematic storytelling and a vintage 1920s-style silent film concept set to a soundtrack by legendary comedic actress and singer Betty Hutton’s “It’s Oh So Quiet.” 

“Break the Silence” builds on Acura’s recent “Less Talk, More Drive” brand campaign with a storytelling method that prioritizes quick, clever action cuts over dialogue.

The campaign highlights key 2021 TLX technologies, including Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD), the industry-leading torque-vectoring all-wheel drive technology available on all 2021 TLX models. 

The campaign also shows how Acura's Integrated Dynamics System creates a personalized TLX driving experience through a new Individual Mode, enabling the driver to choose their preferred settings for each element of system control.

The media plan includes national broadcast, including must-watch sports such as NBA and NFL matchups, network cable and video-on-demand, with 80-, 30- and 15-second versions. Acura also will run Spanish-language, Cantonese and Mandarin-language versions of the TV spot.

The campaign also includes integrations on audio streaming platforms for both general market and Hispanic audiences (including iHeart Radio, Pandora, SoundCloud and Amazon).

Social media activations include the upcoming “Inside Track” campaign, an augmented reality driving experience where users can challenge friends in real-time through five immersive worlds as misty mountain top roads and skyscraper-lined streets grow out of your coffee table.

Media partnerships include takeovers and editorial sponsorships on the Huffington Post-curated Hispanic Heritage Month and Latino Voices section, as well as takeovers on Verizon’s Tech Crunch and Yahoo.

Finally, a new augmented reality activation for mobile devices was created in partnership with Verizon  and features rich media across multiple platforms, a first for auto.

In other Acura news, as the official automaker of the Trombone Shorty Foundation, the brand is the presenting partner of the first-ever Virtual Shorty Fest Sept. 26 at 8 p.m.

The event aims to bring the music culture of New Orleans and the music of Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue to life via a streamed event on Acura’s YouTube channel. It will help to raise awareness of Trombone Shorty Foundation’s mission to support young musicians.