 |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| Good morning, Daily Briefing readers. A state of emergency will go on in parts of North Carolina as the death of Andrew Brown Jr. has left more questions than answers for many residents. Also today, the CDC is expected to outline new mask guidelines as the government tries to balance easing restrictions for vaccinated people while acknowledging the COVID-19 pandemic continues to linger. |
| Steve and Jane are here with Tuesday's news. |
| Let's get started with some things that are on people's minds today. |
| 💉 New this morning: President Joe Biden blazed past his vaccine target of 200 million vaccinations in the first 100 days of his term. Does former President Donald Trump's administration deserve credit too? |
| 🌎 California's secretary of state said that organizers of a petition drive to force a recall election of Democratic first-term Gov. Gavin Newsom have gathered more than 1.6 million valid signatures — more than enough to qualify for the ballot. If Newsom survives the recall he will be up for re-election again in 2022. |
| ⚖ A judge has granted Michael Jackson's estate the dismissal of a lawsuit by Wade Robson, who alleged that Jackson sexually abused him as a boy. |
| 🏈 Former Florida State Seminoles and NFL linebacker Geno Hayes, who had been under hospice care at his parents' home, died Monday evening from liver disease. He was 33. |
| 🎶 On Monday's episode of NBC's "The Voice," coach Nick Jonas made a big mistake (for the second time this season) by pairing up two of his favorite singers during the second and final round of knockouts. Fellow coach Kelly Clarkson was ready to swoop in and take advantage. |
| 🎧On today's 5 Things podcast, politics reporter Chelsey Cox examines Biden's first 100 days in office. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker. |
| Here's what's happening today: |
State of emergency declared in parts of North Carolina |
| Lawyers and a family member of Andrew Brown Jr. said they were only allowed to watch 20 seconds of body-camera video of the Black man's fatal encounter with law enforcement in North Carolina last week, and repeatedly referred to his death as an "execution.'' Fearing "a period of civil unrest," Elizabeth City Mayor Bettie Parker declared a state of emergency that will extend at least into Tuesday, continuing "until deemed no longer necessary to protect our citizens." Authorities held the video to redact the footage before allowing the family and lawyers to view it. "We do not feel that we got transparency,'' Benjamin Crump, one of the lawyers representing the family, said at a news conference. Brown, 42, was shot and killed by Pasquotank County sheriff's deputies serving drug-related search and arrest warrants. Protesters have demanded the video to be released publicly. |
| |
CDC, Biden expected to outline new mask guidelines |
| The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was expected to unveil new guidance on outdoor mask-wearing for unvaccinated individuals Tuesday, ahead of a planned speech by President Joe Biden on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic response. Officials said a focus will shift to easing guidance for vaccinated people , both in recognition of their lower risk and to provide an incentive to get shots. "We're excited about the progress we've made, and the opportunity ahead of us, and because of the vaccination program we built we're further along than almost anyone predicted," White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said Monday. One state taking its own action is Kentucky, as people there will no longer be required to wear masks at outdoor events with fewer than 1,000 people beginning Tuesday, Gov. Andy Beshear said in easing his rule to fight the spread of the coronavirus. But the change doesn't alter masking requirements when indoors. |
| |
What else people are reading: |
| 🔵 Video footage showed two Colorado police officers laughing and making comments about the significant injuries 73-year-old Karen Garner, who has dementia, suffered during a 2020 arrest. |
| 🔵 The Census Bureau announced seven House seats will shift as a result of the 2020 Census, many moving to Republican-leaning states. These visuals explain how the changes could affect the 2022 midterm elections. |
| 🟣 Korean pop group BTS surprised fans by announcing their second English-language single called "Butter," which is set to release May 21. |
| 🔴 NBC – a broadcast partner for the last 16 years – will no longer air National Hockey League games after this season. ESPN will be the NHL's primary network partner and, according to reports, Turner will become the league's secondary broadcast partner. |
| 🟣 When talking about the Academy Awards telecast on ABC, TV critic Kelly Lawler noted that the problems started early and, overall, "The Oscars were a train wreck at the train station , an excruciatingly long, boring telecast that lacked the verve of so many movies we love." |
 | | A group of Oscar statuettes | | USA TODAY graphic | |
Apple rolls out privacy changes to iOS |
| Tuesday will be the first full day Apple users could have to decide whether they will allow apps to track them . Once users update to iOS 14.5 on iPhones – or update iPadOS – then launch apps such as Facebook, they are likely to get some prompts asking whether they want to let the apps track them across other companies' apps and websites. This has been a sore spot for Facebook, as less access to such data could crimp its U.S. digital advertising business, estimated by eMarketer to be about $40 billion. Consumers should appreciate the tracking because it helps Facebook deliver better, targeted advertisements, the company says. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said data collection is excessive and could be exploited. |
| |
Newsmakers in their own words: Rick Santorum's comments invite criticism |
 | | Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum | | USA TODAY graphic | |
| In the beginning of the video clip from his speech about "birthing a nation from nothing" last week, Santorum said he didn't know of any other country that was "settled by people who were coming to practice their faith." Responses to the clip varied from diving deeper into why Native American culture is missing to calls for CNN to terminate him. |
| In a statement to USA TODAY, Santorum said, "I had no intention of minimizing or in any way devaluing Native American culture." |
Investors watch the Fed as a busy week continues |
| Investors will look to the Federal Reserve as the nation's central bank will begin a two-day policy meeting Tuesday. The Fed is expected to keep its key lending rate close to zero and to inject more money into the financial system through bond purchases. The Conference Board will release its April snapshot of U.S. consumer confidence Tuesday. The consumer confidence index surged to 109.7 in March, up from 90.4 in February and the highest reading in a year, as increased COVID-19 vaccinations and more government support helped boost optimism. Most economists are forecasting strong growth in coming quarters, powered by a surge in consumer confidence and spending, which accounts for 70% of economic activity. Investors also are gearing up for the busiest week for earnings this season. Of the 500 members of the S&P 500 index, 181 will report this week. |
| |
Did you get a chance to see the pink supermoon? |
| The final week of April kicked off Monday night with a full moon, known this month as the pink moon. Plus, it's a "supermoon." |
| Pink moons don't really look pink, but there is a reason why they have that name. |
| A supermoon occurs when the full moon is at its closest approach to Earth in its orbit. On average, supermoons appear about 7% bigger and about 15% brighter than a typical full moon. Here are more photos of the supermoon seen around the world. |
 | | The full moon rises behind Glastonbury Tor on April 26, 2021 in Glastonbury, England. | | Finnbarr Webster, Getty Images | |
NFL draft is just two days away – and the rumors are flying |
| The NFL draft is rapidly approaching this week, and the rumor mill is likely to continue working overtime Tuesday as the event draws closer. Reports are circulating about whether the New England Patriots will move up, which quarterback the San Francisco 49ers are targeting with the No. 3 overall pick, or if the Atlanta Falcons are fielding trade offers for their perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones. With just over 48 hours until NFL commissioner Roger Goodell officially puts the Jacksonville Jaguars on the clock for the No. 1 pick, USA TODAY Sports has unveiled its rankings of the top 50 prospects as well as going through the exercise of an experts' mock draft. |
| |
ICYMI: Some of our other top stories published Monday |
| |
| Contributing: The Associated Press |
| |
| |
| |
