Tuesday, April 13th, 2021
‘Accidental’ Police Shooting, Chauvin’s Defense Begins & Self-Driving Pizza Robot
All the news in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp.com/newsworthy and Fitbod.me/newsworthy
Story Summaries
All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want to read the latest happenings...
TN Student Shot, Killed
A shooting happened inside a Knoxville, Tennessee high school that left one student dead and a police officer injured. Someone called the police to the school, saying there was an armed student holed up in a bathroom. The student was still in there when officers arrived, so they ordered him to get out. Instead, officers say the boy started shooting at them. They fired back and killed him. An officer who was shot had to have surgery but is expected to recover. No one else was hurt. At this point, investigators haven’t said why they think the boy brought a gun to school or fired at officers.
Read More: Knoxville News-Sentinel, AP, CNN, Knox County Schools
MN Police Shooting Follow
Police now say the officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright meant to grab her taser but grabbed her gun instead. The police chief says he believes it was an “accidental” shooting. Police also released the body camera footage from the deadly traffic stop Sunday. That wasn’t enough for many protesters though who gathered for a second night in a row to demand justice. The whole area was under a curfew last night, but hundreds of people were out anyway. Police warned protesters to go home, then started firing tear gas and stun guns into the crowd. Some people also threw items at the police including bottles, fireworks, and bricks.
Read More: Minneapolis Star Tribune, NY Times, AP, CNN, Fox News
Chauvin Defense Starts Today
The murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin continues, but maybe not for much longer. The prosecutors who have been trying to prove Chauvin murdered George Floyd have called their final witnesses. Starting today, the trial will be led by the defense team. Chauvin’s lawyers say they’ll present evidence that shows Floyd died of a drug overdose and a heart condition, and not from Chauvin kneeling on his neck. On the last day of testimony from prosecution witnesses, a cardiologist told jurors Floyd died from a lack of oxygen and he ruled out other factors.
Read More: AP, WSJ, NBC News, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Fallen Capitol Officer to Lie in Honor
Today, members of Congress and other invited guests will pay their respects to a fallen Capitol Police officer. The late Officer Billy Evans will lie in honor at the same building he died protecting. He was killed earlier this month when a car rammed into him and another officer who was guarding the entrance to the Capitol. Lying in honor is a rare Capitol tribute offered to private citizens. Evans will be only the sixth American to ever get the honor, but it’s the second time this year a Capitol Police officer will be recognized in this way.
Read More: NPR, WaPo, Politico, USA Today
Latin American Troop Surge
There’s now a show of force across Latin America, meant to discourage migrants from coming to the U.S. illegally. The U.S. says it reached a deal with the governments of Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. Now, those countries are adding thousands of police officers and military troops to the routes migrants usually take as the head to the U.S. The hope is the deal will stop migrants before they reach the U.S.-Mexico border. Last month alone, Border Patrol agents there stopped nearly 170,000 migrants and more migrant caravans are thought to be coming this way.
Read More: Reuters, NY Times, AP
CDC Calls for Michigan Shut Down
The head of the CDC is telling Michigan it’s time for the state to “shut things down.” Michigan is dealing with the worst COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. right now and the governor has asked the federal government to send more vaccines. However, the CDC director says vaccines aren’t the answer since they will take too long to make a difference. Instead, she says people need to stay home as much as possible and the state needs to ramp up testing and contact tracing. For now, Michigan’s governor is asking people to voluntarily limit their activities.
Read More: CNBC, NY Times, The Hill
First Female Army Secretary Pick
President Biden’s inner circle could make history again. He decided to nominate Christine Wormuth to be the nation’s first female Army secretary. That’s the top civilian job heading the country’s largest military branch. Wormuth now leads the International Security and Defense Policy Center of RAND, a research organization. Before that, she served as Undersecretary of Defense during the Obama administration. The Senate still needs to confirm Wormuth before she can officially take the job.
Read More: Axios, Defense News, WSJ, White House
NCAA Backs Transgender Athletes
The NCAA, the association that regulates all college athletics in the U.S., now says it “firmly and unequivocally” supports the rights of transgender athletes to compete in college sports. However, nothing is changing about its policies. The NCAA says transgender women need to have testosterone suppression treatment for a year before competing in women’s sports and transgender men who are taking testosterone can compete in men’s sports. The association is issuing a statement now since lawmakers in dozens of states are considering bills to ban transgender students from competing in school sports.
Read More: NBC News, Axios, NCAA
Microsoft Buys Speech Recognition Company
Microsoft made a big bet on healthcare technology. It acquired Nuance Communications. That’s a software company that sells tools for recognizing and transcribing speech. It’s used for doctor’s office visits, customer service calls, voicemails, and more. However, Microsoft is now focusing mostly on healthcare, saying this technology will help healthcare providers make better decisions and more meaningful connections. The deal is worth more than $19 million including debt.
Read More: WSJ, CNBC, The Verge, Axios, Microsoft
Domino’s Testing Autonomous Deliveries
Some Domino’s customers in Houston, Texas are going to get pizza delivered with a robot. The restaurant teamed up with the robotics company Nuro to test a driverless delivery service. Now, the program is finally rolling out. It uses Nuro’s fully self-driving vehicle called R2. The electric vehicle is reportedly about half the size of a traditional car and it doesn’t have a steering wheel or brakes. Each order will have a unique PIN attached to it to allow customers to open R2’s doors and grab their pizzas.
Read More: The Verge, Engadget, Forbes, Domino’s
Trivia Tuesday
Q: Besides the U.S., which country is home to the most McDonald's restaurants?
Play along on today’s Instagram Stories Quiz. We’ll also have the answer right here next week.
Last Week’s Trivia Tuesday Answer
Q: How many rides are at Disney World?
A: 49
Read More: Business Insider, Disney Attractions, Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, Disney Tourist Blog