Thursday, April 15th, 2021
Manslaughter Charge, Top Threat to U.S. & College Sports Change
All the news you need in about 10 min:
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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 peruse the latest happenings...
MN Officer Charged
The former police officer who shot and killed a 20-year-old Black man in Minnesota this week is now facing a criminal charge. The ex-officer, Kim Potter, was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter. That means she could spend up to 10 years in prison, although experts say her lawyer is likely to argue for probation. Potter’s arrest came three days after she shot and killed Daunte Wright during a traffic stop. The police department said she accidentally grabbed her gun instead of her taser. Potter has since been allowed to go home on bail.
Read More: Minnesota Star Tribune, USA Today, Reuters, CNBC
Chauvin Defense Continues
On the 13th day of the high-profile murder trial against ex-officer Derek Chauvin, his defense team called its first medical expert. Dr. David Fowler told jurors he thinks George Floyd died from a combination of factors, like pre-existing heart conditions, drug use, and exhaust fumes from the police cruiser he was pinned next to. He says Floyd’s death should have been listed as “undetermined.” However, in Floyd’s autopsy, the cause of death was listed as “homicide.” Many prosecution witnesses said Floyd died from a lack of oxygen, caused by Chauvin’s knee on his neck.
Read More: WaPo, NY Times, WSJ, AP
Iran Nuclear Advancement
The U.S. is now questioning whether a new agreement with Iran is possible. This week, Iran said it will enrich uranium up to 60% purity. For comparison, it was only allowed less than 4% under the original Iran nuclear deal in 2015. The latest step means Iran is closer than it's ever been to being able to make a nuclear weapon. Iran says it’s doing this in retaliation for an attack on an Iranian nuclear site earlier this week. It knocked out power and damaged or destroyed thousands of uranium containers. Iran blames Israel. However, Israel hasn’t said one way or another.
Read More: BBC, WaPo, Reuters
Top U.S. Threats
American intelligence leaders say China is the number one national security threat to the U.S. The FBI director told Senators there are about 2,000 active investigations involving China, ranging from cyber theft to economic espionage. The new report also called China a “near-peer” competitor, meaning it’s challenging the U.S. in a variety of areas like the economy, military, and technology. It ranked other countries too. After China is Russia, Irna, and North Korea. Overall, it predicted more tension, but not war.
Read More: NPR, USA Today, Fox News, NY Times, Full Report
Today is NOT Tax Day
Even though April 15th is usually tax day, your 2020 federal tax returns are not due today. The IRS pushed the deadline to May 17th, meaning you still have more than four weeks to get your financial documents in order. The tax agency has been struggling to clear a backlog caused in part by the pandemic. It’s also working through some changes that came with the last relief package from Congress. Still, each state sets its own deadline. While most of them also changed their deadlines to May 17th, not all did, so if you pay state income taxes, you’ll want to double-check the due date.
Read More: IRS, Nerd Wallet, CNN
Coinbase Stock Market Debut
The largest exchange allowing people to buy and sell Bitcoin and other digital currencies is now the first major crypto company to go public. It’s called Coinbase and it made its stock market debut yesterday. The company’s value skyrocketed. It faced ups and downs, but by the end of the day, shares were trading at about $328 each, giving it a valuation of $86 billion. That’s comparable with Facebook’s first day of trading in 2012 or Airbnb’s first day last year. However, Coinbase warns its business mostly depends on the price of digital currencies like Bitcoin that can be volatile.
Read More: WSJ, CNBC, Coinbase
NCAA Dumps Transfer Rules
The NCAA’s Division I Council voted to let college athletes transfer schools once without sitting out a season. The decision is expected to be finalized later today. Some coaches and analysts say this could have a major impact since they may no longer be recruiting just high school athletes for their team. They might also be able to go after other active college players. Until now, football, basketball, men’s hockey, and baseball players have needed a special waiver to transfer without taking a break. The rule change is expected to take effect immediately.
Read More: CBS Sports, SI, AP, USA Today
Hundreds of Companies Oppose Voting Restrictions
It’s the latest and largest backlash against new election regulations. More than 300 high-profile companies, executives, and celebrities have signed a new statement against new bills and laws they say make voting more difficult. They include companies like Amazon, Starbucks, Target, Netflix, American Airlines, and General Motors. They got the message across with advertisements in the New York Times and Washington Post. The statement didn’t mention any specific laws or states.
Read More: WSJ, CNBC, NY Times
Mazda’s First Electric Vehicle
Mazda revealed its first electric vehicle. It’s called the Mazda MX-30. Mazda says it runs on a rechargeable battery and it will take about 36 minutes to charge the battery up to 80%. Other than that, details are slim. For example, the company hasn’t announced a price or how long this new model will be able to travel on a single charge. The new crossover will be available at dealerships in California this fall, but it’s not clear when it will be sold elsewhere in the U.S.
Read More: USA Today, Mashable, Car and Driver, Mazda
Retail Jobs Comeback
Certain retail and service jobs are making a comeback. Dollar General is the latest company to announce a hiring spree. It says it hopes to hire up to 20,000 people this spring. The company plans to interview candidates next week at certain stores and virtual hiring events. There are openings for sales associates, managers, warehouse workers, and delivery drivers. Wawa, Love’s Travel Stops, and Dollar Tree have also announced they have plans to hire thousands of new workers. Part of the reason for the surge is states are lifting restrictions and companies are starting to feel more optimistic about an economic recovery.
Read More: CBS News, Forbes, Dollar General
Thing to Know Thursday: Chip Shortages & Production Cuts
These days, a lot of products like cars, phones, and gaming consoles are in short supply. That’s because they all require a semiconductor chip and right now, there’s a surge in demand across the globe and not enough supplies. When it comes to the auto industry, these chips are used to monitor engine performance, control steering and automatic windows, and more. The shortage is reportedly happening because automakers ordered fewer chips when car sales went down last year. At the same time, companies that make things like smartphones and operate data centers started ordering more chips. Now that car sales are picking back up, semiconductor manufacturers are struggling to match the demand.
Read More: Reuters, ARS Technica, AP, The Verge, Fox Business