Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, April 16, 2021:
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The CDC has identified the number of “breakthrough cases” -- people who got infected with COVID even after they were vaccinated -- and it’s a very small cohort. Approximately 5,800 cases have been confirmed among the pool of 66 million Americans who have received a full course of vaccine, or 0.008 percent of the fully vaccinated population. About 7 percent of those cases required hospitalization. That is well within the expectation for vaccines that have efficacy rates between 90 and 97 percent. Meanwhile, Pfizer’s CEO said it’s “likely” that people will need a third dose of its vaccine within a year, and then annual vaccinations. WSJ
FEDEX SHOOTING
At least eight people have been killed in a mass shooting at a FedEx warehouse in Indianapolis overnight, police said. Several others were injured and the gunman appears to have killed himself. Authorities say it’s too early to know whether he was an employee of the facility. It’s the third mass shooting this year in Indianapolis alone, and at least the fifth in the U.S. in as many weeks. INDY STAR
POLICE CONDUCT
CHAUVIN TRIAL: Derek Chauvin’s defense rested its case after Chauvin invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify. Closing arguments begin on Monday, after which the jury will be sequestered to begin deliberations. A verdict could come as soon as next week. STAR TRIB
ADAM TOLEDO: The city of Chicago released body-cam footage of the fatal police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who was killed last month. The grainy and jumpy video appears to show Toledo carrying a gun as he’s being chased down an alley by police but then dropping it and raising his hands to comply with an officer’s orders, just before the officer fires a single shot. CHICAGO TRIB
RUSSIA SANCTIONED
The White House announced a sweeping set of sanctions on Russia as punishment for its attempts to interfere in the last election as well as its hacking of federal agencies. The sanctions target dozens of Russian companies and individuals by making it harder for them to borrow money. The U.S. is also kicking out 10 Russian diplomats with suspected ties to intelligence services. AP
BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE
The U.S. economy continues to rebound at a gathering pace. Retail sales for March jumped nearly 10 percent -- that's key since consumer spending is the biggest driver of GDP. At the same time, weekly unemployment claims dropped to their lowest level since last March. The stock market ripped higher on the news with the Dow closing above 34,000 for the first time. CHEDDAR
BEZOS' GOODBYE
Jeff Bezos wrote in his final shareholder letter as Amazon CEO that the company needs to “do a better job for our employees.” Bezos disputed the public narrative about Amazon employees being “treated as robots,” but acknowledged that the recent unionizing attempt in Alabama showed that the company had work to do in creating a “vision of success” for its 1 million workers. He also revealed that Amazon is developing an “algorithmic” solution to workplace injuries that will “rotate employees among jobs that use different muscle-tendon groups." READ THE LETTER
SESAME ALLERGIES
Food makers will soon be required by law to list sesame as an allergen on packaged food. The House followed the Senate in passing the FASTER Act, a bill that’s been a priority of the food allergy community for years. Sesame becomes the ninth allergen for which the FDA will require “plain language” labeling wherever it’s used. Nearly 1.6 million Americans are allergic to sesame, which is often hard to detect because it’s used as “natural flavoring” or “natural spices.” President Biden is expected to sign the bill into law. PROGRESSIVE GROCER
SPLITSVILLE...
...for J. Lo and A-Rod. The pop star and former slugger confirmed the rumors that they are going their separate ways in a statement to the Today show: READ IT
SPOTTED...
…the guest list for Prince Philip’s funeral, scheduled for tomorrow in London. Unlike a typical royal funeral, the service will be small and closed to the public (but also televised). Prince Harry and Prince William will be among those in attendance: SEE ATTENDEES
LEFTOVERS: KING OF THE DINOS
Scientists have estimated for the first time how many Tyrannosaurus rex lived on Earth, and it’s a lot: 2.5 billion, over the course of about 2.4 million years. Researchers calculated the average T. rex’s body mass and their population density to come up with the number and further estimated that about 20,000 of the dinosaur species were alive at a given time. AXIOS
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