Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Monday, May 10, 2021:
COVID-19: AIRBORNE TRANSMISSION
The CDC on Friday updated its public guidance on how COVID spreads, acknowledging that airborne transmission through microscopic droplets known as aerosols is a factor -- and emphasizing that people can still get infected even if they’re more than six feet from an infected person because those aerosols can float in the air for an extended period of time. Meanwhile, Dr. Fauci now says he’s OK with loosening indoor mask requirements as more Americans become vaccinated. The rate of vaccinations in the U.S. continues to decline and some states are now turning down shipments from the federal government as their stockpiles grow. More than one-third of the population is fully vaccinated. AXIOS
STATE OF GOP
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is publicly backing Rep. Elise Stefanik of N.Y. to replace Rep. Liz Cheney in her leadership role of the party, all but ensuring Cheney will be ousted for failing to support former President Trump, likely this week. Republicans in Arizona are still in the process of auditing the 2020 election results, looking for evidence to support the false claims that the vote was rigged. Auditors are inspecting each ballot for bamboo fibers based on a conspiracy theory that a plane from South Korea flew to Phoenix with counterfeit ballots just after Election Day. AP
WEEKEND SHOOTINGS
COLORADO: A gunman killed six members of an extended family and himself at a birthday party in Colorado Springs on Mother’s Day. Police are still determining a motive, but believe the shooter was the boyfriend of one of the victims. COLO SPRINGS GAZETTE
NYC: Three bystanders, including a 4-year-old girl, were injured in a shooting in broad daylight in the middle of Times Square on Saturday. All of them are expected to survive. Gun violence in NYC has been on the rise since the start of the pandemic, with at least 463 people shot so far this year, nearly double the number in the same period of 2019, according to police data. NBC NY
AFGHANISTAN UNRAVELING
Violence in Afghanistan has gone from bad to worse since the U.S. announced it is withdrawing all remaining troops from the country. A triple bombing that targeted a high school in the capital killed at least 68 people, nearly all of them teenage girls. Rights groups say the brazen attack is likely a preview of what’s to come once U.S. forces are out of Afghanistan for good and the Taliban reconstitutes control. NY TIMES
PIPELINE ATTACK
A pipeline that delivers nearly half the fuel used on the East Coast is still shut down after a cyberattack threw it offline on Friday. Colonial Pipeline had to shut down 5,500 miles of the conduit because of a ransomware attack, and the company says there’s still no estimate on when the gasoline will be flowing again. It’s not clear yet if the disruption will impact gas prices, which are already flirting with $3 per gallon on the national average. REUTERS
LABOR MARKET
Friday’s incredibly disappointing jobs report -- 266,000 jobs added in April compared to expectations of 1 million -- is leading to increased calls to cancel the enhanced unemployment benefits extended in the last stimulus bill. The Chamber of Commerce is advocating for the extra $300 weekly benefit to be cancelled, arguing that it's creating a labor shortage that threatens to hold back the economic recovery. Even before the jobs report, South Carolina and Montana announced they’d kick people off the federal program at the end of June. YAHOO MONEY
JUICED
The horse that shocked oddsmakers by coming behind to win the Kentucky Derby has failed a post-race drug test. Medina Spirit tested positive for excessive amounts of a steroid used to treat pain and inflammation, leading Churchill Downs to suspend Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and putting the colt’s Derby victory in jeopardy. Baffert denied any wrongdoing and promised to be transparent in the investigation. ESPN
MUSK ON SNL
Nearly 5 million people tuned in to watch Elon Musk host Saturday Night Live -- not huge, but still the third highest-rated episode of the season. Musk’s performance is getting mixed-to-decent reviews, with one columnist saying he brought a mix of “humility and hubris” and another saying he provided a much-needed “jolt” to the show. He also made a little news, announcing in the monologue that he has Asperger’s syndrome. The price of Dogecoin, the cryptocurrency favored by Musk, lost a third of its value after he called it a “hustle” during Weekend Update: WATCH THE MONOLOGUE
SPOTTED...
… J.Lo, serenading her mother with “Sweet Caroline” on stage at the Global Citizen Vax Live concert: WATCH
...Bo, the Obamas’ first pet, in a tribute posted to Instagram by Michelle Obama announcing his death. The 12-year-old Portuguese water dog passed away from cancer: SEE PIC
LEFTOVERS: ...MUST COME DOWN
The remnants of a 100-foot Chinese rocket splashed down in the Indian Ocean near the Maldives late Saturday night. There were no reports of damages or injuries from the falling wreckage. Despite the Pentagon saying it was tracking the rocket’s reentry, there were no alerts issued until Chinese media reported the landing after the fact. NASA blasted China for “failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris.” CNN
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