Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, April 13, 2021:
POLICING IN AMERICA
DAUNTE WRIGHT: The police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright during a traffic stop outside Minneapolis on Sunday meant to reach for her Taser, according to the police chief, who called Wright’s death the result of an “accidental discharge.” Officer Kim Potter, a 26-year veteran of the force, has been placed on leave. Protests continued for a second night outside the police headquarters in Brooklyn Center. STAR TRIB
CHAUVIN TRIAL: The judge in the Derek Chauvin trial rejected the defense’s request to have the jury immediately sequestered due to the Wright shooting, which happened nearby and could conceivably influence jurors as they continue to hear the case. The defense is expected to start calling witnesses today and closing arguments could begin as early as next week. KARE
LT. PEPPER SPRAYED: A police officer in Windsor, Virginia has been fired over a traffic stop last year in which the officer pointed his gun and pepper-sprayed an active-duty Black Army lieutenant who was refusing to get out of his car. Lt. Caron Nazario sued the police department over the stop, which happened in December. The body-cam video did not surface until last week, and now the state attorney general is launching an investigation. CNN
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The WHO says the pandemic is growing at an exponential rate -- 4.4 million new cases a week worldwide -- driven by a virus that’s “stronger and faster” than it has been at any point so far. Vaccines are beating it back in countries with high penetration, like the U.S. and UK, but others, like Brazil and India, are in dire shape. In the U.S., the CDC chief says Michigan needs to “shut things down” as it’s now ground zero of the outbreak. AXIOS
READY TO BURN
California is bracing for another extreme wildfire season after 2020 made history. More than 90 percent of the state is in a drought and the rainy season did not bring much in the way of relief. Researchers are finding that the “fuel moisture content” in the hills and mountains is extremely low, meaning vegetation is parched and primed to ignite. California is budgeting more than $1 billion for wildfire prevention and preparedness efforts this year. SF GATE
RADIOACTIVE WATER
For the last 10 years, water has been pumping through the reactors at the ruined Fukushima nuclear plant at a rate of 170 tons a day to keep it from melting down. Japan has to eventually get rid of that radioactive water, and now plans to dump it into the Pacific Ocean despite public opposition. Officials say it’s safe -- and other nuclear plants routinely dump treated wastewater into the sea -- but the local fishing industry is worried it’s just going to add to fears about contaminated seafood. The process won’t start for another two years and is expected to take decades. NY TIMES
HELP WANTED
When the blockbuster March jobs report was released earlier this month, it included this data point: hiring in the food and beverage industry rose by an anemic 176,000 jobs in March, down from 309,000 in February. As more bars and restaurants are lifting restrictions, opening outdoor seating or reopening entirely, there is a nationwide shortage of cooks, waiters, bartenders and other front- and back-of-the-house workers. With almost all restaurant employees eligible for vaccination by now, managers say they’re still having a hard time finding people to work because the extension of the $300 weekly enhanced unemployment benefit in the most recent federal stimulus means some workers are making more money staying home than they would be making on their shifts. CRAIN'S
APPLE HOME DEVICES
Apple is reportedly working on a combination set-top box and smart speaker that includes a camera for video conferencing, in what would be its most ambitious effort yet in the smart-home space. Apple has fallen uncharacteristically behind Amazon and Google when it comes to connected home devices. In addition to the speaker-set-top box device, Apple is said to be working on a high-end speaker with an iPad-like touchscreen attached. BLOOMBERG
RED-HOT SOX
Though MLB standings in April verge on meaningless, the Boston Red Sox are scorching hot right now, leading the AL East thanks to a six-game winning streak. The first in a four-game series between the Sox and the Twins was postponed in the wake of the Daunte Wright shooting and the rest of the series is TBD. CBS SPORTS
GEORGIA FILM PRODUCTION
Will Smith and director Antoine Fuqua are moving the production of their upcoming film Emancipation from Georgia in response to the state’s new voting law. “We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access,” the actor and director said in a joint statement. The big-budget slavery movie is the first major production to get pulled from Georgia, which has a $10 billion TV and film industry. CHEDDAR
SPOTTED...
…Prince George sitting next to his great-grandfather Prince Philip, in a 2015 photo shared by the official Royal Family social media accounts: SEE IT
...Hideki Matsuyama, inconspicuously waiting for his flight at Atlanta Hartsfield after winning the Masters, with his new green jacket folded neatly on the seat next to him: SEE PIC
LEFTOVERS: DOGGY REHAB
President Biden’s dog Major will undergo professional training after a series of "biting incidents" at the White House. The 3-year-old German shepherd has been having a difficult time adjusting to his new surroundings, while his older brother Champ has apparently been doing just fine. The “off-site” training is expected to last a few weeks. AP
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