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| Wednesday, March 31, 2021 | |
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| | | | 1. Teen Who Shot Video of George Floyd’s Death Battles Guilt Darnella Frazier told the court she stays up at night apologizing to the dead man for “not doing more” to help him. The 18-year-old who shot the viral video of Floyd’s death was one of four young witnesses to testify yesterday in the second day of former police officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial. Frazier cried at times, and her 9-year-old cousin, who also testified, said she felt “sad and kind of mad.” Another witness, an off-duty firefighter, recalled how the officers stopped her from providing medical help that might have saved Floyd’s life. The trial continues today. Sources: NYT, Washington Post |
| 2. WHO Chief Seeks Further Probe of China Lab-Leak Theory Not good enough. That was the verdict from the U.S. and 13 other countries on a World Health Organization investigation into the origins of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, after researchers were not granted full access to data. The report, released Tuesday, found it was likely the virus was transmitted to humans from animals and unlikely it came from a lab. However, even WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the assessment was not extensive enough and the lab-leak theory needs further investigation. Beijing hit back that it had been open and “transparent” with investigators. Sources: Al Jazeera, Washington Post, CNN |
| 3. Brazil’s Bolsonaro Facing Political as Well as Health Crises President Jair Bolsonaro is facing a political crisis after the heads of Brazil’s army, navy and air force resigned, while cases of COVID-19 in the hard-hit nation soar. Observers say the military chiefs quit in protest over Bolsonaro’s attempts to exert more control over the armed forces the day after his foreign and defense ministers also stepped down. Meanwhile, Brazil’s hospitals are near collapse and the country recorded a record daily death toll of 3,780 yesterday. Almost 314,000 Brazilians have now died of the disease, but Bolsonaro told critics of his pandemic response to “stop whining.” Sources: BBC, The Guardian |
| 4. Fewer Americans Watch Cable News in Post-Trump Era The Trump Bump is over. U.S. cable news networks have seen their viewership decline since President Joe Biden took office, with hardest-hit Fox losing 32 percent of its prime-time audience in the first three months of 2021, while CNN dropped 16 percent and MSNBC dipped 7.8 percent. Fox retained the No. 1 spot for overall viewers. In the first quarter, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow had the most-watched show, followed by Fox’s Tucker Carlson. It seems former President Donald Trump was right when he warned, “Newspapers, television, all forms of media will tank if I’m not there.” Sources: WSJ (sub), Deadline, Forbes, Washington Post |
| 5. Also Important … Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a major ally of President Trump, has denied allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl. Three women administering polio vaccinations in Afghanistan have been shot dead. And 185 baby giant tortoises have been discovered in a suitcase after an attempt to smuggle them out of the Galapagos Islands. Coronavirus Update: German ChancellorAngela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron took part in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and discussed using the Sputnik V vaccine in Europe, according to the Kremlin. And South Africans are stocking up on alcohol after President Cyril Ramaphosa once again banned off-site booze sales ahead of the Easter weekend in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. OZY's POV Playlist. Music for Pancake Making: OZY's favorite songs from game-changing stars you love and rising stars you'll soon love, curated for a specific POV. Today's vibe: We know it’s only hump day but if you’re dreaming of making pancakes this weekend check it out. |
| | From “I Gotta Feeling” to “Scream & Shout,” whether with the Black Eyed Peas or alone, the impact will.i.am made on the music of the 2010s is undeniable. But why does this acclaimed artist call himself more of a computer scientist than a musician? Today on The Carlos Watson Show, futurist and tech wiz will.i.am gets real about friendship, love and machines. Get to know this thinker beyond his beats and hear why he thinks it’s important for robots to learn that Black Lives Matter. |
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| | | 1. BTS Speaks Out About Racism Against Asians“We feel grief and anger.” That’s how the K-pop superstars reacted to recent anti-Asian hate and violence in America, saying they, too, have been targets of discrimination. BTS’s statement comes after six Asian American women were killed in an attack in Atlanta and amid growing reports of hate crimes against the community that have sparked a reckoning about an often underaddressed strain of racism. The band, which last year came out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, said they’d been sworn at for no reason and “mocked for the way we look.” Sources: Billboard, Buzzfeed |
| 2. VW’s April Fool’s Gag Was a Complete Car-tastrophe Who’s the fool? Volkswagen execs have been left with (Easter) egg on their faces after what was intended as an April Fool’s joke spun out of control. The German automaker issued a fake press release earlier this week announcing that its U.S. operations would be renamed “Voltswagen” due to its pivot to electric vehicles. The problem was, it wasn’t April 1 yet and the media ran with the story in earnest, prompting social media users to point to the company’s 2015 diesel emissions scandal. VW yesterday admitted it was a joke and it wouldn’t be changing its name. Sources: Reuters, CNN |
| 3. Elon Musk Undeterred After Another Starship Rocket Crash If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again. The SpaceX boss certainly seems to have taken that maxim to heart, tweeting “at least the crater is in the right place!” after yet another failed test yesterday. Musk admitted the latest Starship rocket, the 11th prototype, had crashed about five minutes after liftoff. But a billionaire who’s planning a three-day SpaceX rocket ride around the Earth as soon as September is undaunted. Jared Isaacman has announced the final two passengers on the first all-civilian space trip: a community college professor and a data engineer. Sources: AFP, NYT, Space.com |
| 4. Swiss Female Soldiers Made to Wear Men’s Underwear Don’t get your panties in a twist. That might sound sexist, but women serving in Switzerland’s military will just be glad to get some panties. The army has just announced female recruits can now wear women’s underwear after years of having to don loose-fitting and uncomfortable men’s underwear, despite female soldiers performing the same duties as men since 2004. The change in uniform is intended to encourage more women to join the armed forces, with Switzerland hoping to increase the number of female recruits from 1 percent now to 10 percent by 2030. Sources: BBC, Daily Mail |
| 5. Actor Shares Foul-Mouthed Messages From Kevin Durant The NBA superstar is under fire after actor and sports commentator Michael Rapaport shared a series of direct messages from Durant containing homophobic and sexist language. Screenshots of the conversation also showed the Brooklyn Nets forward insulting Rapaport and his wife. Durant appeared to confirm the vulgar exchange yesterday, tweeting: “Me and mike talk CRAZIER than this on the regular and today he’s pissed….My bad mike, damn!!” It remains to be seen if the NBA will sanction Durant for his language as it has with others who have used homophobic slurs. Sources: Bleacher Report, Guardian |
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