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CORONAVIRUS: Hungary is looking to cut back on coronavirus restrictions - despite having one of the world’s worst death rate per capita. Meanwhile, France is planning to do the opposite. Hint: the country is entering a month-long lockdown, its third since the start of the pandemic. This comes as cases are rising throughout Europe and the vaccine rollout is unexpectedly slow. Speaking of which, a mix-up at a Baltimore factory totally ruined as many as 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Expect this to delay future shipments of the shot. And in other news, it was just revealed that coronavirus was the third-leading cause of death in the US last year, behind heart disease and cancer. It also led to a rise in stillbirths, maternal mortality, and depression worldwide.
USA: The murder trial of Derek Chauvin is still very much underway. Here are the updates. Prosecutors intro’d bodycam footage from the death, giving jurors their first look at the perspectives of the four police officers. The footage shows George Floyd pleading “I’m not a bad guy” and begging not to be shot moments before the arrest. That’s not the only new video footage jurors saw; surveillance video shown in court also gave insight on George Floyd’s actions inside the convenience store where he allegedly tried to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, New York just legalized recreational marijuana - with a twist. Under the new law, 40 percent of the tax revenue from marijuana sales will go to minority communities that face a disproportionate number of drug arrests.
POLITICS: Everyone is still talking about the Georgia voting restriction law. Quick refresher: the law requires an ID for absentee ballots, limits the use of ballot boxes, lets state election boards take over county election boards, and criminalizes offering food or water to voters waiting in line. Cue major backlash and calls for big bizes with their headquarters in the state to speak out against the law. Now, it looks like Coca-Cola and Delta are listening - and saying the law is “unacceptable.” But the bizes are still facing some flak for not fighting against the law before it was passed. On that note: Virginia’s governor just gave the thumbs-up to a law aimed at preventing voter suppression and discrimination at the polls.
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