Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, March 24, 2021:
BOULDER SHOOTING
THE LATEST: Police charged Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, a 21-year old Colorado man, with 10 counts of murder. Alissa, who was born in Syria and spent most of his life in the suburbs of Denver, allegedly used an AR-15 type weapon that he bought on March 16. Investigators have not established a motive, but people who knew the suspect say he was short-tempered and prone to fits of violent rage. President Biden called on Congress to not “wait another minute” to ban assault rifles, saying “this is not and should not be a partisan issue.” DENVER POST
THE VICTIMS: The 10 people who died at the King Soopers grocery store included a young employee of the supermarket, a retiree working for Instacart, an owner of a local yoga store who recently got engaged, and a veteran of the local police department who rushed to the scene. Their names and ages are: Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Teri Leiker, 51; Eric Talley, 51; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; Jody Waters, 65. NY TIMES
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Texas, Indiana and Georgia are the latest states to open vaccine appointments to all adults: Texas on Monday, Georgia tomorrow, and Indiana a week from today. Dr. Fauci says he’s worried that numbers are plateauing around the country, which he called “not good.” About a quarter of the U.S. population has received at least one vaccine dose as the daily average of shots administered is hovering around 2.5 million. In the ongoing AstraZeneca saga, the company promised an update after federal officials accused it of cherry-picking data from its trials. AXIOS
CHAUVIN TRIAL
The jury in the Derek Chauvin trial has been seated, and opening statements are scheduled to begin on Monday. The jury, including alternates, is made up of nine women and six men. Nine are white, four are black, and two are mixed race. Chauvin is charged with second and third-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. The trial is being televised on Court TV. STAR TRIB
ISRAEL ELECTION
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party holds a lead after Israel’s fourth election in two years, according to exit poll projections. But neither Netanyahu nor any of the opposition parties have a clear path to a majority coalition, meaning the country’s political stalemate is likely to drag on and could even lead to a fifth election. Israelis vote for parties, not individual candidates, and a party or bloc of parties needs 61 seats to form a majority government in Parliament. AP
WALL ST. BURNOUT
Wall Street’s most prestigious firms are having a retention problem. There’s been so much business coming their way -- between IPOs, SPACs and other dealmaking -- on top of the stresses of remote work, that employees are burning out. Apollo Global Management, one of the biggest asset managers, reportedly saw a quarter of its N.Y. associates quit in the last three months. Goldman Sachs’ junior bankers wrote a memo to the CEO complaining about “100-hour workweeks,” leading the bank to say it will start enforcing its “Saturday rule” forbidding junior employees from working at least one weekend day. Citi is limiting the length of its client pitchbooks and instituting “Zoom-free Fridays,” and the investment bank Jefferies is giving its analysts free Pelotons. BI
GAMESTOP EARNINGS
GameStop reported its first quarterly earnings since the Reddit-fueled trading frenzy, missing analyst estimates by a hair and laying out the plan for its e-commerce transformation. The company also appointed a new COO, Jenna Owens, an Amazon and Google vet. GameStop shares popped in after-hours trading before turning lower. CHEDDAR
WOMEN'S HOOPS
With the men's tournament dark, all the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA women’s tourney played -- and they all advanced. NC State over S. Florida, S. Carolina over Oregon State, Stanford over Oklahoma St. and UConn over Syracuse. Iowa’s freshman phenom Caitlin Clark put on such a clinic against Kentucky that she single handedly outscored the entire Wildcats squad in the first half. Iowa plays UConn on Saturday in the Sweet 16. YAHOO SPORTS
DISNEY SUMMER
Disney is blowing up its theatrical slate for 2021 in an acknowledgement that it’s going to take some time to get folks back into crowded theaters. Black Widow and Cruella will now debut simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ for an extra $30. Cruella premiers Memorial Day Weekend while Black Widow is pushed to July 9. That means Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings gets bumped to September for a planned traditional release. Pixar’s Luca will now go exclusively to streaming at no extra cost on June 18. VARIETY
SPOTTED...
…a container ship longer than the Empire State Building, causing a huge traffic jam in the Suez Canal. The Ever Given ship managed to get itself wedged sideways in the canal, which is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Crews have been working day and night to dislodge it: SEE PICS
LEFTOVERS: DIGITAL DETOX
Easy money alert: The website Reviews.org is offering $2,400 to one person in exchange for going 24 hours without any digital technology. The person selected will have to lock away their devices -- no TV, no games, no wearables, no phone -- and provide regular feedback about their day without screens. The chosen applicant will get the payment, an Amazon gift card, and a sanity break: APPLY
Listen to the N2K Podcast! Looking for more context and analysis on the big stories of the day? Check out our podcast! Hosts Jill and Carlo break down the headlines, every weekday morning Listen on Apple or Spotify, or watch on YouTube, and send us your feedback!
