Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Wednesday, April 21, 2021:

CHAUVIN GUILTY

THE VERDICT: Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all counts in the killing of George Floyd. After about 10 hours of deliberations, the jury returned the unanimous verdict as the country looked on: guilty of second-degree murder, guilty of third-degree murder, guilty of manslaughter. Chauvin’s bail was revoked and his sentencing date was scheduled for about two months from now. CHEDDAR

THE REACTION: The verdict was met with relief by many Americans who watched the video that sparked worldwide protests against police brutality. Civil rights leaders hailed it as a small but important step toward racial justice. President Biden addressed the nation, calling the verdict a “too rare” step of delivering “basic accountability” for Black people for a “murder in full light of day.” The president also called on Congress to pass a national policing overhaul bill. AP

OHIO POLICE SHOOTING

Just before the Chauvin verdict was being read, a 16-year-old Black girl in Columbus, Ohio was fatally shot by a police officer. Police say the girl, Ma’Khia Bryant, had been threatening two other girls with a knife when the arriving officer shot her several times. The Columbus mayor said that based on body cam video, the officer “took action to protect another young girl in our community." COLUMBUS DISPATCH

COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

India reported a seventh straight day of 200,000 new coronavirus cases. The capital of New Delhi, with a population of 22 million, has just two dozen ICU beds available. In Europe, J&J will resume the rollout of its vaccine after regulators said the benefits of the shot outweighed the risk of rare blood clots. In the U.S., the seven-day average of new cases is finally starting to decline. Hawaii will start to ease its complex travel restrictions, first for vaccinated residents traveling between islands and then for “mainlanders” later this summer. WASH POST

RUSSIA ESCALATION

Russian President Vladimir Putin is delivering his annual state of the nation address today, a day after new satellite photos showed the Russian military has been building up its presence in Crimea and along its border with Ukraine to an extent greater than previously known. Ukraine’s president warned his country of the possibility of war and addressed Putin directly, proposing that the two meet. Putin has been taking an increasingly aggressive tone with the West as he deals with growing dissent at home over the treatment of Alexei Navalny. WSJ

PRICE HIKE ON AISLE 2

Procter & Gamble noted in its latest earnings report that it would start raising prices on household staples in September, the latest consumer giant to respond to increasing commodity costs. P&G will hike the price of feminine care products, baby supplies, and adult diapers. Rival Kimberly-Clark recently warned it would raise prices on diapers and toilet paper this summer. Coke, Hormel, J.M. Smucker and General Mills are also planning to hike prices to protect profit margins as the cost of many raw materials keeps going up. BLOOMBERG

NEW APPLE STUFF

Apple, as expected, announced a new iPad Pro with its top-of-the-line M1 chip, in its first media event of the year. But, as they say, that wasn’t all. The company also unveiled the following: a redesigned iMac that comes in seven colors and has an M1 chip, Bluetooth-enabled item trackers called AirTags, a spruced up Apple TV and redesigned remote, a new purple iPhone 12, a rebuilt Podcasts app with in-app subscriptions and a new season of its beloved show Ted Lasso. THE VERGE

SUPER LEAGUE: 2021-2021

The plan for a breakaway super league for the best soccer clubs in the world lasted approximately two days. In the face of widespread backlash from the sport’s ruling bodies, its fans, and even presidents and prime ministers, all six of the English clubs have announced they will withdraw. Several of the other clubs are also reportedly in the process of bailing out. Chelsea fans went so far as to block the team’s buses from arriving for a Premier League match in protest of the plan. ESPN

NETFLIX HITS A WALL

A trend that has been predicted by some in the entertainment industry is starting to come true: Netflix is losing steam, just as its competitors are gaining on it. The streamer reported earnings that showed subscriber growth dramatically slowed in the first quarter, even more than expected. Netflix gained just 4 million subs in the period, down from 16 million in the same period last year and below the 6 million it had forecast. The company blamed it on a “lighter content slate” and said it was spending a record $17 billion on new content this year. VARIETY

COVID DENIER GETS COVID

The country singer Ted Nugent, who had called the pandemic a hoax and a “leftist scam," says he’s been so sick with COVID that he could “hardly crawl out of bed.” Still, Nugent told fans he would not get the vaccine because “nobody knows what’s in it,” which is not true. STAR TELEGRAM

LEFTOVERS: DOGE DAYS

Dogecoin, the cryptocurrency that started as a joke, is now worth about the same as Ford Motor. The meme-based digital coin, a favorite of Elon Musk’s, has been up as much as 400 percent in the last week, giving the total value of Dogecoins in circulation a value of about $50 billion at the peak. That’s still relatively small potatoes compared to Bitcoin, which has a market cap higher than $1 trillion. REUTERS

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!

Share:
More In Culture
BET's Kimberly Paige on Her Accomplishments and Inviting Diverse Audiences
Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Kimberly Paige at TV network BET joined Cheddar News to talk about leadership, the projects she was pivotal in building, and her approach to leadership and "inviting" diverse audiences rather than "targeting" them. "if you think about when someone says, 'I'm targeting you,' you're generally in someone's kind of crosshairs, if you will," she said. "And so I use the notion of who are we inviting to participate in the brand in a meaningful way. I think it's a nuance, but it has huge implications."
Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter on Going Solo With New Country Single 'Easy'
Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter joined Cheddar News to talk about fatherhood and his solo work on a new crossover song called "Easy," featuring country singer Jimmie Allen. "What I love about country music is the lyrics, the melodies, the stories that are in them as well," he said. "And you know, you hear it's just pretty simple and pretty easy."
First Look at Oscar Stembridge New Music Video for 'Am I the Only One'
Oscar Stembridge, the youngest musician to have signed with Universal Music Sweden, has a passion for spreading awareness of climate activism as well as music. Cheddar News got an exclusive first look at the video for the new song, "Am I the Only One" and spoke with the 14-year-old singer about his young career and advocacy work. "Basically it all kind of started when, inspired from Greta Thunberg, I wrote my first kind of song called 'We March,' which is about my generation not wanting to pay the price of the older generations' inaction," he said.
Rising Office Vacancy Rates Have Big Impact on Broader Economy
The office real estate market might be in trouble, as vacancy rates in major cities remain across the country, even as COVID restrictions continue to fall away. Ryan Severino, the chief economist for real estate and investment management firm JLL, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the latest office trends and why some may be concerning for the broader economy. "There are knock-on ramifications for a lot of the ancillary industries that support office workers," he said. "If you think about coffee shops, places that someone might go out to get lunch or a drink or dinner after work, those are obviously still feeling the brunt of people not being physically back in office spaces the way that they were before the pandemic."
Texas Man Sues Robocall Operators to Win $100K
According to tracking services, Americans get inundated with more than 130 million robocalls every day. One man decided that he had enough and started suing telemarketers. Daniel Graham joins Cheddar News to share how he won more than $100,000 in settlements.
'Slow and Steady Wins the Race' for Netflix Gaming, Says Arkadium Co-Founder
Streaming giant Netflix has thrown its hat into the ring with some video game offerings of its own so far, but the hurdles to gaining market share in the space might be daunting despite recently acquiring its third game development studio. Kenny Rosenblatt, the president and co-founder of casual game maker Arkadium, joined Cheddar to offer his view of where things are headed for Netflix. "Microsoft entered the video game market in 1990, years ago with 'Windows Solitaire. It has taken them that long to become the player that they are today," he said. "So I like what Netflix is doing. Slow and steady wins the race."
Load More