Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Friday, April 23, 2021:
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The coronavirus vaccines are safe for pregnant women, according to the preliminary results from a large CDC study. A separate study found that a Covid infection creates an increased risk of negative outcomes for pregnant women and their babies. Earlier this week, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine endorsed vaccination for pregnant women. Meanwhile, the pause of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine could be coming to an end. The panel of experts that will make the recommendation is believed to have found few additional examples of vaccine-related blood clots since the popular inoculation was pulled. NY TIMES
CLIMATE PLEDGE
The U.S. has an ambitious new climate goal. President Biden announced that the country will try to cut emissions in half by the end of the decade. That’s about double the commitment made under the Paris Agreement. At the Earth Day climate summit, leaders from Brazil, Japan and Canada also made new pledges to cut their own emissions, while those from India, Russia and China reaffirmed past commitments or made non-specific pledges. CHEDDAR
D.C. STATEHOOD
The House passed a bill to make Washington D.C. the country’s 51st state. The statehood bill would establish a state called Washington Douglass Commonwealth in honor of Frederick Douglass, giving congressional representation to D.C’s 700,000 residents, most of whom are people of color. The bill has virtually no chance of passing the Senate, where Republicans say it’s an unconstitutional power grab by Dems. NY TIMES
RUSSIA TENSIONS
The Czech Republic has kicked out dozens of Russian diplomats -- the most ever by a single country since the end of the Cold War -- in retaliation for Russia’s suspected involvement in a 2014 explosion. Even though Putin showed up to the White House’s climate summit, Moscow’s relationship with the West has been getting dramatically worse of late. At the same time, Russia did order many of the troops it had been amassing at the Ukraine border back to their bases, in a sign of de-escalation with its neighbor. BBC
TAXING THE RICH
The stock market tanked on reports that President Biden is getting ready to propose a significant hike in the capital gains tax. The plan is said to call for nearly doubling the capital gains tax rate for people earning more than $1 million, to 39.6 percent. When added to the existing Obamacare tax on investment income, investors would be giving as much as 43 percent to the federal government. Top earners in places like California and NYC would pay more than half their investment income in taxes. BLOOMBERG
AMAZON SALON
Amazon is opening a brick-and-mortar hair salon in London’s hip East End neighborhood. The company says Amazon Salon is an experiment meant to test “the latest industry technology,” like an AR app that lets you see different hairstyles on your head before you commit. Customers can also point their phones at products in the store to learn more about them. Actual haircuts will be available, too. THE VERGE
ANGRY BRADY
The NFL’s new rule about which players can wear which numbers does not have a fan in Tom Brady. The reigning Super Bowl MVP took to Instagram to knock the rule change, which allows linebackers to wear any number between 1 and 59 defensive backs to wear any number between 1 and 49. Brady’s issue is that it will make it harder for players to know who to block. ESPN
We’re no football geniuses like Touchdown Tom, but maybe just block the guy who's wearing the different color shirt?
OSCAR PREVIEW
The 93rd Academy Awards will attempt on Sunday to break the streak of pandemic-era award shows suffering from some of their worst ratings ever. The show is coming live from L.A.’s Union Station and the Dolby Theater this year. The guest list and red carpet will be pared back significantly, and the majority of the films this year barely made it into theaters at all. Still, the ceremony goes on: Nomadland is a near-lock for Best Picture and the late Chadwick Boseman is the heavy favorite for Best Actor for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The Best Actress race is probably the night’s biggest wild card. PREDICTIONS
SPOTTED…
…Lourdes Leon, Madonna’s daughter, opening up to Vanity Fair about growing up famous, and her first boyfriend, Timothée Chalamet: READ IT
LEFTOVERS: LEASE ON LIFE
When Jonathan Frostick realized he was having a heart attack, his first thought was that he had an important meeting the next day, and his impending cardiac arrest wasn’t “convenient.” The British investment banker, now recovering from his brush with mortality, recently wrote a viral LinkedIn post vowing to reprioritize his life. No more spending all day on Zoom. No more getting involved with petty work dramas. More time with his three young kids. The post has received 12,000 comments and counting from other people who said that either their own health scares or the pandemic have led them to re-evaluate what’s important: READ IT
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