TOP HEADLINES provided by UPI©

• Rep. Alcee Hastings remembered as 'gifted legislator' in memorial service
  Members of Congress remembered the late Rep. Alcee Hastings on Wednesday during a memorial service on Capitol Hill, praising him as a "gifted legislator."
• Watch: Biden urges businesses to use paid leave for workers to get COVID-19 vaccine
  President Joe Biden called on businesses Wednesday to give workers paid leave so they can get a COVID-19 vaccine.
• Moon landing by 2024 still possible, Nelson says at confirmation hearing
  NASA still has a shot at landing astronauts on the moon by 2024, said Bill Nelson, President Joe Biden's choice to lead NASA, in a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
• Pete Buttigieg names Robert Hampshire as transportation chief science officer
  For the first time in about 40 years, the Department of Transportation will fill its chief science officer position, naming a former University of Michigan professor to the post.
• FDA says Emergent failed to train workers to safely make Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine
  Federal regulators said in a report Wednesday that a contractor that Johnson & Johnson paid to produce tens of millions of doses of its COVID-19 vaccine failed to ensure safe conditions at its Baltimore plant.
• Cadillac unveils Lyriq SUV in first step toward all-electric lineup
  Cadillac unveiled its new fully electric sport-utility vehicle, the Lyriq, on Wednesday -- in the automaker's first step toward phasing out gasoline-powered vehicles by 2030.
• In photos: NASA prepares for next launch to International Space Station
  Four astronauts have arrived in Florida for their mission to the International Space Station planned for April 23, 2021. They will operate the third launch of people aboard a SpaceX rocket and capsule.
• Justice Dept. opens investigation of Minneapolis police after Derek Chauvin verdict in George Floyd case
  U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday that the Justice Dept. will open an investigation into police practices in Minneapolis after a jury convicted former cop Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd.
• President Joe Biden seeks to return U.S. to climate change leadership with global summit
  Five years to the day after world leaders signed the Paris Agreement, President Joe Biden is hosting a summit on Thursday with fellow heads of state to stimulate efforts to tackle climate change.
• USCIRF urges Biden to increase refugee ceiling
  The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom called on President Joe Biden to drastically increase the number of refugees accepted from aboard this year.
• Report: Chinese hackers compromised U.S., EU government agencies
  A leading private cybersecurity firm said it suspects Chinese state-sponsored hackers have for months infiltrated U.S. and European government organizations as well as defense and technology companies.
• Columbus teen fatally shot by police; body cam footage released
  Authorities in Columbus, Ohio, said a police officer fatally shot a teenage girl while responding to a disturbance call at a residence.
• Progressive Democrats reintroduce the Green New Deal
  Progressive Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday reintroduced the Green New Deal two years after the 10-year plan was first announced.
• Domino Sugar storage shed in Baltimore collapses in 3-alarm fire
  A three-alarm fire broke out at Domino Sugar's raw sugar storage shed in Baltimore on Tuesday afternoon, fire officials said.
• Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs two laws increasing firearm regulations
  Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed a pair of laws requiring gun owners to report missing firearms within five days and store their weapons in locked containers to prevent access by unauthorized users.
• President Joe Biden: Derek Chauvin verdict a 'giant step forward in the march toward justice in America'
  President Joe Biden called the verdict against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd a "giant step forward in the march toward justice in America" on Tuesday.
• Biden administration to make 22K more H-2B visas available for seasonal non-agricultural workers
  The Biden administration announced Tuesday it's planning to make 22,000 additional non-agricultural worker visas available in the coming months, many specifically for workers from Northern Triangle countries.
• Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts in George Floyd murder
  A Minnesota jury on Tuesday found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of all three counts in the murder of George Floyd.
• 1 dead, 2 injured in Long Island Stop & Shop shooting, subject arrested
  A shooting at a Long Island grocery store left one dead and two injured as the Nassau County Police Department arrested a person of interest.
• Apple event debuts purple iPhone 12, AirTag, iPad Pro, iMac
  Apple's first event of 2021 debuted Tuesday a new purple iPhone 12, Air Tag trackers for lost items, and iPad Pro and iMac redesigned with M1 chip.
• Connecticut House passes bill to end religious exemption from vaccines
  The Connecticut House of Representatives passed a bill early Tuesday to end new religious exemptions from school vaccinations for measles and other contagious diseases.
• Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer calls for marijuana legalization on '4/20 Day'
  Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, marking Tuesday as the unofficial holiday celebrating marijuana, called for the drug to be decriminalized at the federal level within the next year.
• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg focuses on climate solutions in infrastructure plan
  The Biden administration's $2 trillion infrastructure plan will move the United States away from overreliance on fossil fuels to help combat the climate crisis, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Tuesday.
• EU regulator says warning should come with Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine
  The European Union's top medicines regulator said Tuesday a warning should accompany Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine with information that says it has been linked to cases of blood clotting.
• President Joe Biden's budget office gives formal support for Washington, D.C., statehood
  President Joe Biden gave a full endorsement Tuesday of Washington, D.C.'s campaign for statehood by supporting a House proposal to make it the 51st state.
• U.S. ambassador to Russia John Sullivan plans return to Washington
  U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan will return to the United States this week for consultations with American officials as tensions between the Biden administration and the Kremlin increase.

BBC America©

• George Floyd murder: Minneapolis police to face US federal probe
  The justice department announces probe into city police practices after George Floyd murder verdict.
• George Floyd: The murder that drove America to the brink
  Activists vow their march for racial justice is only just beginning, but not everyone is on board.
• Chauvin guilty verdict: 'Finally we can breathe'
  At a hair salon in Minneapolis, the guilty verdict against Chauvin was greeted with relief and tears.
• North Dakota offers free Covid-19 vaccinations for Canadian truckers
  Manitoba truckers frequently crossing the border are now eligible to get vaccinated in North Dakota.
• George Floyd: Jury returns guilty verdicts in Derek Chauvin trial
  After less than a day of deliberation, jurors find Derek Chauvin guilty of all charges over George Floyd's death.
• Biden on Chauvin verdict: 'Our work isn't done'
  The US President said it took an extraordinary convergence of factors to convict Derek Chauvin.
• George Floyd: Crowd outside court reacts to Derek Chauvin guilty verdicts
  People gathered outside court in Minneapolis erupt in cheers as the jury's verdicts are read out.
• Ohio shooting: Columbus police kill black teenage girl
  The shooting in Columbus happened as police were responding to an attempted stabbing call.
• Covid-19: US to advise against travel to 80% of countries
  Coronavirus continues to pose "unprecedented risks to travellers", the US state department says.
• James Charles: YouTube temporarily demonetises beauty influencer
  The YouTuber admitted sending sexually explicit messages to 16-year-old boys earlier this month.
• Quebec top court upholds most of religious symbols secularism bill
  Judges, police officers and teachers in Quebec will be barred from wearing religious symbols at work.
• Former US Vice-President Walter Mondale dies aged 93
  Jimmy Carter's running mate lost heavily to Ronald Reagan in the 1984 presidential election.
• Big cats: US senators seek ban on private ownership of lions and tigers
  A bill to end private ownership of lions and tigers is proposed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers.
• Brian Sicknick: US Capitol riot policeman 'died of natural causes'
  Officials say Brian Sicknick died after suffering two strokes, a day after being confronted by rioters.
• Derek Chauvin conviction: 'This is monumental. This is historic'
  The conviction of the police officer for the death of George Floyd has been hailed as a watershed.
• How Biden's $2tn idea ranks in US history
  Where does President Biden's infrastructure plan rank among the largest projects in American history?
• Time: A love story coloured by incarceration
  Garrett Bradley may become the first black director to win an Oscar for her first feature documentary.
• JD Vance: Trump whisperer turned Senate hopeful
  The author of the bestselling Hillbilly Elegy is being courted by Republicans for a Senate run.
• Amazon: How one cancer patient's story helps explain the Alabama union vote
  Carla Jonson's story helps explain how Amazon won last week's union vote in Alabama.
• Gun control advocates pin their hopes on Joe Biden
  More mass shootings, the same political gridlock - so why do gun control advocates remain optimistic?
• How George Floyd's death changed a small Iowa town
  Issues of race were rarely discussed in Decorah, until a death 160 miles away changed everything.
• Titanic: Searching for the 'missing' Chinese survivors
  When the Titanic sank, six Chinese men were rescued - but their ordeal didn't end there.
• I received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. What now?
  Two Americans who got the Johnson & Johnson shot talk about their reaction to the vaccine's 'pause'.
• A woman’s quest to find her biological father
  When a DNA test revealed a decades-old family secret, Maia’s life was turned upside down.
• 'No say over my body': Alleged US ICE detainee medical abuse
  Dozens of women allege they faced invasive gynaecological procedures while being held at a US immigration detention centre.
• Why the Chauvin trial ‘exhausts’ black America
  Many say watching George Floyd's final moments is traumatising - and so is the fight for racial justice.
• Covid 'hate crimes' against Asian Americans on rise
  Covid-related attacks directed at Asian Americans have escalated in the US - here's what's happening.
• Inside the lives of Asian massage workers: 'How can we not be scared?'
  Asian female massage workers in the US speak up about the stigma surrounding their profession.
• Italian American groups fight to keep Columbus Day in Philadelphia
  Fourteen US states and several major cities have replaced the holiday with Indigenous People's Day.
• SAG Awards: Screen Actors Guild honour The Trial of the Chicago 7
  People from ethnic minorities win in all four individual film categories for the first time.
• George Floyd: Americans react to Day One of the Chauvin trial
  A black political hopeful, a Minnesota resident and a retired officer share their thoughts.
• Anti-Asian violence: 'He slashed me from cheek-to-cheek'
  Asian Americans across the US have faced a surge in hate crimes during the pandemic.
• Deb Haaland: America’s first Native cabinet secretary
  An indigenous woman just took over at the agency that most closely oversees indigenous priorities.
• Anti-Asian hate: 'Try to be brave and stand up'
  Amid rallies against anti-Asian hate crimes, we ask what it's like to be an Asian woman in the US.
• Big rise in numbers of migrant children on Mexico-US border
  The increase from 380 to nearly 3,500 has overwhelmed local facilities in Mexico, the UN warns.
• 'Can you help me?' Boy found alone at the border
  A 10-year-old from Nicaragua woke up to find he had been abandoned by his group.
• Guatemala: Suffocated youth unafraid of a deadly journey
  Tougher policies and deaths on the road are unlikely to stop Guatemalans from trying to reach the US.
• Mexico: Risking everything for an American dream
  Thousands of migrants from Central America are making an arduous journey to the US border.
• Child migrants: What is happening at the US border?
  More than 15,000 migrant children are in US custody in a surge of arrivals to the US-Mexico border.
• Child migrants: The challenges facing Biden at the US-Mexico border
  A surge in migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border tests the administration's immigration promises.
• Derek Chauvin trial: Key moments from 14 days of testimony
  Watch the most critical exchanges from 14 days of testimony at the trial over the death of George Floyd.
• George Floyd death: The three key arguments used by Chauvin's defence
  Derek Chauvin's defence team started making the case that he is not at fault for George Floyd's death.
• George Floyd death: The prosecution's case against Derek Chauvin
  Over 11 days of testimony, we heard from eyewitnesses, fellow police officers and medical experts.
• Minneapolis: Daunte Wright killing by police sparks unrest
  There was unrest near Minneapolis after police fatally shoot a black man in a traffic stop.
• Chauvin trial: Lung doctor describes George Floyd's fight to breathe
  Dr Martin Tobin, a world renowned expert on breathing, testified on George Floyd's last moments.
• Derek Chauvin trial: What did George Floyd really say?
  Defence counsel claimed Mr Floyd said "I ate too many drugs" during his arrest. What did witnesses hear?
• Hazmat crew called in to clean US house
  The resident has been dealing with depression and fatigue following a stroke over 20 years ago.
• Stolen ambulance sends Texas police on two-hour chase
  The 19-year-old suspect stole the ambulance from a local fire station in Dallas, Texas.
• Derek Chauvin trial: Footage shows paramedics responding to Floyd arrest
  Floyd's girlfriend provided emotional testimony and paramedics explained what the scene was like when they arrived.
• Chauvin trial: Firefighter 'distressed' by George Floyd arrest
  Genevieve Hansen was off-duty when she came across the scene of George Floyd's arrest.
• Chauvin trial: 'I called police on the police'
  The prosecution called several witnesses - some becoming emotional - on day two of the proceedings.
• Nashville floods kill four people
  The storms in Tennessee required 100 people to be rescued from vehicles and buildings.
• Key moments from Joe Biden's first news conference
  For the first time as president, Biden answered reporters questions on critical issues.
• Canada 'Sixties Scoop': Indigenous survivors map out their stories
  Canada's "Sixties Scoop" saw thousands of indigenous children forcibly removed from their families.
• New Christmas campaign for Canadians held in China
  The campaign is based on efforts around a similar case involving a British journalist fifty years ago.
• New Brunswick outbreak: How a smalltown doctor became a Covid pariah
  After being labelled "patient zero", a small-town physician in Canada was shunned.

NPR©

• Activist: Convictions In George Floyd's Death Could Represent 'A Huge Paradigm Shift'
  "It would have been unimaginable just even a month ago that something like that was possible," activist and civil rights lawyer Nekima Levy Armstrong says following Derek Chauvin's murder conviction.
• Masks Remain Extremely Effective Indoors, But Are They Necessary Outside?
  Unless people are packed together, "there really just is not much spread happening outdoors," Dr. Ashish Jha of Brown University's School of Public Health says.
• On Climate, U.S. And China Pledge Cooperation, But Competition Will Also Be Prominent
  Bilateral ties are at a low and while Washington and Beijing agreed on climate cooperation, details are unclear. Competition with China is key to the Biden administration's response to climate change.
• Where Efforts To Overhaul Policing Stand In Congress After Chauvin Verdict
  The guilty verdict against the former officer has added new urgency around stalled talks on legislation to ban chokeholds and end qualified immunity for police. But the path remains far from clear.
• Germany Grapples With Racism After Threats Derail Refugee's Candidacy For Parliament
  The first Syrian refugee has withdrawn his candidacy because of racist abuse and death threats. The news was announced the same week a German comedian did a TV sketch about the election in blackface.
• The Secret Mission To Unearth Part Of A 142-Year-Old Experiment
  Scientists in Michigan went out in the dead of night to dig up part of an unusual long-term experiment. It's a research study that started in 1879 and is handed from one generation to the next.
• What's Next For Chauvin And 3 Other Ex-Officers In Cases Over George Floyd's Murder?
  Derek Chauvin is scheduled to be sentenced in June. Later this summer, his three fellow former officers are slated to go on trial on charges of aiding and abetting murder.
• Governors Urge Biden To Order 100% Zero-Emission Car Sales By 2035
  In a letter to the president, 12 governors asked that the White House order a ban on greenhouse gas-emitting cars and light trucks within 14 years.
• DOJ To Investigate Minneapolis Police For Possible Patterns Of Excessive Force
  Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the inquiry a day after a jury convicted former officer Dereck Chauvin on murder charges in the death of George Floyd.
• Indonesian Navy Loses Contact With Submarine; 53 Aboard
  The aging KRI Nanggala-402 was reportedly on a torpedo-training mission in waters north of Bali when it failed to report results of the exercise.
• Open Up And Say... 'Huh?': Nashville Venues Grapple With City's Lack Of Reopening Plan
  WPLN News reports on Nashville's long-suffering live music scene and the city's lack of a cohesive plan.
• Sanders And Top Progressives Push To Make College Free For Most Americans
  They are introducing legislation that would eliminate tuition and fees at public, four-year institutions for those from families earning up to $125,000 and make community college free for everyone.
• Super Collapse: Plans For New Elite Soccer League Implode
  Six British teams announced on Tuesday they were stepping back from plans to create the Super League, essentially killing the project altogether.
• George W. Bush Lends His Voice To Immigrants In 'Out Of Many, One'
  The former president's book features his portraits of 43 immigrants — athletes, public servants, business leaders, educators — in an effort to join those saying, "The system's broken. Let's fix it."
• How Schools Can Help Kids Heal After A Year Of 'Crisis And Uncertainty'
  The pandemic has been stressful for millions of children. If that stress isn't buffered by caring adults, it can have lifelong consequences. There's a lot schools can do to keep that from happening.

CNN©

• CDC advisers will meet Friday to discuss the J&J vaccine. Here's what could happen next
  Vaccine advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meet Friday to make recommendations for use of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine after it was put on hold to investigate a potential link to serious blood clots.
• 1 killed in a shooting at a Wawa in Pennsylvania
  A man was shot and killed and the suspect later took his own life following a shooting outside a Wawa convenience store and gas station in Upper Macungie Township, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, according to Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin.
• Hester Ford, oldest living American, dies
  Hester Ford, a North Carolina woman who was recognized as the oldest living American, died peacefully on Saturday in her home in Charlotte, North Carolina, her great-granddaughter Tanisha Patterson-Powe confirmed.
• CNN anchors read haunting list of US mass shooting locations
  CNN's Brianna Keilar and John Berman list the everyday locations in which mass shootings -- where four or more people are shot -- have taken place in the US.
• The 35 most outrageous lines from Trump's 'interview' with Sean Hannity
  On Monday night, former President Donald Trump sat down with Fox News' Sean Hannity for his first on-camera interview since leaving the White House in January.
• First on CNN: Pelosi concedes to even partisan split on 1/6 commission in effort to jumpstart talks
  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is offering a significant change to her plans for a 9/11-style commission to investigate what led up to the Capitol insurrection on January 6, proposing to create an independent panel with an equal number of Republican and Democratic members, a source familiar with the negotiations told CNN.
• Top military official warns China and Russia are modernizing nuclear weapons faster than US
  The top US military official who runs the American nuclear arsenal warned that China and Russia are modernizing their nuclear weapons and capabilities faster than the US, saying during a congressional hearing on Tuesday that if it does not start investing more in nuclear defense and infrastructure, the US will be "at risk of losing credibility in the eyes of our adversaries."
• US to list 80% of countries as 'Do Not Travel'
  The State Department announced Monday that it would begin to update its travel advisories to more closely align with those from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a change that "will result in a significant increase in the number of countries at Level 4: Do Not Travel, to approximately 80% of countries worldwide."
• Analysis: Apple made a big mistake with its new iMacs
  Apple's new iMac is awesome: a technical marvel that culminates Apple's stunning engineering achievements over the past several years. It's also ugly as sin.
• 'A perfect storm': These restaurants survived the pandemic. Now they can't find workers
  A few weeks ago, Philippe Massoud posted online ads looking for a cook to hire at ilili, his New York City restaurant.
• How Dogecoin is like a Cabbage Patch Doll
  Dogecoin is tumbling after a stunning start to the year.
• How to make returning to the office feel less socially awkward
  The idea of returning to the office can conjure up a lot of emotions. Fear. Excitement. Nervousness. Anticipation. Ambivalence.
• Thief returns stolen money to restaurant
• Child shot by uncle during filming of music video
• Bill requires women to bury aborted fetuses
• Missing woman's remains may have been found
• Feds: Man allegedly defrauded college, indicted
• Man claiming to have bomb, rifle fatally shot
• 13-year-old raises thousands to help seniors
• State will not file charges in fatal deputy shooting
• Resident grieves loss of home and history
• Cottage retreat for families of ill children to open
• WWII vet surprised with flag from Capitol for his 100th birthday
• Teacher accused of taping students to desk fired
• Mother arrested after son found dead in car
• Retirement community walks 1K miles for charity
• Officer saves woman from burning home
• Teachers object to extending the school year
• Man loses job, house during the pandemic