Tuesday, April 27 top stories
It is Tuesday, April 27. Here are today’s top stories.
Today the CDC said fully vaccinated Americans can take their masks off at small outdoor gatherings or when dining outside with friends from multiple households. The CDC said unvaccinated people still need to wear masks at those kinds of gatherings.
The CDC said even if you are fully vaccinated, you should avoid medium to large indoor gatherings.
The CDC said fully vaccinated people should wear a mask when going to crowded outdoor events and indoor public spaces such as malls.
Look at this graphic from the CDC.
Scientists said the outdoors is the safest place because the virus that causes Covid-19 cannot accumulate as it will be rapidly diluted.
How many people live in the U.S.? The 2020 Census says the number is 331,449,281.
13 states in the U.S. will have a different number of Congressional representatives after data from the 2020 Census showed shifting populations in the U.S. There are 435 seats in the House and apportionment of seats is determined by population data from the Census.
This map from Axios shows that the states highlighted in orange will lose one House seat due to declining populations: California, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York.
The states highlighted in light purple will gain one House seat due to increasing populations: Oregon, Montana, Colorado, North Carolina, and Florida.
You can see in the map that Texas, highlighted with dark purple, will gain two House seats due to significant population increases.
Axios explained that congressional districts will be redrawn later this year.
The changes in House seats is positive news for Republicans and states that supported Trump in 2020, because they have become stronger with representation in Congress while Democratic/Biden states have become weaker.
The final, detailed data from the 2020 Census will be released by September 30.
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Here is an update on the Andrew Brown Jr. case out of Elizabeth City, North Carolina. He was shot and killed by police officers last week who were trying to serve a warrant at his home.
Attorneys representing Brown’s family said they viewed 20 seconds of police body camera video and said what they saw was an “execution.” The family said the video shows at least eight police officers shouting for Brown to show his hands and shooting at him as he tried to back out of a driveway and drove across an empty lot. The family said Brown had his hands on the steering wheel and that there were no weapons or drugs in his car.
Here is a clip from a press conference in which attorneys show findings from an independent autopsy.
You can see that they found that a bullet went into the back of his neck and into his brain. The autopsy said Brown was shot four times in his right arm.
Attorney Ben Crump said he doesn’t understand why people think it’s okay to shoot at a Black person in the back when they are going away from you.
The Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Department said deputies were trying to serve drug-related search and arrest warrants when they shot at Brown. Seven deputies are now on paid administrative leave.
Body camera footage has not been released to the public. Deputies said North Carolina law requires a judge’s approval, but predicted that the video will be released in the near future.
The Supreme Court will hear a gun rights case later this year that may make it legal for anyone in any state to carry concealed handguns in public.
New York law requires a “proper cause” to carry a handgun in public. This case challenges the law and whether it follows the Second Amendment.
I reached out to law professor Michael Schwartz to provide more insights.
MICHAEL SCHWARTZ:
But the Supreme Court ruled in D.C. vs Heller back in 2008 that the Second Amendment language allows every American to have the right to a gun in their homes. The New York case currently involves the right to carry the gun outside of your home.
So, New York requires a distinguishable reason why… Here's a funny story from a long time ago, maybe 30 or 40 years ago, I applied for a gun license. There were three options — at home only, for target practice, or (concealed) carry. The third one is strict. Interestingly, if you’re a lawyer and you handle a lot of money and cash, the state is likely to grant you a concealed carry permit. But for the majority of people in New York, it’s a hard standard to meet. There must be a distinguishable reason why. You’re allowed to have (a gun) at home, to carry it to and from the shooting range, that’s permitted. But you must keep the gun under lock and separate the ammunition.
So, a group affiliated with the National Rifle Association sued the State of New York saying this violates the Second Amendment. It’s interesting because before Amy Coney Barrett, the newest justice, there was Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The Court turned down challenges to the New York law, and then RBG passed away. Now that ACB is there, all of a sudden the Court is interested in the New York law.
So, if I’m a betting man — which I’m not — but if I was gambling, I would say they will overturn New York’s law. What does this mean? All Americans, if they want, can carry a gun in public.
Thank you for your time, Michael. He emphasized that the Supreme Court decision will overrule any state or local laws on carrying concealed handguns, so it means there will be more guns on the streets if the Court strikes down the New York State law.
That is all the top stories for today. Check out our other videos. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/27/health/cdc-mask-guidance-fully-vaccinated-bn/index.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/andrew-brown-jr-shooting-bodycam-video-back-head-family-viewing/
https://abcnews.go.com/US/body-cam-video-andrew-brown-shooting-redacted-shown/story?id=77316926
https://twitter.com/axios/status/1386765030507651073
https://www.axios.com/biden-cdc-coronavirus-guidance-masks-190a4299-05f1-4690-b4c5-d7c4e2c2f38f.html
https://www.axios.com/supreme-court-gun-rights-02b62428-10bc-4430-99f1-7c07786d5bb5.html