Newsletter Apr 28, 2021

The news we've all been waiting to hear for more than a year is finally here as the CDC is allowing the fully vaccinated to go maskless outdoors.

3 Things

Mask-arade: Americans who have been fully vaccinated can finally get a breath of fresh air -- both literally and figuratively -- after the CDC gave the green light to ditch their masks in the great outdoors.
Following a persistent coronavirus pandemic that left Americans stuck indoors and wearing face coverings to prevent the spread of the deadly virus for more than one year, the word of loosened restrictions for the fully vaccinated is welcome news for the weary.
â€œToday, I hope, is a day when we can take another step back to the normalcy of before,â€ CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky announced Tuesday. â€œOver the past year, we have spent a lot of time telling Americans what you canâ€™t do. Today, I am going to tell you some of the things you can do, if you are fully vaccinated.â€
The CDC issued recommendations allowing the fully inoculated to exercise, dine at outdoors restaurants, and enjoy small gatherings with other vaccinated individuals when outside. The lone exception when masks are required are in large crowds at outdoor events.
The word comes after a lengthy, painful bout with COVID-19, which claimed more than 570,000 American lives. But with over 140 million residents now receiving at least one dose, the U.S. is showing its first signs of getting a grasp of the virus in more than one year.
CHECK OUT THE CDC CHART OF THE MASK DOS AND DON'TS

The right not to bare arms: Just as the CDC is easing pandemic-related restrictions for the fully vaccinated, the majority of states are seeing efforts to protect the rights of citizens who aren't vaccinated.
Forty states have introduced bills designed to prohibit vaccine mandates in businesses, venues and schools, even as American opinions remain split on whether or not the move is needed.
State lawmakers introducing the legislation claim that if any business or organization requires employees or customers to be vaccinated, it could be considered a constitutional violation by the government.
The moves come as Americans seem split on the legality of vaccinations being required, with a recent poll from Eagle Hill Consulting on vaccines and the workplace showing that nearly half of all respondents say employers should require vaccination proof.
SEE THE LEGAL ARGUMENTS AGAINST VACCINE MANDATES

Blind justice: Only days after jurors and the world were horrified by body-cam footage at George Floyd's murder trial, another case of an officer-involved shooting of an unarmed Black man in North Carolina is raising protests over the absence of available video evidence.
Andrew Brown Jr. was shot five times and killed by Pasquotank County Sheriffâ€™s deputies while he was trying to flea from officers in Elizabeth City, N.C. Nearly one week later, police have yet to make the video available to the public, and only brief segments of the body-cam footage have been shown to the family and attorneys.
State law prohibits the release of officer body-cam video without a judge's court order. The family and an increasingly loud nation are calling for full transparency, and the federal government is stepping in to launch a civil rights investigation over the handling of the case.
The shooting sparked protests and a curfew starting Tuesday night, but the anger is spreading across the nation -- all the way to the top.
FIND OUT WHAT THE FBI IS DOING TO BRING TRANSPARENCY

Markets

DJIA	33,984.93	0.01%
S&P 500	4,186.72	-0.02%
Nasdaq Composite	14,090.22	-0.34%
Japan: Nikkei 225	29,093.31	0.35%
UK: FTSE 100	6,944.97	-0.26%
Crude Oil Futures	62.93	-0.02%
Gold Futures	1,770.90	-0.44%
Yen	108.85	0.11%
Euro	1.21	-0.13%
* As of market close

House of cards

Yesterday we told you all about how Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are the hottest new commodity, seeing explosive growth with the advent of blockchain technology. But for all the big money pouring into NFTs, they still can't stack up against the tried-and-true sports memorabilia card.

NBA superstar LeBron James saw his rookie card go for a record $5.2 million earlier this month, matching the mark set earlier this year by former New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle. That's almost five times Mantle's total earnings during his stellar 18-year baseball career.

The record-tying sale is the latest in a recent boom in the memorabilia collectibles industry. Perhaps seeing a surge in nostalgia during the pandemic (after all, everyone had plenty of time to dig through their attic to find their old trading cards), sports swag is seeing a serious surge.

A similar James card set a then-record in July 2020 when it sold for $1.85 million. That mark has been broken multiple times over the past nine months, leading up to the $5.2 million sales. But how long will it stand?

SEE WHY COLLECTORS ARE PAYING TOP DOLLAR FOR CARDS

Nerd fight

What do you get when you pit the world's two wealthiest individuals against one another in a race to space? We're still not completely sure, but it's a pretty safe bet that things are going to get very competitive.

That's the case with Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who have a combined net worth of nearly $400 billion but are battling it out over a measly $2.9 billion NASA contract. That kind of money affords them the resources to run their own show the way they see fit -- until they go up against someone equally wealthy and powerful.

The nerd-on-nerd conflict came to a head after Bezos' Blue Origin filed a complaint with the Government Accountability Office. Musk's SpaceX outfit was awarded the sole contract in a NASA competition that was originally meant to go to two bidders, leaving Blue Origin out in the cold.

Bezos let his displeasure be known, launching a protest over the rule change so late in the game. That ticked off Musk, who fired back at his ultra-rich rival. The feud turned personal for the two as the rest of the world got to see what happens when multi-billionaires don't get their way.

SEE WHAT BEZOS AND MUSK HAD TO SAY ABOUT EACH OTHER

Wookiee mistake

New Orleans police are asking citizens to be on the lookout for a hard-to-miss assault suspect who may look familiar to avid "Star Wars" fans.

The description: 7-foot-5, covered in fur and sounds like a hippo on PCP. But you know him better as Chewbacca, the lovable character from the popular sci-fi series. It seems someone is sullying Chewy's good name.

A street performer in the French Quarter wearing a Chewbacca costume allegedly stabbed another individual during an altercation over the weekend. Witnesses told police the head of the street performer's costume came off during the fight, although he did manage to hold on to his red light saber before making his escape to a location far, far away.

Police have released video of the suspect and the tips are pouring in: "I just saw him attacking a military installation near the forest moon of Endor," one Twitter user replied. Sounds like he did it all for the wookiee.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOOTAGE OF CHEWBACCA BEHAVING BADLY