WBEZ’s Rundown Of Today’s Top News: Don’t Panic About Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson
In this Thursday, April 8, 2021 file photo, the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine sits on a table at a pop up vaccinations site the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center, in the Staten Island borough of New York. Mary Altaffer / AP Photo
Johnson & Johnson
In this Thursday, April 8, 2021 file photo, the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine sits on a table at a pop up vaccinations site the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center, in the Staten Island borough of New York. Mary Altaffer / AP Photo

WBEZ’s Rundown Of Today’s Top News: Don’t Panic About Johnson & Johnson

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Good afternoon! It’s Tuesday, and happy birthday to my husband, Joshua! Here’s what you need to know today.

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1. Illinois and several other states pause use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Illinois, Cook County and Chicago officials today said they are halting the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, a move that comes as federal officials review rare blood clots that developed in six out of the 6.8 million people who have received the shot.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the pause as a precaution and not because the vaccine is unsafe. The review is expected to last just a few days.

Dr. Emily Landon, an infectious disease expert at UChicago Medicine, told WBEZ’s Mariah Woelfel that if you got the Johnson & Johnson shot (like me), you shouldn’t panic.

“There is no need to worry. This is literally one in a million,” Landon said.

So far, Illinois has received more than 330,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, about 5% of the more than 7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines that have been shipped here. [WBEZ]

You can find more information about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and blood clots in this easy-to-read explainer. [NPR]

2. New Illinois Democratic Party leader helped indicted mayor get reelected

U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, who last month was elected as the new chair of the Illinois Democratic Party, financially supported the reelection campaign of indicted Crestwood Mayor Lou Presta, reports WBEZ’s Dan Mihalopoulos.

Federal prosecutors accuse Presta of taking $5,000 from a representative of a red-light camera company and then lying about it to authorities. Presta has pleaded not guilty and won a third term last week against two challengers.

Kelly contributed $250 to Presta’s political committee before the election, according to newly filed campaign-finance reports. Kelly’s political director, John V. Moore, confirmed her recent campaign donation but declined to comment further on it. Moore said Presta’s son Tony is a longtime aide to Kelly. [WBEZ]

3. Police shooting of Daunte Wright raises questions over how an officer could mistake a gun for a Taser

Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was fatally shot this week by a white officer who mistakenly took out her gun instead of a Taser, according to the police chief for Brooklyn Center, Minn.

The New York Times examines how the look and feel of pistols and Tasers are different, and how police departments have policies aimed at preventing mix-ups. As the newspaper reports, the Brooklyn Center Police Department instructs officers to wear their Tasers on the opposite side of their body from their guns. [NYT]

The officer who shot Wright, 26-year veteran Kim Potter, today resigned from the Brooklyn Center Police Department, according to her union. Police Chief Tim Gannon also announced he is leaving. [NPR]

4. Prosecutors rest their case in the Derek Chauvin murder trial

And the defense attorney for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is expected to use two to three days to make presentations before concluding with his own argument. Judge Peter Cahill has suggested to jurors that closing arguments from both sides could come on Monday.

Chauvin lawyer Eric Nelson has argued that George Floyd died from a drug overdose and an underlying heart condition, and not because Chauvin had his knee on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes.

Nelson began his defense by revisiting a 2019 traffic stop of a vehicle in which Floyd was a passenger. Floyd suffered high blood pressure after confessing to using opioid painkillers, testified now-retired paramedic Michelle Moseng.

But under cross examination from prosecutors, Moseng said Floyd’s respiratory output, pulse, heart rate, EKG and heart rhythms were normal. [AP]

5. Biden seeks to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11

President Joe Biden is expected to announce tomorrow that all American troops will be pulled out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11 — 20 years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that drew the nation into its longest war, reports The Washington Post.

There are currently more than 3,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, but that number fluctuates, the newspaper reports.

Tomorrow’s announcement means U.S. troops will remain in the country past a May 1 deadline negotiated last year between the Trump administration and the Taliban, which has previously promised to renew attacks on the U.S. and its allies if that deadline is blown. But it’s not clear if militants will act on those threats. [Washington Post]

Here’s what else is happening

  • Coronavirus cases continue to climb in Illinois. [New York Times]
  • Japan announced it will start releasing treated but still radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean in two years. [NPR]
  • Congressional Democrats are calling on Republicans to support legislation that addresses the rising number of hate crimes and violence against Asian Americans. [NPR]
  • The world’s longest rabbit is missing. [New York Times]

Oh, and one more thing …

If you’re looking for something to read, a new book looks at the “founding mothers of NPR” and how the early days of National Public Radio had the energy of a start-up.

Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR by Lisa Napoli follows the careers of Susan Stamberg, Linda Wertheimer, Nina Totenberg and Cokie Roberts and how they transformed NPR into an institution.

Napoli provides fascinating and hilarious details about the chaotic energy of NPR during the 1970s.

“Not a day would go by without a tape reel being hurled like a Frisbee into the control room at the last minute, or breaking during playback, and it was never quite clear who’d show up for work or whether there’d be enough stories to fill the time,” Napoli writes. [New York Times]

Tell me something good …

How are you preparing to go back to the office when this pandemic is over?

Ren writes:

“Nails all ready and painted! Unibrow split. Hair defrizzed and degrayed. Mostly practicing wearing clothes! Good luck to all!”

Feel free to email me at therundown@wbez.org or tweet me at @whuntah.

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