Ed Sheeran must face plagiarism claim: judge

A U.S. judge on Tuesday rejected English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran’s bid to dismiss one of three lawsuits accusing him of lifting his 2014 smash “Thinking Out Loud” from Marvin Gaye’s 1973 classic “Let’s Get It On.”
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-music-ed-sheeran/ed-sheeran-must-face-plagiarism-claim-judge-idUSKBN2BM2YN?source=Snapzu

Mystery brain disorder baffles Canadian doctors

Spasms, memory loss and hallucinations among symptoms of patients, mostly in Acadian peninsula of New Brunswick province
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/30/mystery-brain-disorder-baffles-canadian-medicine?source=Snapzu

Nike sues rapper Lil Nas X over ‘Satan shoes’ that have real blood in soles

Nike on Monday filed a lawsuit against MSCHF over its controversial “Satan shoes” collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X.
Read more: https://www.foxbusiness.com/sports/nike-sues-mschf-for-copyright-infringement-over-satan-shoes-collaboration-with-rapper-lil-nas-x?source=Snapzu

Biden, CDC director warn of virus rebound if nation lets up

President Joe Biden and a top health official warned that too many Americans are declaring virus victory too quickly, appealing for mask requirements and other restrictions to be maintained or restored to stave off a “fourth surge” of COVID-19. The head of the CDC said she had a feeling of “impending doom” if people keep easing off.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-coronavirus-pandemic-99fbab3a4b41cb73f0fd474577293b2b?source=Snapzu

Spurred by lockdown, Spain gives 4-day week a try

MADRID (AP) — After years of waiting tables, Danae De Vries is one step closer to achieving her lifetime dream of becoming a theater coach. Ironically, she owes that to the pandemic. It was...
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/madrid-coronavirus-pandemic-europe-spain-economy-fefbe45308a168ee0d072c6176a1cffc?source=Snapzu

Amazon warehouse workers decide this week whether to unionize

Nearly 6,000 Bessemer workers vote on whether to become the first unionized Amazon warehouse in the US.
Read more: https://www.cnet.com/news/amazons-union-vote-what-the-election-at-an-alabama-warehouse-could-mean/?source=Snapzu

Activision Blizzard Hires Former Trump Administration Member Once Decried As ‘Bully’

Today, Activision Blizzard announced the promotion of Blizzard chief commercial officer and the chief operating officer Armin Zerza to CFO of the whole company. What it did not announce to the public is that it has also hired a new chief administrative officer: former Donald Trump administration member Brian Bulatao.
Read more: https://kotaku.com/activision-blizzard-hires-former-trump-administration-m-1846579115?source=Snapzu

Prosecutors Add Sex Trafficking Charges Against Ghislaine Maxwell

Federal prosecutors in New York filed new charges of sex trafficking a minor and sex trafficking conspiracy Monday against Ghislaine Maxwell, the former associate of Jeffrey Epstein.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2021/03/30/982597363/prosecutors-add-sex-trafficking-charges-against-ghislaine-maxwell?source=Snapzu

Exclusive: Visa moves to allow payment settlements using cryptocurrency

Visa Inc said on Monday it will allow the use of the cryptocurrency USD Coin to settle transactions on its payment network, the latest sign of growing acceptance of digital currencies by the mainstream financial industry.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crypto-currency-visa-exclusive/exclusive-visa-moves-to-allow-payment-settlements-using-cryptocurrency-idUSKBN2BL0X9?source=Snapzu

Dozens of Christian students sue the U.S. Education Dept., hoping to pressure Equality Act negotiations

Elizabeth Hunter says she became suicidal after Bob Jones University administrators grilled the former student about her sexuality for tweeting “happy Pride” and writing a book with lesbian characters. She was fined, sent to anti-gay counseling and removed from her job at the campus TV station. Veronica Penales says she’s told officials at Baylor University, where she is a sophomore, that people leave anti-gay notes on her door, but they don’t investigate. Lucas Wilson said he graduated from Liberty University with “a profound sense of shame” after being encouraged to go to conversion therapy.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/christian-colleges-lawsuit-lgbtq-equality-act/2021/03/29/39343620-90af-11eb-9668-89be11273c09_story.html?outputType=amp#click=https://t.co/vMb23L9QeC?source=Snapzu

Facebook, Twitter and Google CEOs grilled by Congress on misinformation

The chief executives of Facebook, Google and Twitter faced withering criticism from members of Congress on Thursday about their handling of misinformation and online extremism during their first appearance before lawmakers since the Jan. 6 Capitol riots and the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/25/tech/tech-ceos-hearing/index.html?source=Snapzu

Suez Canal says traffic in channel resumes after stranded ship refloated

The giant container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for almost a week was fully floated on Monday and traffic in the waterway would resume, the canal authority said in a statement.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-suezcanal-ship-floated/suez-canal-says-traffic-in-channel-resumes-after-stranded-ship-refloated-idUSKBN2BL1S9?source=Snapzu

Gallup: U.S. church membership dips below 50% for first time

It's the first time the poll indicates a majority of Americans do not belong to a church.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/church-membership-gallup-26cc020b-5405-417a-a786-e10c286a30db.html?source=Snapzu

Jeep is installing EV chargers at off-road trailheads throughout the US | Engadget

The first three will arrive in Utah and California this spring.
Read more: https://www.engadget.com/jeep-ev-charger-network-off-road-trailheads-electrify-america-183917006.html?source=Snapzu

N Korea hits Biden’s ‘provocation’, threatens more arms build-up

North Korea threatened a further military build-up on Saturday in response to Joe Biden’s condemnation of this week’s missile launches, a weapons test that marked Pyongyang’s first substantive provocation since the US president took office.
Read more: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/27/n-korea-hits-bidens-provocation-threatens-more-arms-build-up?source=Snapzu

Ex-boss dumps 91,500 oily pennies in former employee’s driveway as his final $915 pay after resignation

After months of waiting for his final pay check after leaving the job, an auto repair worker finally got the $915 his former employer owed him. Andreas Flaten from Georgia said his ex-boss at AOK Walker Luxury Autoworks dumped 91,500 greasy pennies at the end of his driveway as final wage.
Read more: https://newsbreakforum.com/story/ex-boss-dumps-91500-oily-pennies-in-former-employees-driveway-as-his-final-915-pay-after-resignation/?source=Snapzu

Dismantling the anti-vaxx industry

Investigations show that those spreading misinformation that undermines the rollout of vaccines against COVID-19 are well financed, determined and disciplined. To counter their activities, we need to understand them as an industry actively working to sow doubts about the deadliness of COVID-19, vaccines and medical professionals’ integrity.
Read more: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01260-6?source=Snapzu

It’s rarer than gold and critical for green energy — and it’s about to be mined in Utah

One of the least common elements on Earth will soon be recovered at Rio Tinto’s Bingham Canyon Mine in the Salt Lake Valley through the copper smelting process. Tellurium’s main use is in the manufacturing of solar panels.
Read more: https://www.deseret.com/utah/2021/3/26/22344673/utah-green-energy-rare-element-for-solar-panels-mined-in-salt-lake-tellurium-rio-tinto?source=Snapzu

Suez canal: Ever Given ship refloated after blocking waterway for six days

Salvage teams on Monday succeeded in freeing a massive container ship that had blocked the Suez canal for the past seven days, clogging up one of the world’s key trade arteries.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/29/suez-canal-attempt-re-float-ever-given-delay-salvage-tugboats?source=Snapzu

Pentagon’s Extremist Handbook Tells Military to Be on Lookout for Pepe the Frog

A guide released by the Pentagon teaches its members to look out for extremist group iconology, in an effort to identify potential infiltrators.
Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/pentagons-extremist-handbook-tells-military-to-be-on-lookout-for-pepe-the-frog?source=Snapzu

Asian American students have a target on their backs thanks to critical race theory

I've been joining a group of parents in Fairfax County, Virginia, on Zoom to discuss our mounting concern over the rising vilification of Asian Americans in the area. But if you think we are worried about nativist hate groups or white supremacist organizations, guess again. The perpetrators in this drama are none other than the very school officials we have entrusted with our children’s education and well-being.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/03/26/tj-high-school-admissions-race-asian-parents-column/6982183002/?source=Snapzu

Trump adviser Jason Miller hid income and misled court to avoid paying child support: report

Miller claimed he lost his job to court but records show he signed a "secret deal" to keep earning $500K per year.
Read more: https://www.salon.com/2021/03/25/trump-adviser-jason-miller-hid-income-and-misled-court-to-avoid-paying-child-support-report/?source=Snapzu

The forgotten medieval fruit with a vulgar name

Medieval Europeans were fanatical about a strange fruit that could only be eaten rotten. Then it was forgotten altogether. Why did they love it so much? And why did it disappear?
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210325-the-strange-medieval-fruit-the-world-forgot?source=Snapzu

‘Vaccine passports’ are on the way, but developing them won’t be easy

The effort has taken on momentum amid President Biden’s pledge that the nation will start to regain post-pandemic normalcy this summer, and with a growing number of companies saying they will require proof of vaccinations before reopening their doors.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/03/28/vaccine-passports-for-work/?source=Snapzu

The Talk: Sharon Osbourne leaves US show after racism row

TV personality Sharon Osbourne has left US chat show The Talk after a heated on-air debate about racism earlier this month. Osbourne defended broadcaster Piers Morgan over his criticism of a high-profile TV interview given by the Duchess of Sussex.
Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-56547718?source=Snapzu

A Dog Who Kept Sneaking into a Dollar General for a Unicorn Toy Gets His Plush and a New Start

The animal control officer who moved Sisu from the Dollar General store to the shelter bought the stray dog his unicorn toy before bringing the canine in.
Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/dog-kept-sneaking-dollar-general-182528034.html?source=Snapzu

CBS Critiques Itself Over "Legitimizing" Woody Allen Interview

Viewers of CBS Sunday Morning this week saw something unusual on the broadcast network: A segment critical of its own work.
Read more: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cbs-critiques-itself-over-legitimizing-woody-allen-interview?source=Snapzu

'Everything is riding on the outcome': Minneapolis braces for Chauvin trial

Prosecutors due to set out their case in heavily fortified building for trial of ex-officer charged with murdering George Floyd
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/28/derek-chauvin-trial-george-floyd-opening-arguments?source=Snapzu

Pope, on Palm Sunday, says devil taking advantage of pandemic

Pope Francis led Palm Sunday services in an almost empty St. Peter's Basilica because of coronavirus restrictions for the second consecutive year and said the devil is taking advantage of the pandemic.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-religion-easter-pope-palmsunday-idUSKBN2BK09I?source=Snapzu

Largest U.S. oil and gas trade group backs carbon price

The industry group representing oil and gas companies including Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp said on Thursday it supports a carbon price as one measure to mitigate climate change risk.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climate-oil-carbon-idUSKBN2BH2SW?source=Snapzu

Zoom's pandemic profits exceeded $670 million. Its federal tax payment? Zilch

"If you paid $14.99 a month for a Zoom Pro membership, you paid more to Zoom than it paid in federal income taxes," Bernie Sanders tweeted.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/zoom-no-federal-taxes-2020/?source=Snapzu

The Discovery That Transformed Pi

For thousands of years, mathematicians were calculating Pi the obvious but numerically inefficient way. Then Newton came along and changed the game.
Read more: https://snapzu.com/kxh/the-discovery-that-transformed-pi?source=Snapzu

U.S. sets new vaccine record with 3.4 million doses administered in one day

The U.S. broke its previous record for most COVID-19 vaccines administered in a single day, with 3.4 million doses reported on Friday, according to the White House.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/vaccine-daily-record-0da0a2d5-e494-4413-af4f-9babea418cbc.html?source=Snapzu

What You Need To Know About The New Mass. Climate Law

Gov. Charlie Baker signed a sweeping climate bill into law on Friday, signaling a new era in Massachusetts’ plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions, build a greener economy and prioritize equity and environmental justice.
Read more: https://www.wbur.org/earthwhile/2021/03/26/new-mass-climate-law-faq?source=Snapzu

How to Escape the Confines of Time and Space According to the CIA

In the ’80s, the spy agency investigated the "Gateway Experience" technique to alter consciousness and ultimately escape spacetime. Here is everything you need to know.
Read more: https://www.vice.com/en/article/7k9qag/how-to-escape-the-confines-of-time-and-space-according-to-the-cia?source=Snapzu

'Treating us like robots': Amazon workers seek union

Linda Burns was excited at first to land a job at the Amazon warehouse outside Birmingham, Alabama. The former nursing assistant had always enjoyed ordering from the company, Now, she would be working for them.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/alabama-bernie-sanders-us-news-birmingham-d6990315af64ffe07486316dd46957d2?source=Snapzu

Far-Right Extremists Move From ‘Stop the Steal’ to Stop the Vaccine

Extremist organizations are now bashing the safety and efficacy of coronavirus vaccines in an effort to try to undermine the government. Adherents of far-right groups who cluster online have turned repeatedly to one particular website in recent weeks — the federal database showing deaths and adverse reactions nationwide among people who have received Covid-19 vaccinations.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/26/us/far-right-extremism-anti-vaccine.html?referringSource=articleShare?source=Snapzu

Dear White Vegans, Stop Appropriating Food

Veganism is going through its own racial reckoning that's a long time coming, considering white vegan influencers have appropriated traditional foods forever.
Read more: https://www.vice.com/en/article/bv833z/dear-white-vegans-stop-appropriating-food?source=Snapzu

AOC and Elizabeth Warren skillfully tear Amazon apart for its terrible tweets

Amazon's public relations Twitter account messed with the wrong lawmakers. The account, @amazonnews, appears to be trying out a new PR strategy. Over the past few days, it has issued tweets denying labor abuses and (legal) tax dodging, in a tone that can only be described as.... sassy?
Read more: https://mashable.com/article/amazon-pr-twitter-aoc-elizabeth-warren-pee-bottles?source=Snapzu

Bernie Sanders leads delegation to Alabama to boost Amazon union drive

A steady stream of federal lawmakers have been trickling into Alabama to cheer on workers hoping to unionize at an Amazon Inc warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, cementing the union drive as the highest profile American labor fight in recent memory.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/26/bernie-sanders-bessemer-alabama-amazon-workers-union-fight?source=Snapzu

Call centre staff to be monitored via webcam for home-working ‘infractions’

Exclusive: Teleperformance, which employs 380,000 people, plans to use specialist webcams to watch staff
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/26/teleperformance-call-centre-staff-monitored-via-webcam-home-working-infractions?source=Snapzu

Gaming firm Razer green-lights high-tech N95 face mask, says report

Even with the rollout of COVID vaccines picking up, it seems Razer is betting there's a future in personal safety gear.
Read more: https://www.cnet.com/health/gaming-firm-razer-green-lights-high-tech-n95-face-mask-says-report/?source=Snapzu

Parler Says it Warned the FBI of Violent Posts Before Capitol Riot

Parler, the online safe haven for bigots and far-right extremists, claims it repeatedly alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigation about “specific threats of violence being planned at the Capitol” ahead of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection, the company’s lawyers said in a letter to lawmakers dated Thursday.
Read more: https://gizmodo.com/parler-says-it-warned-the-fbi-of-violent-posts-threaten-1846565038?source=Snapzu

Endangered condors return to northern California skies after nearly a century

After a century of absence, the endangered California condor is set to return to the skies of the Pacific north-west. The condor once soared from British Columbia to Mexico, but habitat loss, overhunting and, most significantly, poisoning from hunting ammunition drove the birds to near extinction.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/26/california-condor-reintroduced-yurok-tribe?source=Snapzu

NASA wants companies to develop and build new space stations, with up to $400 million up for grabs

NASA this past week unveiled the Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) project, with plans to award up to $400 million in total to as many as four companies.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/27/nasa-commercial-leo-destinations-project-for-private-space-stations.html?source=Snapzu

New Zealand approves paid leave after miscarriages

New Zealand's parliament voted unanimously on Wednesday to allow mothers and their partners three days of paid bereavement leave after a miscarriage or stillbirth. While employers in the country were already required to provide paid leave in the event of stillbirth, there was some confusion surrounding the qualifications. The groundbreaking new bill removes any ambiguity, extending benefits to anyone who loses a pregnancy at any point.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-zealand-approves-paid-bereavement-leave-miscarriage-stillbirth/?source=Snapzu

Leaked memo shows Amazon knows delivery drivers resort to urinating in bottles

Amazon caused an uproar on Thursday when it denied reports that its delivery workers have been forced to urinate in bottles due to lack of access to bathrooms, but a leaked internal memo shows the company has been aware of the problem for at least several months.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/mar/25/amazon-delivery-workers-bathrooms-memo?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1?source=Snapzu

Biden invites Putin and Xi to climate talks

President Biden is hosting international climate talks around Earth Day on April 22 and 23, aiming to spark more ambitious emissions reduction targets
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/biden-putin-xi-climate-talks-b1823175.html?source=Snapzu

Larry McMurtry, 'Lonesome Dove' Novelist and 'Brokeback Mountain' Oscar Winner, Dies at 84

The Pulitzer Prize recipient and screenwriter also wrote the books behind 'Hud', 'The Last Picture Show' and 'Terms of Endearment.' Larry McMurtry, the Texas-born novelist who authored Lonesome Dove, The Last Picture Show and Terms of Endearment and won an Oscar for co-writing the adapted screenplay for Brokeback Mountain, has died. He was 84.
Read more: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/larry-mcmurtry-lonesome-dove-novelist-brokeback-mountain-oscar-winner-was-84-1223879?source=Snapzu

Britney Spears officially petitions for dad Jamie Spears to resign as her conservator

Britney Spears files for dad Jamie Spears to quit as her conservator, after his lawyer said she could end her conservatorship by petitioning.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2021/03/25/britney-spears-petitions-dad-jamie-spears-resign-her-conservator/7004610002/?source=Snapzu