Chauvin Trial Drama; COVID Vaccine Plant Mix-Up; Ranking Our Favorite Muppets

Plus, bonobos offer clues to why humans value niceness.

by Korva Coleman and Jill Hudson First Up Court TV/AP Here's what we're following today. Jurors are set to hear a fourth day of testimony today in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. On Wednesday, jurors heard from a corner store clerk who said he regretted reporting that Floyd may have used a fake $20 bill — the allegation that led to Floyd's arrest and death. Another witness broke down in tears as he recounted the helplessness he felt watching the situation unfold.   Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson says millions of doses of their coronavirus vaccine were ruined in a manufacturing mix-up, federal officials confirmed Wednesday. A batch of a key ingredient didn't pass an FDA quality inspection.  Republicans and Democrats agree that the country's infrastructure is badly in need of repair, but for years they haven't been able to agree on a proposal, or how to pay for it. President Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan is expected to draw fire from Republican lawmakers for its focus on clean energy and climate change policies, as well as for its mammoth price tag.  Newsletter continues after sponsor message Today's Listens Disney+ When The Muppet Show arrived on Disney+ in February, it got the Pop Culture Happy Hour team talking about their favorite Muppets. Which Muppet do they most identify with, and where does everyone fit in Jim Henson's big and lovable felt universe? Listen here. Microsoft is reportedly in talks to acquire Discord, a social media platform, for $10 billion. Discord started as a gaming community that didn’t sell targeted ads, but it’s become much more than that. It’s now a place for conferences, concerts, book clubs and homework help. Could Discord be a model for other social media? Listen in.    Ley Uwera for NPR For more than a decade, scientists from around the world have been coming to a sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to study a group of peace-loving bonobos that appear to favor cooperation and sharing over cunning and competition. Researchers think their behavior may help explain how humans evolved the capacity to be nice — at least some of the time. Listen to the story or read it. There’s been a lot of focus on the U.S. Southern border, where temporary holding facilities are overflowing with unauthorized migrants and children. It’s a totally different situation in the interior of the country. Detention beds largely emptied out as the number of immigrants being detained plunged — but the federal government is still paying tens of millions per month for empty facilities. Listen to or read the story. Before You Go Jason Merritt/TERM/Getty Images After canceling last year because of the pandemic, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is back on in early September. Headliners for this year’s 20th anniversary concerts include the Grand Ole Opry, Foo Fighters, Megan Thee Stallion, Lizzo, Lana Del Rey and Tyler, The Creator. April is National Poetry Month, and NPR wants to celebrate with your original short poems. This year, you can contribute via TikTok as well as Twitter, using #NPRpoetry. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from Vermont Public Radio (edit station). Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Music, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Daily News emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy