What Are the Odds Derek Chauvin Wins on His Expected Appeal? (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “The unique circumstances surrounding Derek Chauvin’s trial in George Floyd’s death could offer the former Minneapolis police officer some shot at winning a retrial on appeal, though most legal experts agree it’s a long shot. … Here’s a look at some of the issues Chauvin’s lawyers might cite in their expected appeal, and their chances of prevailing.”
Do Kids Really Need to Be Vaccinated for COVID? Yes. No. Maybe. (Bethany)
From Undark: “At the end of last month, Pfizer announced plans to submit important news to federal regulators. The drugmaker had recruited over 2,000 adolescents aged 12 to 15 for a clinical trial of its Covid-19 vaccine, and the results were promising: Among the young people receiving the vaccine, there were zero reports of Covid-19. Meanwhile, 18 cases of Covid-19 occurred among those who did not receive the vaccine. … Voiced by some leading physicians and researchers, and amplified by a drumbeat of like-minded press coverage, the notion that the Covid-19 pandemic cannot be curbed without vaccinating children has quickly become axiomatic in parts of the public health world.”
I’m the Head of Planned Parenthood. We’re Done Making Excuses for Our Founder. (Dan)
The author writes, “We need to talk about Margaret Sanger. For the 11 years that I’ve been involved with Planned Parenthood, founded by Sanger, her legacy on race has been debated. Sanger, a nurse, opened the nation’s first birth control clinic in Brownsville, Brooklyn, in 1916, and dedicated her life to promoting birth control to improve women’s lives. But was she, or was she not, racist? It’s a question that we’ve tried to avoid, but we no longer can. We must reckon with it.”
Deadly Olive Tree Disease Across Europe ‘Could Cost Billions’ (Mili)
The author writes, “Researchers say the economic costs of a deadly pathogen affecting olive trees in Europe could run to over €20 billion. They’ve modelled the future worst impacts of the Xylella fastidiosa pathogen which has killed swathes of trees in Italy. Spread by insects, the bacterium now poses a potential threat to olive plantations in Spain and Greece. The disease could increase the costs of olive oil for consumers.”
The Cold War Over Hacking McDonald’s Ice Cream Machines (Dana)
From Wired: “Secret codes. Legal threats. Betrayal. How one couple built a device to fix McDonald’s notoriously broken soft-serve machines — and how the fast-food giant froze them out. Of all the mysteries and injustices of the McDonald’s ice cream machine, the one that Jeremy O’Sullivan insists you understand first is its secret passcode.”
