promoearn: 'Finally taking action'

Thursday, April 22

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, is joined by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., third from left, at a news conference to discuss an Asian-American hate crime bill, Monday, April 19, 2021, in New York. Schumer is pushing for passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in the Senate. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) ORG XMIT: NYML103

A bill combating hate crimes against Asian Americans cleared a major hurdle. Washington, D.C., is closer to becoming a state. Here's the news to know Thursday.

Protesters and grieving loved ones are asking for answers after a Black man was fatally shot by a deputy in North Carolina. The Senate passed an anti-hate crime bill after increased reports of violence against Asian Americans. And we're one step closer to having a 51st state.

It's Julius and Ashley with the news to know.

But first, shopping later, Alligator: A gator was seen casually strolling in the parking lot of a grocery store one evening.

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Protesters ask for details after a North Carolina deputy fatally shoots a Black man

More than a day after a Black man was fatally shot by a North Carolina deputy, protesters and grieving loved ones are waiting for answers as to what happened. Andrew Brown Jr. was shot and killed early Wednesday morning in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, when a deputy served a search warrant at Brown's home. Demetria Williams, Brown's neighbor, told the Associated Press she ran outside after hearing a gunshot and then saw the deputy firing multiple times at Brown who she said was driving away. After the shooting, crowds of people called for police to release more details, including body camera footage. "The people of Elizabeth City ... they desire a right to know what took place this morning," City Councilman Darius J. Horton said Wednesday. The deputy who fired the shots has not been named and has been placed on leave.

Protesters gather outside the Pasquotank County municipal building in North Carolina on Wednesday after at least one sheriff's deputy shot and killed a Black man while executing a search warrant in Elizabeth City.

Gerry Broome, AP

Bill to fight hate crimes against Asian Americans passes Senate

The Senate overwhelmingly passed an anti-hate crime bill targeting the increase in violence and discrimination against Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation, named the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, passed with a 94-1 vote. The bill would accelerate the Justice Department's review of hate crimes and would designate an official at the department to oversee the effort. Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., a co-author of the legislation, said at a rally Monday that "we are finally taking action in Congress" after a year that saw increased reports of hate incidents against Asian Americans. The legislation, which underwent numerous bipartisan changes before its passage, will now head to the Democratic-led House.

•	Democrats work behind the scenes — and in the public eye — to push against anti-Asian hate
•	Opinion: How to stop the dangerous rise in hatred targeted at Asian Americans
•	"Harsh reality": Asian leaders urge U.S. to stop AAPI violence as citizens reexamine pro-American views

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Got room for one more state?

The Democratic-led House of Representatives again passed legislation Thursday that would make Washington, D.C., the 51st state — something residents and leaders in the nation's capital have been requesting for decades. But the odds of officially passing aren't looking great. The Washington, D.C. Admission Act faces slim chances of advancing in the split Senate where it would need Republican support to overcome a legislative hurdle known as the filibuster. Supporters of the legislation argue that statehood for Washington, a city with a large Black population, is a civil rights issue, saying statehood is necessary because the residents are disenfranchised with the lack of representation in Congress. But opponents argue the population size of Washington makes it too small to be a state.

•	Explainer: The two opinions of D.C. statehood.

India smashes global one-day record for new cases

India is enduring a deadly coronavirus surge. The world's second-most populous country has set a global one-day record of more than 314,000 new COVID-19 infections, causing its health care system to be critically short of hospital beds and oxygen. A month ago, India was reporting fewer new cases in a week than it is now reporting in a day. India's total of 15.9 million cases since the pandemic began is second to the United States.

Tracking COVID-19 vaccination rates worldwide: In the United States, more than 40% of Americans have been at least partially vaccinated, ranking the country near the top in vaccination rates, Our World In Data reports. Here's how many people have been vaccinated globally.

Real quick

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Sexual assaults rise as the Peace Corps fails its volunteers

The Peace Corps is failing to manage the threat of sexual assault against its volunteers, at times placing them in dangerous situations and inflicting further trauma by bungling the response to their assaults, according to a USA TODAY investigation. Although sexual assaults cannot always be prevented, our investigation found examples in which staff at the agency ignored known threats. A dozen Peace Corps volunteers who said they were sexually assaulted while serving between 2016 and 2020 shared their experiences. This is their story.

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