1. DISAPPOINTING JOBS REPORT SCARES INVESTORS
The U.S. economy added just 88,000 jobs in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The gains — the weakest in nine months — fell far short of the nearly 200,000 analysts expected, and sent stocks tumbling as investors feared the economic recovery might be losing steam. The unemployment rate edged down to 7.6 percent, from 7.7 percent, the lowest it's been since December 2008, but the dip was largely attributed to the 500,000 people who either left the workforce or stopped looking for work entirely. The White House said the numbers were actually proof we're slowly recovering from the Great Recession, as the economy has now added jobs for 37 straight months. [The Week]
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2. JUDGE REMOVES AGE RESTRICTIONS FOR 'MORNING-AFTER' PILL
Federal Judge Edward R. Korman ruled Friday to make Plan B One-Step, the most common form of the "morning-after" pill, available to all women of "reproductive age" without a prescription. The move reverses a December 2011 decision that limited access to the pill without a prescription to girls aged 17 or older. The Food and Drug Administration has 30 days to comply with orders to make the pill universally available. [Reuters]
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3. CHINA TAKES MORE PRECAUTIONS AS BIRD FLU ESCALATES
Chinese officials announced Friday that the latest avian-borne virus, H7N9, has claimed a sixth life, and health experts there are scrambling to contain the outbreak. More than 20,000 birds have been slaughtered as a precaution at the wholesale market in Shanghai where the virus originated, and officials are advising people to avoid coming into contact with live poultry. While the virus has not yet spread from one human to another, the CDC is preparing its bird flu vaccine and is monitoring the situation closely. [The New York Times, The Week]
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4. RUTGERS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR RESIGNS AFTER OUTRAGE FROM ABUSE VIDEO
Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti resigned his position on Friday two days after men's basketball coach Mike Rice was fired for his physical and verbal abuse of players, captured in an explosive video. Pernetti claimed that upon first seeing the video of Rice four months ago, his initial instinct was to "fire him immediately," but a review by the university led to a consensus that Rice should not be dismissed. "I have admitted my role in, and regret for, that decision," Rice wrote in his resignation letter, "and wish that I had the opportunity to go back and override it for the sake of everyone involved." Other Rutgers officials have challenged Pernetti's version of events, saying Pernetti was the main advocate for keeping Rice on board. Jimmy Martelli, an assistant coach under Rice, and John B. Wolf, the university's general counsel, also resigned Friday. [New York Times]
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5. SHOOTING AT A QUEBEC DAYCARE CENTER LEAVES TWO DEAD
After a shooting at Les Racines de vie Montessori, a small daycare center in Gatineau, Quebec, on Friday morning, the gunman and a male daycare worker were found dead. A hunting shotgun was found at the scene when police arrived, lying beside one of the men. None of the 53 children in the building at the time were injured. [CBC News]
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6. REPORT: UP TO 4 GAY NFL PLAYERS MIGHT COME OUT PUBLICLY
According to former Baltimore Raven Brandon Ayanbadejo, as many as four NFL players are in talks to publicly come out as gay. The players may come out together because "it would make a major splash and take the pressure off one guy," he said. While there's no guarantee that this will happen, the news comes soon after CBS reported that an anonymous player was considering coming out. And according to Ayanbadejo, "It will happen sooner than you think." [ESPN]
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7. TRAYVON MARTIN'S PARENTS SETTLE WRONGFUL DEATH SUIT
The parents of slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin have settled a wrongful death suit against the homeowners association of the Sanford subdivision where the 17-year-old was killed in February 2012. The amount of the settlement is believed to be more than $1 million, though the family's lawyer, Benjamin Crump, declined to confirm that report. In the portion of the settlement made public, the association stated: "It is understood and agreed that the payment made herein is not to be construed as an admission of any liability by or on behalf of the releasing parties; but instead the monies being paid hereunder is consideration for avoiding litigation." Martin was shot and killed in the subdivision by resident George Zimmerman, who will stand trial for second-degree murder. Zimmerman maintains he acted in self-defense when Martin attacked him. [Orlando Sentinel]
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8. AMAZON CEO JEFF BEZOS INVESTS $5 MILLION IN BUSINESS INSIDER
Business Insider, the news website founded by Henry Blodget, announced Friday that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has invested $5 million in the company. The contribution is a welcome one for the fledgling news site, which brought in about $10 million in sales last year. "Our goal is simple: To become the best digital business publication on the planet. We're making great progress toward that. And this investment will help us get there," Blodget said in an internal memo. [Bloomberg]
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9. SAMSUNG OPENING MINI-STORES AT BEST BUY
Samsung is stepping up its battle with Apple by setting up mini-stores at Best Buy locations to showcase its tablets and smartphones. The South Korean tech company will begin opening its 500 Samsung Experience Shops on April 8. Best Buy is setting aside about 460 square feet of prime turf near the front of some of its largest stores, which can have up to 40,000 square feet of space. Samsung will put its own staff in the mini-stores to demonstrate new features on its latest Galaxy S4 phone, as well as its smart TVs, laptops, and tablets. Neither company revealed details on the financial arrangements behind the deal. [Bloomberg]
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10. KFC GOES BONELESS
The classic bucket of fried chicken may soon be "banished to the dust-heap of fast-food lore," says Bruce Horovitz at USA Today. KFC plans to launch Original Recipe Boneless chicken on April 14, marking a revolutionary brand reversal for a fast-food chain built on the popularity of what has always been its core product — Colonel Sanders' old-fashioned fried chicken drumsticks, thighs, and breasts. The move to boneless, skinless chicken chunks — still deep-fried with the company's super-secret blend of herbs and spices — comes as KFC struggles to bounce back after losing sales due to the recession and the rise of popular new chains such as Panera and Chipotle. [USA Today]
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