10 things you need to know today: April 21, 2020

1. Trump tweets that he will 'temporarily suspend immigration'

President Trump announced Monday that he would sign an executive order temporarily suspending immigration into the United States because of the coronavirus pandemic. "In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!" Trump tweeted. The extraordinary use of executive power could face legal challenges. Trump has pushed to restrict immigration throughout his presidency, and critics said he was using the coronavirus crisis as an excuse to boost his efforts to turn people away. "Our policies need to be grounded in public health, not bigotry," said Charanya Krishnaswami, the advocacy director for the Americas at Amnesty International USA.

The Hill The New York Times

2. Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee let businesses reopen

Several Southern states moved Monday to let some businesses start reopening after weeks of shutdowns to fight the coronavirus. As protesters demand several states lift social distancing restrictions, South Carolina let retail shops reopen Monday afternoon under an executive order signed by Gov. Henry McMaster (R). Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) said people in the state could start getting haircuts, massages, and tattoos again, and return to their gyms starting Friday. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) said his state's stay-at-home order would expire on April 30, so most businesses would be able to reopen starting May 1. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 coronavirus is continuing to spread in much of the nation, and many governors are saying they don't have enough testing ability to safely start reopening their economies.

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The New York Times

3. Oil prices drop below $0 for first time in history

A U.S. crude oil futures contract plunged into negative territory for the first time in history on Monday as demand dried up due to coronavirus shutdowns and storage facilities reached capacity. U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude contracts for May delivery, which expire Tuesday, dropped to negative $37.63 per barrel. That means producers are paying traders to take the oil. West Texas Intermediate for June delivery, which offers a better picture of the state of the market, fell by 18 percent to $20.43 per barrel. The July contract dropped by 11 percent to $26.18 per barrel. The price of international benchmark Brent crude for June delivery fell by 5.6 percent to $26.49 per barrel. "There is still a lot of crude on the water right now that is going to refineries that do not need it," Helima Croft, global head of commodities strategy at RBC Capital, said on CNBC's Squawk Box.

CNBC

4. WHO leader warns 'the worst is yet ahead of us' in pandemic

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday that "the worst is yet ahead of us" in the coronavirus pandemic. The outbreak has killed more than 170,000 people and infected 2.5 million worldwide. Some countries have reported a drop in new cases, but public health experts warn that the virus could explode in less developed countries with limited health-care facilities. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a member of President Trump's coronavirus task force, responded to protesters calling coronavirus lockdowns "tyranny" by warning that reopening the United States too quickly could result in a burst of new infections. "Unless we get the virus under control, the real recovery, economically, is not going to happen," Fauci said.

Politico Good Morning America

5. Netanyahu, Gantz reach deal on unity government

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and centrist rival Benny Gantz on Monday announced a deal to form an emergency unity government. The deal calls for Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud party, to stay on as prime minister with Gantz as his deputy for 18 months. The two would then switch jobs. Netanyahu and Gantz essentially tied in three straight elections in about a year. Both had opportunities to form ruling coalitions, but neither managed to do it. Gantz had repeatedly called Netanyahu, who faces a looming corruption trial, "unfit to lead." Gantz, a former Army chief and head of the Blue and White coalition, recently shifted gears after failing in his latest attempt to form a government, and said he would be open to working with Netanyahu to confront the coronavirus crisis, disappointing his supporters.

The Washington Post

6. Report: U.S. monitoring intelligence of Kim Jong Un health problems

U.S. officials are monitoring intelligence that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's health is in "grave danger" following surgery, CNN reported, citing "a U.S. official with direct knowledge." Kim's health has long been considered vulnerable due to his smoking and obesity, but South Korea said it had seen "no unusual signs" to back up the report. "We have nothing to confirm regarding recent media reports about the health problems of Chairman Kim Jong Un of North Korea, and no atypical movement inside North Korea has been detected," said Kang Min-seok, a spokesman for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, in a statement. Daily NK, an online newspaper based in South Korea, reported that Kim was recovering after an April 12 cardiovascular system procedure.

CNN The Washington Post

7. Supreme Court rules against non-unanimous juries

The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that only unanimous juries can convict defendants in criminal trials. Oregon is the only state that permits dissenting jurors. Louisiana did, too, until voters there recently approved a constitutional amendment barring non-unanimous convictions. The Supreme Court decision overturned the 2016 conviction of a Louisiana man for killing a woman in New Orleans. Hundreds of inmates found guilty by split juries now could get new trials. Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch said it was "unmistakable" that the Sixth Amendment guarantee of fair jury trials meant unanimous convictions. Justice Samuel Alito wrote in a dissent that the majority was "lowering the bar for overruling our precedents" by sweeping aside a 48-year-old decision that let states set their own laws on non-unanimous juries.

The Hill The New York Times

8. Trudeau promises gun laws after Canada shooting rampage

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday he would swiftly press forward with gun control legislation following the deadliest shooting rampage in the country's history, which left at least 18 people dead in Nova Scotia. Trudeau and his allies had promised to enact the gun laws in last year's campaign. "We were on the verge of introducing legislation to ban assault-style weapons across this country," Trudeau told reporters. "It was interrupted when the pandemic caused Parliament to be suspended, but we have every intention of moving forward on that measure, and potentially other measures, when Parliament returns." Police say a single gunman killed the victims Saturday and Sunday during a 12-hour shooting spree in rural communities before he died in a standoff with officers.

The Washington Post

9. Families sue helicopter companies over Kobe Bryant crash

Relatives of four of the eight passengers who died in the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna have filed wrongful death lawsuits against the companies that owned and operated the aircraft. The lawsuits came two months after the NBA star's widow, Vanessa Bryant, sued helicopter owner Island Express Holding Corp., and operator Island Express Helicopters. Unlike the Bryant lawsuit, the families of the other passengers did not name the dead pilot, Ara Zobayan, in their complaints. One of the lawsuits was filed by surviving children of Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli and his wife Keri, whose daughter Alyssa played basketball with Gianna. The other was filed by the family of Christina Mauser, who coached the girls' basketball team with Bryant.

The Associated Press

10. Venice Film Festival plans to go forward this September

The Venice Film Festival, one of the most important annual film festivals where major movies are shown in the race to the Academy Awards, is planning to begin as scheduled on Sept. 2, an executive said Monday. Lockdown measures remain in place in Italy, which has confirmed more than 170,000 COVID-19 cases. But the president of the festival's parent group, Roberto Cicutto, expressed confidence that officials will permit the festival to open "six or seven circumscribed movie theaters" in September, although he noted international attendance is likely to be down. Some analysts, however, doubt the festival will proceed as normal.

The Hollywood Reporter