Michael Flynn Case Reversal; Arrests In Georgia Shooting; The Blessings Of An Online Powwow

Plus, record-breaking weather across the U.S. by Korva Coleman and Jill Hudson First Up [Former national security adviser Michael Flynn leaves the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., in late 2018.]( Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images In an astonishing reversal, the Justice Department announced on Thursday that it is dropping its case against President Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. In 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia's then-ambassador to the United States. [This about-face closes the long-running case]( against Flynn that was first brought by former special counsel Robert Mueller. A father and son have been charged with the killing of an unarmed, African American jogger in Georgia. A police report says Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael earlier admitted to shooting 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, claiming without evidence that he matched the description of a burglar in their neighborhood. The arrests follow the release of cellphone video of the February altercation. ([Listen here]( or [read the story]( The Labor Department delivered a historically bad employment report Friday, showing 20.5 million jobs lost last month as the nation locked down against the coronavirus. The jobless rate soared to 14.7% — [the highest level since the Great Depression](. The highest monthly job loss before this was 2 million in 1945, as the nation began to demobilize after World War II. The worst monthly job loss during the Great Recession was 800,000 in March 2009. A late-season polar vortex is headed for the northeastern United States, bringing with it snow and perhaps record low temperatures for the Mother's Day weekend, [according to the National Weather Service](. Frigid Canadian air is being dragged south by a low pressure system and will reach the Mid-Atlantic by Friday and the Gulf of Maine by Saturday. To safely phase out social distancing measures, the U.S. needs more diagnostic testing for the coronavirus, experts say. But how much more? [Here’s how each state stacks up](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Listen [National Nurses United set out empty pairs of shoes for nurses who have died from COVID-19 while demonstrating across from the White House on May 7. The union is asking employers and the government to provide safe workplaces, including adequate staffing. Hospitals have been laying off and furloughing nurses due to lost revenue.]( Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Faced with lost revenue from canceled elective procedures, hospitals laid off more than 40,000 health care workers in March. Thousands more are expected to be included in April's unemployment figures. ([Listening time, 7:14]( or [read the story]( Alice Stockton-Rossini and her 90-year-old mother, Jackie Stockton, survived COVID-19, but some of their friends and relatives were not so lucky. In a recent remote StoryCorps conversation, Stockton told her 62-year-old daughter that she didn't realize she had contracted the virus until she landed in the hospital. ([Listening time, 3:04]( or [read the story]( --------------------------------------------------------------- The Daily Good [Kay Oxendine of the Haliwa Saponi Tribe in North Carolina, was set to serve as the first woman to emcee of the tribe's annual powwow — until the event was canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic.]( Courtesy of Kay Oxendine It's powwow season. Native American tribes should be meeting to cook, dance and celebrate their culture. For Kay Oxendine, this year was supposed to be special. She would have been the first woman to emcee the Haliwa Saponi tribe’s annual powwow in mid-April in Hollister, N.C. — until the event was canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic. But Facebook saved her year. A member of the Haliwa Saponi Tribal Council scheduled a virtual powwow and an after-party. "We were brought up on Otis Redding and soul music around here — music that just makes you want to get up and dance," Oxendine says. "It was just the most beautiful thing I think I've ever encountered. It really helped me heal a lot." ([Listen here]( or [read the story]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Before You Go [The new adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel Normal People, stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Marianne, and Paul Mescal as Connell.]( Hulu - The Pop Culture Happy Hour team talks about [the very good Hulu adaptation]( of Sally Rooney's novel Normal People. - For the third time in a month, Bob Dylan dropped a new original song, the bluesy "[False Prophet]( But this one came with an extra treat: an announcement that he will release a new album, Rough and Rowdy Ways, on June 19. - This year's big screen feature films that are being streamed or available on demand will be eligible for the Oscars. But those same nominees will [no longer be considered for the Emmys]( the Television Academy said Thursday. - Mum’s the word. European Union officials wrote an opinion piece [to honor the 45th anniversary of its relationship with China](. But without public explanation, Chinese censors cut out a reference in the piece to the Chinese origins of the coronavirus. — Suzette Lohmeyer contributed to this report. --------------------------------------------------------------- Follow [The New Normal]( on Instagram! [Sign up for The New Normal]( NPR's daily coronavirus email. And what is your new normal? NPR wants to know. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [dailynewsletter@npr.org](mailto:dailynewsletter@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) 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](