Today’s Headlines: The U.S. economy revs up

U.S. economic growth surged in the first quarter 2021, foreshadowing a booming recovery from the pandemic.

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The U.S. Economy Revs Up

As President Biden marked the 100th day of his presidency at an outdoor rally in Georgia, he got some good economic news: Just a year after the coronavirus blew a huge hole in the U.S. economy, government data show the recovery gained momentum in the first quarter, with growth surging at a strong 6.4% annual rate.

Economists and government policymakers believe there’s more good news to come. The rebound is likely to grow even stronger in the months ahead, restoring millions of jobs and putting the nation on track in 2021 for the fastest growth since the 1980s.

So far, mostly corporations and higher-income individuals have benefited from ultra-low interest rates and other factors that have propelled stock prices, home values and company profits. As of last month, the U.S. still had 8.4 million fewer jobs than in February 2020, just before the pandemic shut down large swaths of the U.S. economy.

What is expected to keep the boom going are the combined effects of massive federal spending proposed by Biden, greater vaccination rates that will encourage millions of people to resume spending and billions of dollars in COVID-inspired savings and pent-up demand. But there are some caveats.

More Politics

— Democrats are struggling to get an infrastructure plan off the ground.

— Biden hasn’t picked an ambassador to Israel. What does that say of U.S.-Israeli relations?

— Columnist Michael Z. Barabak on how “pleasantly boring” Biden succeeds by not being Donald Trump.

For more news and analysis, sign up for our Essential Politics newsletter, sent to your inbox three days a week.

Vaccine Demand Slows Down

In another sign of slowing demand for the COVID-19 vaccine, Los Angeles city officials announced that the mass vaccination site at Dodger Stadium — one of the largest in the country — will cease operations by the end of May, as part of a major shift to increase appointment-free vaccine availability at other city-run sites.

The pending closure comes amid a broader slowdown in demand across the region and country, a trend that is concerning public health officials. Appointments for the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine have decreased by about 50% at L.A. County-run clinics, county health officials announced Thursday.

Deputy Mayor Jeff Gorell said that the city has also seen a significant drop in appointment slots at city-run clinics, and that closing Dodger Stadium is aimed at dispersing access and availability at other city sites. Officials hope a shift to this new system will mean that people unable to set a specific appointment time — due to work schedules, internet access or some other obstacle — will have more flexibility to get a shot.

More Top Coronavirus Headlines

— A drop in demand doesn’t mean everyone in California who wants a COVID vaccine can get one, including many older people.

— California is poised to receive almost 90,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week as U.S. officials resume supplies of the single-shot COVID-19 vaccine.

— Is it finally safe to get back to normal, pre-COVID-19 life? Here’s what experts say.

New Rules of Engagement

The Los Angeles Police Department has lifted a week-old moratorium on the use of certain hard-foam projectiles at protests after a federal judge revised her recent court order restricting the weapons’ use.

The LAPD confirmed that it is putting its 37-millimeter projectile launchers back in the field for use, albeit under several remaining restrictions in U.S. District Judge Consuelo B. Marshall’s revised restraining order.

Marshall’s revised order allows the LAPD to fire those projectiles at the ground in front of protesters after declaring a gathering unlawful and issuing a dispersal order. It requires those weapons be used only by trained officers, and says they cannot be used to target individuals “unless absolutely necessary to prevent imminent serious bodily injury” to officers or others.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has hosted two Olympics, two Super Bowls, a World Series and a papal Mass. A third Olympics is coming in 2028.

It opened May 1, 1923, with a capacity of 75,000. Before the 1932 Olympics, seating capacity was increased to 101,000. Since then, it’s been renovated more than once.

In 2019, a deal between USC and United Airlines was set to change the name to the United Airlines Memorial Coliseum, but amid a backlash, a new agreement was reached to name the field at the historic landmark “United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.”

Here are some pictures of the Coliseum over the years.

Nov. 24, 1962: A crowd of 86,740 attends the UCLA-USC football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC won 14 to 3.

(Joe Kennedy / Los Angeles Times)

YOUR WEEKEND

— Disneyland is reopening. Here’s your ultimate guide to the park.

— The correct way to shop for plants, along with advice on houseplant etiquette.

— A new gelato bar with 12 flavors, including fig and mascarpone, and more notable restaurant news.

— Five Southern California shows to see in person, plus the best culture streaming this weekend.

CALIFORNIA

— Several law enforcement use-of-force experts have expressed deep concerns about a body camera video that shows an Alameda police officer appearing to put a knee on Mario Gonzalez’s back for more than four minutes as he gasped for breath and eventually died.

— Five people have been arrested in the shooting of Lady Gaga’s dogwalker and theft of her bulldogs in L.A. Authorities say one of those arrested was the woman who turned in the dogs and inquired about a $500,000 reward.

— A Temecula City Council member who compared her fight against face mask mandates to Rosa Parks’ bus demonstration for civil rights has touched off a weeks-long controversy.

— Los Angeles’ Arts District could be reshaped by a $2-billion mega-project.

NATION-WORLD

— A stampede broke out at a Jewish religious gathering attended by tens of thousands of people in northern Israel, killing more than 40 people and leaving about 150 hospitalized, medical officials said.

— The Food and Drug Administration said it would move to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, a historic step it says could save Black lives.

— There were some genuine surprises in the first batch of data from the nation’s 2020 head count released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau. But there’s much more to come.

— Photo essay: How India’s COVID-19 crisis leaves a trail of death and misery.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

— For L.A.’s dance studios, reopening doesn’t yet pay the bills. But there’s hope.

— Thanks to Kate Winslet in “Mare of Easttown,” an impossible-to-nail American accent is finally getting its due.

— Yes, lots of comics were racist. A new generation of Black artists is reinventing them.

— In writing her third novel, “Great Circle,” bestselling L.A. author Maggie Shipstead — a self-professed “fairly fearful person” — was struggling to depict an adventurer. So she became one.

BUSINESS

— As new cars load up on driver-assist features, the human’s task is more supervising than driving. Too bad we’re not that great at paying attention. The industry’s answer? Systems that monitor us to make sure we’re monitoring our cars.

— A hoverboard bought on Amazon via a third-party seller burst into flames. Should Amazon be held responsible? A panel of California judges said yes, in a ruling that could change the way Amazon does business, columnist David Lazarus writes.

SPORTS

— Inside the search for answers about Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs’ overdose death. (This story is a subscriber exclusive.)

— The Dodgers once again struggled to produce runs in a 2-to-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

— Our NFL draft breakdown: Quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance went 1-2-3. Here’s all the action.

OPINION

— Homelessness is a humanitarian crisis. We don’t have time for political games from L.A. leaders, The Times’ editorial board writes.

— Biden has the power to defuse the Central American migrant crisis. He just needs to use it, writes Bill Ong Hing, a professor of law and migration studies at the University of San Francisco.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

— After years as a meme, Zoe Roth, the “disaster girl,” has taken control of her image with a hefty payoff. (News & Observer)

— “No font lasts forever”: Microsoft Office will be getting a new default font, but which one will it be? (Fast Company)

ONLY IN L.A.

In Atwater Village, Jennifer Grosso and her boyfriend, Trevor Morris, collected dozens of windows and doors via her Buy Nothing Facebook group over two months for a backyard pandemic project: building a very green greenhouse. The result is a structure that has a Modernist architectural vibe, with an interior that feels homey and quaint with potted plants, macramé hangers, a decorative rainbow film on two of the windows and sparkling disco balls. Take a look at the result here.

Comments or ideas? Email us at headlines@latimes.com.