Author: The Associated Press

In Minneapolis, A Fortified City Awaits Chauvin Verdict

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — More than 3,000 National Guard soldiers, along with police officers, sheriff’s deputies, and other law enforcement personnel have flooded Minneapolis with a verdict looming in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged with murder in the death last year of George Floyd. But in the city that has come to epitomize America’s debate over…

Murder Case Against Ex-Cop in Floyd’s Death Goes to the Jury

MINNEAPOLIS (AP/Fox9) — The murder case against former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd has gone to the jury. Twelve jurors are beginning deliberations in a city on edge against another round of unrest. During closing arguments, prosecutors argued that Chauvin squeezed the life out of Floyd by pinning his knee against Floyd’s neck last…

Suspect In Wisconsin Bar Shooting That Killed 3 Identified

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — The man in custody in connection with a shooting at a southeastern Wisconsin tavern that left three men dead and three others injured was expected to appear in court Monday for a bond hearing. Kenosha County sheriff’s officials identified the man being held in the Kenosha County Jail as 24-year-old Rakayo Alandis Vinson. Kenosha County Sheriff’s…

Foxconn, Wisconsin Reach New Deal On Scaled Back Facility

(AP) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Foxconn Technology Group has reached a new deal with reduced tax breaks for its scaled-back manufacturing facility in southeast Wisconsin. Gov. Tony Evers and the world’s largest electronics manufacturer announced the new deal on Monday. Details of the new agreement were not immediately released. A person with knowledge of the new contract who was not…

Attorneys at Chauvin Trial in Floyd Death Make Final Pitch

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Attorneys in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd will make their closing arguments Monday. Each side will be seeking to distill three weeks of testimony into a compelling argument that persuades jurors to deliver their view of the right verdict. For prosecutors, it’s that Derek Chauvin recklessly squeezed the life…

Police ID Killer in FedEx Shooting As 19-Year-Old Man

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Authorities have identified the suspect in a mass shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx facility as 19-year-old Brandon Scott Hole of Indiana. Two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter provided the identity to The Associated Press on Friday. The officials say investigators are searching a home in Indianapolis associated with Hole and have seized evidence, including desktop…

Nearly 1.5 Million Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 in MN

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — State health officials say more than 3.4 million coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered in Minnesota and 1.5 million people have been fully vaccinated. The Department of Health says nearly half the vaccine eligible population, age 16 and older, has gotten at least one dose of vaccine. There were 2,736 new COVID-19 cases reported Thursday,…

Police Trying to Identify Gunman, Motive in FedEx Shooting

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Authorities say they have not yet identified the gunman of a motive in a mass shooting at a FedEx facility near the Indianapolis airport. Deputy Chief Craig McCartt of the Indianapolis police said the suspect started randomly shooting in the parking lot and then went into the building. Police say a gunman killed eight people and wounded…

Hundreds of Vaccinated Minnesotans Still Contract COVID-19

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Health officials say hundreds of Minnesotans fully vaccinated against the coronavirus became infected with COVID-19, dozens needed to be hospitalized and six people died. Data from the state Department of Health shows the vaccines are highly effective in Minnesota, but that it remains unclear how well they protect against the more contagious variants of COVID-19….

High School League Seeks Relief From Masks In Outdoor Sports

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota State High School League board asked state health officials Thursday to allow spring sports athletes to compete outdoors without wearing masks. The recommendation by the league’s sports medicine advisory committee applies only to actual competition. Athletes would be required to wear masks during breaks such as before and after races and while sitting in the…

Homeless Americans Finally Getting a Chance at COVID-19 Shot

(AP) – Homeless Americans who have been left off priority lists for coronavirus vaccinations — or even bumped aside as states shifted eligibility to older age groups — are finally getting their shots as vaccine supplies increase. While the U.S. government has only incomplete data on infections among homeless people, it’s clear that crowded, unsanitary conditions at shelters and underlying…

Closing Arguments to Begin Monday in Chauvin Trial

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The defense at the murder trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd has rested its case without putting Chauvin on the stand, wrapping up after two days of testimony to the prosecution’s two weeks. Chauvin informed the court Thursday that he will not testify, saying he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right…

Ex-Minnesota Cop Faces Hearing In Shooting Of Daunte Wright

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) — A former Minnesota police officer faces her first court appearance in the traffic-stop shooting of Black motorist Daunte Wright that has engulfed a small Minneapolis suburb in four straight days of bitter conflict between protesters and police. Kim Potter, who quit her job on the Brooklyn Center force two days after Wright’s death, is expected…

Us Jobless Claims Plunge to 576,000, Lowest Since Pandemic

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell sharply last week to 576,000, a hopeful sign that layoffs are easing as the economy recovers from the pandemic recession. The Labor Department said Thursday that applications plummeted 193,000 from a revised 769,000 a week earlier. Jobless claims are now down sharply from a peak of 900,000 in…

Minnesota Extends COVID-19 State of Emergency for 13th Time

(Scott Takushi/Pioneer Press via AP, Pool) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota officials extended the peacetime emergency for another 30 days on Wednesday in order to boost the state’s response to more infectious variants of the COVID-19 virus, a factor that has led to a recent surge in cases. The five Democratic statewide officials who make up the Minnesota Executive Council voted…

Former Minnesota Cop Charged In Shooting Of Black Motorist

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP/Fox 9) — A Minnesota prosecutor has charged a white former suburban Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright with second-degree manslaughter. Potter was arrested by agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at 11:30 a.m. CT at BCA headquarters in St. Paul. She will be booked into the Hennepin County Jail in…

Wisconsin Senate Approves Republican Election Changes

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republicans who control the Wisconsin Senate moved Wednesday to change state elections based largely on false claims that the November election was tainted, passing bills that would make interfering with election observers a crime and barring polling officials from accepting private grants to aid with administration. The chamber passed bills Wednesday that would allow the state…

Minnesota Cop Will Be Charged In Shooting Of Black Motorist

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) – A Minnesota prosecutor says he will charge a white former suburban Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright during a traffic stop. Washington County Attorney Pete Orput said Wednesday that Kim Potter will be charged with second-degree manslaughter. Orput’s announcement comes a day after Potter resigned from the Brooklyn Center Police…

Judge Refuses Request to Acquit Chauvin in Floyd’s Death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The judge in Derek Chauvin’s murder trial has denied a defense motion to acquit the former police officer in George Floyd’s death. Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson argued Wednesday that prosecutors did not prove that Chauvin’s actions killed Floyd. The request comes a day after a use-of-force expert said Chauvin was justified in pinning Floyd to the ground…

Wisconsin Supreme Court Says Governor Can’t Limit Capacity

(Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that Gov. Tony Evers’ administration does not have the authority to issue capacity limits on bars, restaurants, and other businesses without approval of the Legislature, a ruling that comes two weeks after the Conservative-controlled court struck down the state’s mask mandate. BREAKING: Wisconsin…

AP Source: Ponzi Schemer Bernie Madoff Dies in Prison

NEW YORK (AP) — Bernie Madoff, the financier who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, has died in prison. A person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that Madoff died early Wednesday at the federal medical center in Butner, North Carolina, apparently of natural causes. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and…

Wisconsin Suspends Johnson & Johnson Shots

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin health officials told vaccinators on Tuesday to suspend the use of the Johnson & Johnson shot amid fears the shots may cause blood clots. The Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday recommended vaccinators pause the shots while they investigate whether the Johnson & Johnson shots are causing unusual clots….

Minnesota Police Chief, Cop Quit After Black Driver’s Death

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) — A white Minnesota police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb, and the city’s chief of police resigned Tuesday. Officer Kim Potter and Police Chief Tim Gannon both resigned two days after the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center. Potter was a 26-year veteran. She…

Pressure Builds to Fire Minnesota Officer Who Killed Wright

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) — The pressure built Tuesday to fire the suburban Minneapolis police officer who killed a 20-year-old Black man during an altercation after a traffic stop, a shooting authorities said was a tragic mistake but that family members of Daunte Wright and others pointed to as yet the latest example of a broken criminal justice system. Brooklyn…

Defense Begins Case Against Ex-Cop in George Floyd’s Death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The defense began its case Tuesday at the murder trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin, seizing on a 2019 confrontation between police and George Floyd in which Floyd suffered dangerously high blood pressure and confessed to heavy use of opioid painkillers. Chauvin lawyer Eric Nelson has argued that the now-fired white officer did what he was trained to…

US Recommends ‘Pause’ for J&J Vaccine Over Clot Reports

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is recommending a “pause” in the administration of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of potentially dangerous blood clots. In a joint statement Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said it was investigating clots in six women in the days after vaccination, in…

CDC Chief Urges Michigan to ‘Close Things Down’ Amid Spike

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Michigan should “close things down” to help address surging coronavirus infections. Dr. Rochelle Walensky’s statement Monday comes as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer instead urges people to voluntarily restrict certain activities. Whitmer wants the federal government to send additional doses to the state, but the administration of…

Police Report Multiple Victims in Tennessee School Shooting

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Multiple people including a police officer were shot Monday at a high school in the east Tennessee city of Knoxville, authorities said, adding that the scene had been secured. The Knoxville Police Department tweeted that authorities were at the site of the shooting at Austin-East Magnet High School. The online posting said a Knoxville Police Department…

Twins, Wolves, Wild Postpone Games Following Police Shooting

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Wild, and Minnesota Timberwolves postponed games scheduled for Monday because of safety concerns following the fatal police shooting of a Black man and the potential for unrest in the area. Major League Baseball’s Twins and Boston Red Sox were scheduled to begin a four-game series Monday afternoon at Target Field. The Twins said…

Wisconsin Justices Weigh Sweeping Environmental Cases

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court is weighing two far-reaching environmental lawsuits that could define the state Department of Natural Resources’ ability to regulate factory farms and high-capacity wells and determine how far state agencies can go when interpreting state law. The court on Monday heard arguments in Clean Wisconsin’s lawsuits arguing that the state Department of Natural…

Police: Minnesota Officer Meant to Draw Taser, Not Handgun in Brooklyn Center Shooting

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn.-Police in a Minneapolis suburb where a Black man was fatally shot during a traffic stop say the officer who fired intended to use a Taser, not a handgun. Police Chief Tim Gannon described the shooting as “an accidental discharge.” The man identified by relatives as 20-year-old Daunte Wright died Sunday in Brooklyn Center, a city of about…

Judge Refuses to Sequester Jury in George Floyd Murder Case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The judge in the George Floyd murder case has refused a defense request to sequester the jury, the morning after the death of a Black man during a traffic stop triggered unrest in a suburb just outside Minneapolis. The request came from the attorney for former Officer Derek Chauvin. He argued Monday that the jurors could be…

Prosecution Case Nears End in Ex-Cop’s Trial in Floyd Death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death enters its third week Monday. Derek Chauvin is charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s May 25 death. Prosecutors say Chauvin pinned Floyd to the pavement outside a corner market for 9 minutes, 29 seconds. The state is near the end of a case…

Daunte Wright Death in Minnesota Traffic Stop Sparks Unrest

(AP Photo/Christian Monterrosa) BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) — A Black man died after being shot by police in a Minneapolis suburb during a traffic stop and crashing his car several blocks away, sparking violent protests as officers in riot gear clashed with demonstrators and the man’s mother called for calm. The death of the man, identified by family as 20-year-old…

Police: Employee Kills 1, Wounds 5 at Texas Cabinet Business

BRYAN, Texas (AP) — Authorities say a man opened fire at a Texas cabinet-making company where he worked, killing one person and wounding five others before shooting and wounding a state trooper before his arrest. A police statement says 27-year-old Larry Winston Bollin of Iola, Texas, has been charged with murder and is being held on a $1 million bond….

Rapper-Actor DMX Dead at 50

NEW YORK (AP) — The family of rapper DMX says he has died at age 50 after a career in which he delivered iconic hip-hop songs such as “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem.” A statement from the family says the Grammy-nominated rapper died at a hospital in White Plains, New York, “with his family by his side after being placed on life…

Expert: Lack of Oxygen Killed George Floyd, Not Drugs

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A forensic pathologist says George Floyd died from a lack of oxygen that damaged his brain and caused his heart to stop, bolstering prior testimony by other experts. Lindsey Thomas is a former Hennepin County medical examiner. Her testimony Friday also rejected the defense theory that Floyd’s drug use and underlying health problems killed him. Her testimony…

Whitmer Urges Halt of High School Classes, Youth Sports

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is urging a two-week suspension of in-person high school classes, all youth sports, and indoor restaurant dining to address a surge of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. She stopped short of ordering restrictions Friday, instead, asking for voluntary compliance. She says high schools should shift to virtual learning, both school and non-school youth sports…

Wisconsin Supreme Court Says Don’t Purge Voters From Rolls

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court sided with Democrats on Friday and ruled that the state elections commission should not remove from the rolls voters flagged as possibly having moved, something conservatives have wanted to be done for nearly two years. The court’s 5-2 ruling means about 69,000 people on the list of likely movers will not have…

Minnesota Eclipses 2,500 New Single-Day Virus Cases

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota health officials reported 2,500 new infections on Thursday as more infectious variants of the coronavirus drive case growth across the state. The new cases mark the highest single-day total since January as the state was coming down from the surge in infection cases late last year. The Minnesota Department of Health reported 14 more people have…

Expert Says Floyd Died From a Lack of Oxygen

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A medical expert says George Floyd died from a lack of oxygen, which damaged his brain and caused his heart to stop. Dr. Martin Tobin is a lung and critical care specialist from Chicago. He testified Thursday at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial that Floyd’s breathing was too shallow to take in enough oxygen while he…

US Jobless Claims Up to 744K as Virus Still Forces Layoffs

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to 744,000, signaling that many employers are still cutting jobs even as more people are vaccinated against COVID-19, consumers gain confidence and the government distributes aid throughout the economy. The Labor Department said Thursday that applications increased by 16,000 from 728,000 a week earlier. Jobless claims…