Cardiac arrest and drugs, not low oxygen, caused Floyd’s death, defense expert says
MINNEAPOLIS — A pathologist testifying for the defense in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin told the court Wednesday that George Floyd died of a cardiac arrest combined with drug use, and not low oxygen as several prosecution witnesses have claimed. Dr. David Fowler also testified...
Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff dies in prison at 82
NEW YORK — Bernard Madoff, the infamous architect of an epic securities swindle that burned thousands of investors, outfoxed regulators and earned him a 150-year prison term, died behind bars early Wednesday. He was 82. Madoff’s death at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina, was confirmed by his...
Pennsylvania’s shrinking delegation will mean hard decisions
HARRISBURG — There may be nothing more nerve-wracking for a member of Congress than redistricting, when the once-a-decade redrawing of district boundaries injects a dose of uncertainty into their political careers. In Pennsylvania, redrawing the districts to correspond with population shifts identified by the 2020 census will have a particularly...
Minnesota cop will be charged in shooting of Black motorist Daunte Wright
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — A prosecutor said Wednesday that he will charge a white former suburban Minneapolis police officer with second-degree manslaughter for killing 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright in a shooting that ignited days of unrest and clashes between protesters and police. The charge against former Brooklyn Center police...
1 dead, 6 rescued, 12 still missing from capsized shipVideo
PORT FOURCHON, La. — The Coast Guard searched for 12 people missing off the coast of Louisiana on Wednesday after finding one crew member dead and pulling six survivors from rough seas when their commercial platform vessel capsized in hurricane-force wind. Coast Guard Capt. Will Watson said wind was 80...
Maryland trooper shoots, kills teenager who had airsoft gun
LEONARDTOWN, Md. — A Maryland State Police trooper responding to a pair of 911 calls shot and killed a teenager who was pointing what investigators determined was an airsoft gun at him, authorities said Tuesday. The shooting occurred after state police received two 911 calls about someone acting suspicious, Superintendent...
Report: Former Florida official has been cooperating with feds since last year in Matt Gaetz sex trafficking probeVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Joel Greenberg, the disgraced former Seminole County tax collector facing a slew of federal charges, has been cooperating with investigators since last year and has revealed alleged paid sex encounters involving himself and U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, The New York Times reported Tuesday. Greenberg began talking to...
Hill mourns Capitol Police Officer Billy EvansVideo
When Abigail Evans saw her mom was crying, she draped her arm around her back and scooted closer to her as the two held hands, simultaneously clutching a Capitol Dome toy. Abigail, 7, and her brother Logan Evans, 9, watched as congressional leaders and President Joe Biden lauded their late...
Missouri House lawmaker resigns after child abuse accusations
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri House leaders on Tuesday said they told law enforcement officials that they’re concerned a resigning lawmaker accused of sexually and physically abusing his children years ago may pose a risk to other kids. House Speaker Rob Vescovo and the leader of the House Ethics Committee in...
White Wisconsin officer who shot Jacob Blake returns to duty
KENOSHA, Wis. — A white police officer from Wisconsin who was investigated and cleared for shooting and injuring a Black man during a domestic dispute has returned from administrative leave, officials said Tuesday. Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey was not charged in the August 2020 incident that left Jacob Blake Jr....
Leaders of GM, Ford among objectors to Michigan voting restrictions
LANSING, Mich. — The leaders of three-dozen major Michigan-based companies, including General Motors and Ford, on Tuesday objected to Republican-sponsored election bills that would make it harder to vote in Michigan and other states. The businesses issued a joint statement saying they are united for principles such as equitable access...
IRS chief expects new child payments to start this summer
WASHINGTON — It’s a strain, but the head of the IRS said Tuesday he expects to meet the July 1 deadline in the new pandemic relief law for starting a groundbreaking tax program aimed at reducing child poverty. That means new advance monthly payments of as much as $300 per...
‘Prime suspect’ arrested in Kristin Smart’s disappearance in 1996
LOS ANGELES — The “prime suspect” was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of murder in the 25-year-old disappearance of California college student Kristin Smart. Paul Flores, 44, who was the last person seen with Smart on the California Polytechnic State University campus in San Luis Obispo before she vanished in 1996,...
San Diego Zoo employee bitten by venomous snake
SAN DIEGO — A San Diego Zoo employee was hospitalized Monday after being bitten by a venomous snake, officials said. The incident occurred as the wildlife care specialist was caring for the African bush viper in a non-public area, the zoo said. Native to parts of western and central Africa,...
Video shows Black player forced to sit near banana peels in hazing incident
A Black football player at a northwest Illinois high school is seen on video sitting down in a locker littered with banana peels after a teammate threatens to break his knees if he doesn’t comply. Moline Police Chief Darren Gault called the incident at Moline High School a “disturbing racist...
Pa. State Police to alter fitness standards that kept out women
The Pennsylvania State Police will pay more than $2 million into a compensation fund and are changing physical fitness standards to settle a lawsuit over how the agency’s trooper-hiring practices ruled out otherwise qualified women. The U.S. Justice Department announced the proposed settlement Tuesday of litigation that was launched seven...
Michigan police shocked by convicted murderer’s release
DETROIT — A Detroit-area man who was convicted of killing his first wife and whose second wife died under suspicious circumstances was granted an early release from prison after he argued that the risk of catching covid-19 behind bars endangered his life. Federal prosecutors fought to keep Roger Sweet locked...
Aggressive takeoff caused Hawaii plane crash that killed 11
WASHINGTON — A pilot’s aggressive takeoff led to an aerodynamic stall, causing the 2019 crash of a skydiving plane in Hawaii that killed all 11 people on board, government safety investigators have determined. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said the stall caused a loss of control at an altitude...
U.S. sets new 9/11 target date for Afghanistan withdrawal
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has decided to leave American troops in Afghanistan beyond the May 1 deadline negotiated with the Taliban by the Trump administration, and has set the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks as the new goal, U.S. officials said Tuesday. Biden has been hinting for...
Resource officer shot at Tennessee high school recovering
A police officer wounded in a shooting at a Tennessee high school is a 20-year veteran of the force who worked at the school, authorities said Tuesday. Knoxville Police Officer Adam Willson was recovering from surgery after being shot in the upper leg at Austin-East Magnet High School on Monday,...
Minnesota cop, police chief resign 2 days after Black motorist’s deathVideo
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — A white police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb resigned Tuesday, as did the city’s police chief — moves that the mayor said he hoped would help heal the community and lead to reconciliation after two nights...
150 children from Mexican border expected to be housed in Erie dorm
At least 150 refugee children detained at the U.S.-Mexico border are expected to arrive in Erie late Tuesday or early Wednesday to receive temporary shelter, according to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson. The unaccompanied children, who will range in age from 7-12 years old, will be...
Biden raises concerns with Putin about Ukraine confrontation
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden spoke Tuesday morning with Russian President Vladimir Putin, warning him against aggressive moves against Ukraine but also inviting him to a summit meeting, the White House said in a statement. The White House did not say whether Putin had accepted the invitation but said Biden...
U.S. agency says women can get abortion pill via mail
WASHINGTON — Women seeking an abortion pill will not be required to visit a doctor’s office or clinic during the covid-19 pandemic, U.S. health officials said Tuesday in the latest reversal in an ongoing legal battle over the medication. The Food and Drug Administration announced the policy change a day...
Johnson & Johnson delays vaccine rollout in Europe
BERLIN — Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday it is delaying the rollout of its coronavirus vaccine in Europe amid a U.S. probe into reports of rare blood clots in some recipients. The announcement came after regulators in the United States said they were recommending a “pause” in administration of the...
