National News - Page 97

Former police officer Derek Chauvin set to be sentenced for the murder of George Floyd

By Eric Levenson Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who killed George Floyd on a Minneapolis street last year, is set to be sentenced Friday to a potentially lengthy prison stay. Chauvin, 45, was convicted in April on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for his role in Floyd’s death. Prosecutors for the state of Minnesota requested a 30-year prison sentence, saying it “would properly account for the profound impact of Defendant’s conduct on the victim, the victim’s family, and the community,” according to a sentencing memo. Chauvin’s defense attorney, Eric Nelson, argued that the former officer should instead receive probation

Search continues into the night with almost 100 people unaccounted for in deadly Florida building collapse

By Jason Hanna and Leyla Santiago An intense search and rescue effort will continue through the night after part of a 12-story residential building collapsed early Thursday in the South Florida town of Surfside, killing at least one and leaving almost 100 people unaccounted for. About 55 of the 136 units at Champlain Towers South collapsed around 1:30 a.m., officials said, leaving huge piles of rubble on the ground and materials dangling from what remained of the structure in the beachfront community a few miles north of Miami Beach. At least 99 people were unaccounted for as of Thursday afternoon, according to Miami-Dade

Two college students pulled from car by police during last summer’s protests in Atlanta file lawsuit

By Mallika Kallingal, Devon Sayers and Jade Gordon Two college students who were forcibly removed from their car and tased by police during a civil rights protest in Atlanta last summer filed a federal lawsuit against the city Thursday, according to their attorneys. Taniyah Pilgrim and Messiah Young were in their vehicle in downtown Atlanta on May 30, 2020, when they were caught in traffic during the protests sparked by the death of George Floyd five days earlier. The lawsuit claims that while the students’ car was stopped due to heavy traffic, they were approached by six Atlanta Police Department officers and

A multistory residential building in Surfside, Florida, partially collapsed, killing at least 1, mayor says

By Jason Hanna, Leyla Santiago and Paul P. Murphy A multistory residential building partially collapsed early Thursday in the South Florida community of Surfside, killing at least one person and raising fears that others may be trapped under the rubble. The collapse happened around 2 a.m. ET. Video from the scene shows a side of the building — more than 10 stories tall — having fallen, with huge piles of rubble underneath and a large number of first responders. Rescuers assisted at least one person from the debris field, and helped others leave the standing portions of the building, sometimes

Civil rights leaders announce another March on Washington after voting rights bill fails in Senate

By Nicquel Terry Ellis A group of civil rights organizations will host another March on Washington in August to demand that Congress pass sweeping voting rights legislation and that state lawmakers halt efforts to enact bills that restrict voting access. The announcement of the march comes one day after Senate Republicans blocked the For the People Act — a signature voting and election bill that Democrats had pitched to counter state-level efforts. Republicans denounced the bill as a partisan power grab and a federal overreach into state voting and election systems. The march, set for Aug. 28 with the theme “March On

153 Houston Methodist employees resign or are fired after refusing to get Covid-19 vaccine, official says

By Keith Allen More than 150 Houston Methodist Hospital employees were officially out of a job Tuesday, 10 days after a judge dismissed a lawsuit against the hospital by employees who opposed a Covid-19 vaccine mandate as a condition of employment, a hospital spokesperson said. The 153 employees either resigned in the two-week suspension period that began June 8 or were terminated Tuesday, according to Gale Smith. Employees who complied with the mandatory vaccination policy during the suspension period returned to work the day after they became compliant, Smith told CNN in an email Tuesday night. Houston Methodist on March 31

Chicago is throwing its ‘whole government’ at summer violence

By Omar Jimenez “I’m not saying I’m God or I can prevent anything from happening, but I know in my heart I did what I can at 1 or 2 in the morning to help put this guy in a safer environment.” That’s how Jervon Hicks describes his mission as an outreach worker and life coach on Chicago’s South Side. Growing up in the city, Hicks, 44, found himself behind bars multiple times for what he says was “guns and shooting.” Now, he’s trying to prevent his history from becoming someone else’s future. Hicks works with the anti-gun violence group Chicago

Defense secretary to recommend prosecution of sexual assaults in the military be taken out of commanders’ hands

By Oren Liebermann Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday announced he will recommend to President Joe Biden a change in the military justice system to take the prosecution of sexual assaults out of the hands of commanders. “We will work with Congress to amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice, removing the prosecution of sexual assaults and related crimes from the military chain of command,” Austin said in a statement. A Pentagon review panel submitted recommendations to Austin in the spring, including a recommendation that independent authorities decide whether to prosecute service members in sexual assault cases. If adopted, the change would

IRS adds tools to help parents claim expanded child tax credit payments

By Tami Luhby Parents can now check their eligibility for the expanded child tax credit and manage their payments, which begin next month, using two online tools the Internal Revenue Service debuted on Tuesday. An eligibility assistant allows families to determine whether they qualify for the advance credit by answering a series of questions. Eligible parents will get $300 a month for each child under age 6 and $250 for each one ages 6 to 17 in monthly payments starting July 15 and running through the end of the year. Another tool lets parents verify their eligibility for the credit and opt out of monthly payments,

Gun sales rise among Black people as they look for firearm training and education

By Ryan Young, Dakin Andone and Pamela Kirkland Deborah Roberts grew up in a family of gun owners. But it wasn’t until March this year that the 68-year-old finally pulled the trigger and purchased her own firearm. “I think the rhetoric and how things are stirred up in the country just made me feel like, if not now, then when,” Roberts told CNN Sunday morning at the South River Gun Club in Convington, Georgia, with gun shots ringing nearby. It was Ladies Day at the range, an event put on by the National African American Gun Association’s Atlanta (NAAGA) chapter.

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