| Protesters tear through D.C. after National Guard troops and Secret Service keep them from the White House Posted: 31 May 2020 05:50 AM PDT  Downtown Washington, D.C., was filled with flames and broken glass in the early hours of Sunday morning as large groups of protesters moved through the city for the second straight night.
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| The trucker who drove through a crowd of protesters in Minneapolis was once arrested for domestic assault Posted: 01 Jun 2020 08:10 AM PDT  Bogdan Vechirko was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of assault after driving a truck through a crowd of George Floyd protesters in Minneapolis.
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| Cities push back as airlines seek dozens of new service cuts. Is your airport on the list? Posted: 01 Jun 2020 09:23 AM PDT  The proposed flight cuts come as there are signs that airline demand may finally pick up after the coronavirus sent the travel industry into a spiral.
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| Hong Kong's Tiananmen commemoration banned by police for first time in three decades Posted: 01 Jun 2020 05:54 AM PDT  Hong Kong police on Monday banned an upcoming vigil marking the Tiananmen crackdown anniversary citing the coronavirus pandemic, the first time the gathering has been halted in three decades. The candlelight June 4 vigil usually attracts huge crowds and is the only place on Chinese soil where such a major commemoration of the anniversary is still allowed. Last year's gathering was especially large and came just a week before seven months of pro-democracy protests and clashes exploded onto the city's streets, sparked initially by a plan to allow extraditions to the authoritarian mainland. But police rejected permission for this year's rally saying it would "constitute a major threat to the life and health of the general public", according to a letter of objection to organisers obtained by AFP. Hong Kong has managed to keep the virus mostly in check, with just over 1,000 infections and four deaths. Bars, restaurants, gyms and cinemas have largely reopened in recent weeks. In the last two days five local infections were reported, breaking nearly two weeks of zero tallies. Organisers accused police of using the virus as an excuse to ban the rally. "I don't see why the government finds political rallies unacceptable while it gave green lights to resumption of schools and other services ranging from catering, karaoke to swimming pools," said Lee Cheuk-yan, chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance which has organised every vigil since 1990.
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| Pakistan prime minister defends lifting lockdown, urges nation to 'live with the virus' Posted: 01 Jun 2020 11:53 AM PDT  Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday cited economic losses to justify his government's decision to lift a coronavirus lockdown despite rising infections and deaths, urging people to "live with the virus." Pakistan has rolled back almost all shutdown measures, primarily to avert an economic meltdown. Its economic losses included a decline in exports, a 30% shortfall in revenues and remittances were expected to fall in coming months, Khan said.
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| Cuomo Cooks Coronavirus Numbers to Defend Controversial Nursing Home Policy Posted: 31 May 2020 05:00 PM PDT  A nursing home resident who becomes sick at their nursing home and then dies five minutes after arriving at a hospital is not counted in the state's tally of nursing home deaths.
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| With cheap gasoline scarce, Venezuelans can buy at a premium Posted: 31 May 2020 12:09 PM PDT  President Nicolás Maduro said that starting Monday Venezuelans will be able to buy gasoline at international market prices, marking a historic break in the socialist country's practice of having the world's cheapest fuel. Across the nation, 200 filling stations will allow drivers to fuel up for the equivalent of 50 cents a liter, or $1.90 a gallon. Venezuelans will also be able to buy a limited amount of subsidized gasoline each month, paying 2.5 cents a liter, or 9 cents a gallon.
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| 8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody Posted: 01 Jun 2020 01:33 PM PDT  On May 25, Minneapolis police officers arrested George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, after a deli employee called 911, accusing him of buying cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. Seventeen minutes after the first squad car arrived at the scene, Floyd was unconscious and pinned beneath three police officers, showing no signs of life.By combining videos from bystanders and security cameras, reviewing official documents and consulting experts, The New York Times reconstructed in detail the minutes leading to Floyd's death. The Times' video shows officers taking a series of actions that violated the policies of the Minneapolis Police Department and turned fatal, leaving Floyd unable to breathe, even as he and onlookers called out for help.The day after Floyd's death, the Police Department fired all four of the officers involved in the episode, and on Friday the Hennepin County attorney, Mike Freeman, announced murder and manslaughter charges against Derek Chauvin, the officer who can be seen most clearly in witness videos pinning Floyd to the ground. Chauvin, who is white, kept his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, according to the criminal complaint against him. The Times' video shows that Chauvin did not remove his knee even after Floyd lost consciousness, and for a full minute after paramedics arrived at the scene.The three other former officers, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao -- all of whom can be seen in The Times' video participating in Floyd's arrest -- remain under investigation.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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| Minnesota Guard Carrying Guns and Ammo in Response to 'Credible Threat,' General Says Posted: 01 Jun 2020 06:11 AM PDT  The FBI is reporting the threat, the Minnesota Guard adjutant general said.
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| 2 Atlanta police officers were fired and 3 were placed on desk duty for their use of force in arresting 2 college students during a Saturday night protest Posted: 31 May 2020 07:56 PM PDT  Mark Gardner and Ivory Streeter, who were both members of the department's fugitive unit, were terminated from the Atlanta Police Department.
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| Trump tweets do little to calm a nation on edge, as more violent protests rock cities Posted: 30 May 2020 09:02 PM PDT  President Trump's tweets over the past week have continued to raise questions about his leadership.
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| Truck seen driving into protesters in Minneapolis Posted: 31 May 2020 10:03 PM PDT  Officials said they have had no reports of injuries. The truck driver was pulled from the cab and has been arrested.
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| Advice changes for shielding people 'not rushed', claims Matt Hancock Posted: 31 May 2020 10:42 PM PDT  Coronavirus latest news: Matt Hancock reveals lowest daily death toll since lockdown began Police cannot go into homes to check if lockdown rules are being breached Nicola Sturgeon threatens legal travel limit after thousands of Scots flout new lockdown rules UK to demand British judges have right to reject EU extradition requests in next round of Brexit talks Half a million children stuck at home as councils defy ministers Subscribe to The Telegraph, free for one month Advice for people who have spent the last 10 weeks shielding was not "rushed through", Matt Hancock has said today, fending off criticism from anxious patients. During the daily briefing the Health Secretary was twice asked about the changes, which were announced at the weekend and came into being today - including from a member of the public. Under the new guidelines, people shielding are now allowed to venture outdoors once per day, either with members of their household or one person from another household - as long as social distancing and strict hygiene is maintained. But responding to reports of GPs being inundated by calls from patients worried about the speed of changes, Hancock said: "It hasn't been rushed through, far from it. "We've worked for some time to make sure that any changes that we make and these are small, cautious changes, can benefit people in a safe way. "We announced it at the weekend and I think that being able to make changes like this is important for people. It's important for - especially for those who are shielded." He added: "Absolutely once we made the decision, including and in collaboration with all of the Government bodies, we then communicated that decision and this was the right time to be able to change that advice." Mr Hancock used the briefing to urge people who have symptoms to get tested, as he championed the initial success of the Government's Test & Trace programme, with people showing a "willingness" to isolate when asked. But neither he nor the testing tzar John Newton were able to confirm how many people have been asked so far. The Cabinet minister confirmed that 111 people have died with coronavirus in the last 24 hours - the lowest number since lockdown began on March 23.
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| D.A. to review for charges after protestor hit by Jeep at Visalia march Posted: 01 Jun 2020 12:58 PM PDT  The case involving a Jeep that hit two women during a protest in Visalia related to the death of George Floyd is being turned over to the Tulare County District Attorney's Office for review.
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| India Has Lots of Nuclear Weapons Posted: 31 May 2020 10:30 AM PDT  Here is what we know.
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| The coronavirus is disappearing in Italy, according to Italian doctors Posted: 01 Jun 2020 05:08 AM PDT  Italian doctors said the coronavirus was not as potent now as it was at the beginning of the pandemic.
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| Reuters camera crew hit by rubber bullets as more journalists attacked at U.S. protests Posted: 30 May 2020 11:17 PM PDT  Two members of a Reuters TV crew were hit by rubber bullets and a photographer's camera was smashed in Minneapolis on Saturday night as attacks against journalists covering civil unrest in U.S. cities intensified. Footage taken by cameraman Julio-Cesar Chavez showed a police officer aiming directly at him as police fired rubber bullets, pepper spray and tear gas to disperse about 500 protesters in the southwest of the city shortly after the 8 p.m. curfew. "A police officer that I'm filming turns around points his rubber-bullet rifle straight at me," said Chavez.
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| Minnesota National Guard Opened Fire on a Vehicle, Commander Says Posted: 01 Jun 2020 01:32 PM PDT  A soldier fired three rounds at a speeding vehicle deemed a threat, officials said.
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| The YouTuber who received backlash for 'rehoming' her adoptive son with autism said he 'wanted this decision 100%' Posted: 31 May 2020 05:37 AM PDT  Myka Stauffer and her husband, James, recently told viewers they placed their son Huxley in a new home, and received intense criticism as a result.
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| White supremacists attending George Floyd protests, Minnesota officials believe Posted: 01 Jun 2020 12:13 AM PDT  Officials in Minnesota believe that white supremacist "agitators" were inciting chaos at protests against police brutality and the killing of George Floyd.The Minnesota state corrections department said on Sunday that white supremacists were thought to be attending demonstrations in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and making chaos.
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| Defying Trump's Landmark Peace Deal, Taliban Continues to Back Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, UN Report Says Posted: 01 Jun 2020 05:58 AM PDT  A U.N. report shows the Taliban has failed to fulfill it's pledge in this year's landmark peace deal to break ties with al-Qaeda.
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| Cuomo: "Don't snatch defeat from the jaws of victory" in virus fight Posted: 01 Jun 2020 12:37 PM PDT  Cuomo warned New Yorkers gathering in ongoing protests that "we don't know the consequences of the COVID virus in mass gatherings."
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| With Pompeo out, GOP looks to Rep. Marshall in Kansas race Posted: 01 Jun 2020 11:14 AM PDT  The passing of Monday's deadline to file to run for Kansas' open Senate seat confirmed that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo won't be a candidate, and a major anti-abortion group threw its support behind Rep. Roger Marshall to keep immigration hardliner Kris Kobach from the GOP nomination. Republican leaders had not expected Pompeo to give up his post as the nation's top diplomat to seek the seat being vacated by retiring four-term Republican Sen. Pat Roberts.
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| Brit Hume: President Trump has aligned himself with those who feel the restoration of law and order is job one Posted: 01 Jun 2020 04:09 PM PDT  Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume joins Bret Baier on 'Special Report.'
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| Masks and no ablution: Saudis flock to reopened mosques Posted: 31 May 2020 06:09 AM PDT  Mask-clad worshippers flocked to Saudi mosques that reopened nationwide Sunday -- except in the holy city of Mecca –- over two months after congregational prayers were halted under a coronavirus-triggered lockdown. Complying with stringent social distancing rules, worshippers kept a minimum of two metres apart. "Worshippers rushed to the home of God to perform their obligatory duty (prayers) after the reopening of mosques," the ministry of Islamic affairs said on Twitter.
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| Congo hit by a second, simultaneous Ebola outbreak Posted: 01 Jun 2020 05:05 AM PDT  Authorities in Congo announced a new Ebola outbreak in the western city of Mbandaka on Monday, adding to another epidemic of the virus that has raged in the east since 2018. Six cases have been detected, four of which have died in the city, a trading hub of 1.5 million people on the Congo River with regular transport links to the capital Kinshasa. Mbandaka is 1,000 km (620 miles) from an ongoing outbreak that has killed over 2,200 people in North Kivu province by the Uganda border, where containment efforts have been hampered by armed conflict.
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| Biden Proposes Training Cops to Shoot Attackers in the Leg to Reduce Fatalities Posted: 01 Jun 2020 12:38 PM PDT  Joe Biden on Monday suggested that police forces could train officers to shoot attackers in the legs in order to reduce potential fatalities.There is "the idea that instead of standing there and teaching a cop when there's an unarmed person, coming at him with a knife or something, to shoot him in the leg instead of in the heart," Biden said. "There's a lot of different things [policies] that can change."Biden made his remarks while meeting with African American community leaders at the Bethel AME Church in Wilmington, Del. The former vice president was discussing the widespread protests touched off by the killing of George Floyd, an African American man, at the hands of white police officers in Minneapolis, Minn.Protests have spread from Minneapolis to major U.S. cities including New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles. The demonstrations have been widely varied in makeup, with some instances of peaceful protests and others that have devolved into riots with widespread looting.Members of Biden's staff have donated to groups attempting to free jailed rioters on bail. Campaign spokesman Andrew Bates told Reuters that Biden opposes cash bail as the equivalent of a "modern day debtors prison." It was not clear whether the donations were coordinated by the campaign or made individually.President Trump condemned the donations on Saturday, saying they "would financially support the mayhem that is hurting innocent people and destroying what good people spent their lives building."
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| I considered 'rehoming' my child with autism like a famous YouTube family did, but could never go through with it Posted: 01 Jun 2020 10:40 AM PDT  My daughter has autism and epilepsy. Her brain isn't fully formed, and has heart issues. As much as I've struggled, I couldn't give her up.
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| Their stores were burned, ransacked and looted. What's next for Minneapolis-area small business owners? Posted: 01 Jun 2020 10:06 AM PDT  Two Minneapolis-area small business owners who lost their stores amid George Floyd protests share their stories with USA TODAY.
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| Conservative: I'd take Obama over Trump in an instant, especially after the day we just had Posted: 01 Jun 2020 03:43 PM PDT  Criticizing Obama was like calling fouls in a basketball game. Criticizing Trump is like calling 911 to report a crime spree. There's no comparison.
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| Officers kneel in solidarity with protesters in several cities Posted: 01 Jun 2020 01:32 PM PDT  Officers in other cities also knelt in solidarity — including in New York, where a demonstrator hugged an officer after he took a knee.
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| Pompeo: U.S. Could Make Moves Against International Criminal Court In “Coming Days” Posted: 01 Jun 2020 02:22 PM PDT  "I think that the ICC and the world will see that we are determined to prevent having Americans and our friends and allies in Israel and elsewhere hauled in by this corrupt ICC."
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| UK taxpayers may be funding research for China’s defence project Posted: 31 May 2020 04:05 PM PDT  Experts fear British taxpayers could inadvertently be contributing to funding the Chinese defence programme, after millions of pounds of public funds were poured into technology research undertaken in collaboration with controversial Chinese universities known for their military links. The UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council distributed more than £6.5 million to British universities including Manchester for technology studies that were undertaken with these controversial Chinese institutions, according to disclosures on academic papers. While the research programmes focused on technologies that could be used for civilian purposes, experts have warned that they also have the potential to be used for military applications, prompting fears that taxpayer-funded research by British universities could be exploited by Beijing. In two cases, researchers even stated on their grant application forms that the technologies they were looking at could have "both civilian and military applications" or be used for "military controlling". The disclosure comes days after The Telegraph revealed that Huawei has also backed a string of research projects linking British universities with Chinese defence institutions, which focused on these so-called "dual use" technologies. Huawei denies any wrongdoing. Experts have now warned that the studies funded by the EPSRC may be part of a worrying pattern of partnerships between British universities and Chinese universities that are known for their strong military ties – and that they could be used to fuel both China's controversial surveillance regime and its declared ambition to become the world's most powerful military force by 2049. On Sunday night, Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith said the collaborations were "tantamount to transfer of technologies to the Chinese government" and accused the EPSRC and British universities of "living in a naïve world". "You cannot say that there is any [Chinese] institution that is safe from the reach of that government… If they take technology as part of a market position, they can use it for other things." His warning comes as Beijing faces growing international hostility over its handling of the coronavirus crisis and attempts to crush dissent in Hong Kong. The EPSRC defended the payments. Executive chairwoman Professor Dame Lynn Gladden said: "These grants were fully consistent with government policy. All UK funding was directed to fund research by UK universities." A spokesman added that it allocates funding to research projects rather than individual papers "through the lens of the quality of academic research", and that it is for individual universities to decide who they work with as long as there is no legal breach and the other universities cover their own costs. A Telegraph investigation identified seven papers that were undertaken by British institutions in partnership with Chinese universities, as part of research programmes that accessed EPSRC grants totalling £6,637,875. The funding body is one of nine organisations that make up UK Research and Innovation, which states on its website that it is "principally funded" by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Two of the papers were co-authored by researchers at China's so-called "Seven Sons of National Defence", universities tasked with developing China's defence programme, and six were undertaken with the in-house academy for the People's Liberation Army. Of the money dished out by the EPSRC, £305,891 went to the University of Manchester for research it undertook with Beihang University – an institution sanctioned by America for its work on rockets and drones. The grant application to EPSRC boasted that it would could be used for "environmental monitoring or military controlling". A spokesman for the University of Manchester said: "We carry out due diligence on all research collaborations and we have clear ethical and intellectual property polices and guidelines which all our researchers, overseas and domestic, must adhere to as part of their professional contracts." Six of the papers were also funded by Huawei, and the remaining one was worked on by its researchers. The company has insisted that they all focused on "common areas of research for telecoms equipment suppliers", and that it has strict rules to ensure the research it backs is not used for military purposes. "We do not conduct military research either directly, or indirectly, nor do we work on military or intelligence projects for the Chinese government or any other government," a spokesman said.
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| Thousands of Complaints Do Little to Change Police Ways Posted: 31 May 2020 09:27 AM PDT  In nearly two decades with the Minneapolis Police Department, Derek Chauvin faced at least 17 misconduct complaints, none of which derailed his career.Over the years, civilian review boards came and went, and a federal review recommended that the troubled department improve its system for flagging problematic officers.All the while, Chauvin tussled with a man before firing two shots, critically wounding him. He was admonished for using derogatory language and a demeaning tone with the public. He was named in a brutality lawsuit. But he received no discipline other than two letters of reprimand.It was not until Chauvin, 44, was seen in a video with his left knee pinned to the neck of a black man, prone for nearly nine minutes and pleading for relief, that the officer, who is white, was suspended, fired and then, on Friday, charged with murder.His case is not unusual. Critics say the department, despite its long history of accusations of abuse, never fully put in place federal recommendations to overhaul the way in which it tracks complaints and punishes officers -- with just a handful over the years facing termination or severe punishment.Even as outrage has mounted over deaths at the hands of the police, it remains notoriously difficult in the United States to hold officers accountable, in part because of the political clout of police unions, the reluctance of investigators, prosecutors and juries to second-guess an officer's split-second decision and the wide latitude the law gives police officers to use force.Police departments themselves have often resisted civilian review or dragged their feet when it comes to overhauling officer disciplinary practices. And even change-oriented police chiefs in cities like Baltimore and Philadelphia -- which over the last few years have been the sites of high-profile deaths of black men by white officers -- have struggled to punish or remove bad actors.The challenge has played out against and reinforced racial divisions in America, with largely white police forces accused of bias and brutality in black, Latino and other minority communities. Floyd's death came just weeks after Ahmaud Arbery, a black man in southeast Georgia, was pursued by three white men and killed, and after Breonna Taylor, a black woman, was fatally shot by police in Kentucky.Their deaths have unleashed a wave of tremendous protests across the country, extending far beyond Minneapolis on Friday, with protesters destroying police vehicles in Atlanta and New York, and blocking major streets in San Jose, California, and Detroit -- all cities that have wrestled with accusations of police misconduct.In Minneapolis, authorities took quick action against Chauvin and three other officers involved in Floyd's death, firing them one day after a graphic video emerged of the encounter. But that does not mean the officers are gone for good. Public employees can appeal their dismissals -- and in scores of cases across the country, the officers often win.The St. Paul Pioneer Press analyzed five years' worth of such appeals and found that between 2014 and 2019, Minnesota arbitrators -- a group that hears a range of public service complaints -- ruled in favor of terminated law enforcement and correction officers 46% of the time, reinstating them.In three terminations involving law enforcement officers that were reviewed this year, two were overturned.Dave Bicking, a board member of Communities United Against Police Brutality, a Twin Cities advocacy group, said many disciplinary actions are overturned because they are compared to previous cases, making it hard for departments to reverse a history of leniency or respond to changing community expectations."Because the department has never disciplined anybody, for anything, when they try to do it now, it's considered arbitrary and capricious," he said.Bicking described a history of attempts to clean up the Minneapolis police force, which is overwhelmingly white and for decades has faced accusations of excessive force, especially by African American residents.In Minneapolis, a city heralded for its progressive politics, pretty parks and robust employment, the racial divide runs deep. From education to wages, African Americans are at a disadvantage, graduating at much lower rates and earning about one-third less than white residents.And while black residents account for about 20% of the city's population, police department data shows they are more likely to be pulled over, arrested and have force used against them than white residents. And black people accounted for more than 60% of the victims in Minneapolis police shootings from late 2009 through May 2019, data shows.When there was a civilian review board to field the complaints, it would recommend discipline, but the police chief at the time would often refuse to impose it, said Bicking, who served on the board.Across the country, civilian review boards -- generally composed of members of the public -- have been notoriously weak. They gather accounts, but cannot enforce any recommendations.In 2008, the Police Executive Research Forum issued a report on disciplinary procedures in Minneapolis, at the department's behest. It recommended resetting expectations with a new, matrix specifying violations and consequences. But Bicking said the department soon fell back to old ways.In 2012, the civilian board in Minneapolis was replaced by an agency called the Office of Police Conduct Review. Since then, more than 2,600 misconduct complaints have been filed by members of the public, but only 12 have resulted in an officer being disciplined, Bicking said. The most severe censure has been a 40-hour suspension, he said."When we say there's a failure of accountability and discipline in this city, it is extreme," he said, adding that the City Council had promised to review the board, but has yet to do so.Any member of the public may file a complaint, and experts say that the volume of complaints may reflect a host of issues other than actual misconduct, such as the level of trust the community has in its department.Maria Haberfeld, an expert on police training and discipline at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said Chauvin's complaint tally averaged to less than one a year, not unusual for a street officer, and probably not high enough to trigger an early warning system.But the patchwork nature of the city's disciplinary tracking was clear in Chauvin's case. The city released an Internal Affairs summary with 17 complaints. The city's police conduct database listed only 12, some of which did not appear to be included in the summary, and Communities United Against Police Brutality, which also maintains a database, had yet more complaint numbers not included in the first two sources.The nature of the complaints was not disclosed.Chauvin was one of four officers who responded to a call on Memorial Day that a man had tried buying cigarettes with a fake $20 bill. The other officers, identified by authorities as Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, also were fired and remain under investigation. The county attorney said he expected to bring charges, but offered no further details.Neither Lane nor Kueng had misconduct complaints filed against them, according to the department. But Thao faced six in his career and also was the subject of a lawsuit that claimed he and another officer punched, kicked and kneed an African American man, leaving the man with broken teeth and bruises.According to the lawsuit, the incident occurred in early October 2014, when the man, Lamar Ferguson, then 26, was walking home with his girlfriend. A police car approached and Ferguson's girlfriend kept walking.The lawsuit states that Thao asked Ferguson to put his hands on the roof of the car and then handcuffed him. The complaint said that the other officer then "falsely stated there was a warrant out" for Ferguson's arrest regarding an incident involving family members. Ferguson told the officers he had no information to tell them.During the encounter, "Officer Thao then threw" Ferguson, "handcuffed, to the ground and began hitting him."Patrick R. Burns, one of the lawyers who represented Ferguson, said in an interview Friday that the city settled the case for $25,000."What I learned from that case and several others I have handled against the department is that some of the officers think they don't have to abide by their own training and rules when dealing with the public," he said.The head of the police union, Lt. Bob Kroll, is himself the subject of at least 29 complaints. Three resulted in discipline, The Star Tribune reported in 2015. Kroll was accused of using excessive force and racial slurs, in a case that was dismissed, and was named in a racial discrimination lawsuit brought in 2007 by several officers, including the man who is now the police chief.Teresa Nelson, legal director for the ACLU of Minnesota, said attempts by the city's police leaders to reform the department's culture have been undermined by Kroll, who she said downplays complaints and works to reinstate officers who are fired, no matter the reason.She said that in a 2015 meeting after a fatal police shooting, Kroll told her that he views community complaints like fouls in basketball. "He told me, 'If you're not getting any fouls, you're not working hard enough,'" she said.Kroll did not return several messages seeking comment this week.Changing department policies and culture can take years, even when there is a will to do so.In 2009, the Minneapolis department instituted an Early Intervention System to track red flags such as misconduct allegations, vehicle pursuits, use of force and discharge of weapons. Such systems are supposed to identify "potential personnel problems" before they become threats to public trust or generate costly civil rights lawsuits.In a case similar to the death of Floyd, David Cornelius Smith, a black man with mental illness, died in 2010 after two officers trying to subdue him held him prone for nearly four minutes. The chief at the time defended the officers, and they were never disciplined, said Robert Bennett, a lawyer who represented Smith's family.In 2013, the police chief at the time, Janee Harteau, asked the Department of Justice to review the department's warning system. A federal report found that it had "systemic challenges" and questioned its ability to "create sustainable behavior change."Early warning systems are considered a key part of righting troubled departments, criminologists say. Most cities that have been found to have a pattern of civil rights violations and placed under a federal consent decree, or improvement plan, are required to have one.Harteau, who left the top post in the wake of a 2017 fatal police shooting, said she took many steps to reform the department, including training officers on implicit bias and mandating the use of body cameras. But the police union, she said, fought her at every turn.In 2016, the department updated its use of force policy to hold officers accountable for intervening if they see their fellow officers using excessive force, Nelson said.The new policy, made in the wake of previous fatal shootings, was part of an effort to reform police culture in the city."It's why you saw four officers fired," in Floyd's case, she said.It's not clear whether an improved early warning system would have flagged Chauvin, who also had been involved in at least three shootings in his career, or the other officers involved in Floyd's death. Departments choose from a number of bench marks, and from a range of responses when they are exceeded.Haberfeld, the training expert, said police departments will not change until they invest significantly more in recruitment and training, areas where the U.S. lags far behind other democracies.Otherwise, she said, "There is a scandal, there is a call for reform -- committees and commissions and nothing happens. Nothing."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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| Bangladesh lifts virus lockdown, logs record deaths on same day Posted: 31 May 2020 08:24 AM PDT  Bangladesh lifted its coronavirus lockdown Sunday, with millions heading back to work in densely populated cities and towns even as the country logged a record spike in deaths and new infections. "The lockdown has been lifted and we are heading almost towards our regular life," health department spokeswoman Nasima Sultana said, calling on those returning to work to wear masks and observe social distancing. The lifting comes as Bangladesh -- which on Friday took an emergency pandemic loan from the International Monetary Fund -- reported its biggest daily jump in infections Sunday, with 2,545 new cases and a record 40 deaths.
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| Journalists Under Attack Show How Trump’s Hate for the Press Has Spread Posted: 31 May 2020 06:39 AM PDT  Journalists have been attacked all over the world while on the job covering protests for years, but never like they were this week in the United States during the George Floyd protests.At least half a dozen incidences of arrests and attacks were reported in protests across the United States this weekend. Some were high profile, like the live-on-air arrest of CNN journalist Omar Jimenez and his crew Friday morning. Others got less attention, like Los Angeles Times reporter Molly Hennessy-Fiske getting pelted with rubber bullets and tear gas or the two Los Angeles Times photographers who were briefly taken into custody. To All Black Journalists: We See You, We Support YouWAVE-TV reporter Kaitlin Rust, who was covering protests in Louisville Saturday night, was shot with pepper bullets while live on air. Video showed a police officer aiming directly at her and her crew. "I've been shot! I've been shot!" Rust, who was wearing a fluorescent vest, carrying a microphone, and standing in front of a camera, can be heard screaming. Police later apologized for the incident. The next day, MSNBC reporter Garrett Haake also appeared to be hit by a police projectile while reporting live from Washington D.C. "We're gonna make some moves here," he told the anchor, just moments before he was apparently hit. "We're gonna end up in a place we don't wanna be here if we're not careful." A crew in Denver tweeted after they were targeted by police there with paintballs and tear gas. "Luckily, I ducked," one of the journalists wrote. The video journalist who was shooting the protests wasn't so lucky and was struck.Andrea May Sahouri, a breaking news reporter for The Des Moines Register, said she was arrested Sunday while reporting on protests at a local mall. In a video posted to Twitter from the back of a police car, Sahouri said she was in a crowd of people running from police when she stopped to help her boyfriend, who was hit with tear gas. She said officers approached her, pepper sprayed her, and zip-tied her hands, even as she told them she was a reporter. "I'm just doing my job as a journalist, I'm just out here reporting," she said.Wall St. Journal reporter Tyler Blint-Welsh reported his ankle was in "searing pain" after NYPD officers allegedly hit him in the face with riot shields and pushed him to the ground. "I was backing away as request, with my hands up," he tweeted. "My NYPD-issued press badge was clearly visible. I'm just sitting here crying." Anti-Trump protesters in front of the White House turned their anger to Fox News journalist Leland Vittert who told the Associated Press, "We took a good thumping. The protesters stopped protesting whatever it was they were protesting and turned on us and that was a very different feeling."Briana Whitney, a reporter in Phoenix, was attacked on air and tweeted, "THIS IS NOT OKAY. This is the moment I was intentionally tackled by this man while I was on air trying to report what was happening during the protest at Phoenix PD headquarters. I feel violated, and this was terrifying. Let us do our jobs. We are trying our very best."In Chicago, freelance reporter and Daily Beast contributor Jonathan Ballew said he was pepper-sprayed even as he brandished his press credentials.KDKA TV journalist Ian Smith said he was attacked while covering protests in Pittsburgh. "They stomped and kicked me," he wrote under a photo of him in the back of an ambulance. "I'm bruised and bloody but alive. My camera was destroyed. Another group of protesters pulled me out and saved my life. Thank you!"Journalists have been attacked in the U.S. before, but not nearly as often or as brutal as this weekend. Speaking to The Washington Post, Suzanne Nossel, chief executive of PEN America, blamed animosity towards the press on Trump. "By denigrating journalists so often, he has degraded respect for what journalists do and the crucial role they play in a democracy," she said. "He's been remarkably effective in contributing to this topsy-turvy sense that journalists are the opposition."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Hong Kong blocks Tiananmen vigil; rush on for UK passports Posted: 01 Jun 2020 04:42 AM PDT  It would be the first time in 30 years that the vigil, which draws a huge crowd to an outdoor space, is not held in Hong Kong. The vigil commemorates China's deadly military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. The decision follows a vote by China's ceremonial parliament to bypass Hong Kong's legislature and enact national security legislation for the semi-autonomous territory.
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| New York City institutes curfew, Governor Cuomo calls for police reforms Posted: 01 Jun 2020 09:12 AM PDT  New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday called for a national ban on excessive force by police and announced a curfew for New York City following violent protests triggered by the death in Minneapolis of an unarmed black man in police custody. In a joint statement, Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city of 8 million people would be under curfew from 11 p.m. Monday night until 5 a.m. the next morning. At an earlier briefing, Cuomo said he worried that demonstrations in the most populous U.S. city in response to George Floyd's death could cause a spike in coronavirus infections.
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| 'Nowhere to be found': Governors blast Trump after he tells them they are 'weak' on phone call Posted: 01 Jun 2020 03:04 PM PDT  After a weekend of nationwide protests and riots, Trump went on an extended rant Monday morning in a conference call with governors of both parties.
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| Louisville police shoot reporter with pepper bullets on TV Posted: 31 May 2020 05:14 AM PDT  Kaitlin Rust could be heard screaming "I've been shot!" while covering a protest near Louisville City Hall on Friday.
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| Tear gas, fires outside White House Posted: 31 May 2020 11:16 PM PDT 
Video obtained by Reuters showed clouds of tear gas being deployed just outside the White House as protesters gathered ahead of a curfew in the city, which was set to begin at 11pm local time (0300 GMT). "Most (of the protesters) dispersed as the police started using flashbangs and pushed protesters back due to several buildings on fire," said Kyle McFadden, who was at the scene close to Lafayette Park. The police deployed tear gas several times during the protests, according to McFadden. Widespread protests have occurred across major U.S. cities over the death of Floyd, which has sparked outrage that has swept a politically and racially divided nation.
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| In a new post, former President Barack Obama says 'the choice isn't between protest and politics. We have to do both' Posted: 01 Jun 2020 08:40 AM PDT  The former president argues that protesters should prioritize making specific demands and getting out to vote on local law-enforcement positions.
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| 'You Can Only Demean People So Much.' Minneapolis Activists Aren't Surprised a National Movement Started There Posted: 01 Jun 2020 02:34 PM PDT  Longtime activist Sandra Richardson was on a walk with her husband last Monday evening through the Minneapolis neighborhood where she grew up. What she didn't…
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| Philippine capital reopens despite jump in virus cases Posted: 01 Jun 2020 03:32 AM PDT  Manila emerged on Monday from one of the world's longest coronavirus lockdowns as the Philippines seeks to repair its badly damaged economy even as the number of new infections surges. "The virus is frightening but it's either you die from the virus or you die from hunger," salesman Himmler Gaston, 59, told AFP as he entered the train station where commuters had their temperatures checked. The Philippines has so far reported 18,638 cases and 960 deaths, but experts fear limited testing means the true figures are likely much higher.
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| Palestinians Deserve Better Leaders Than Mahmoud Abbas Posted: 31 May 2020 08:00 PM PDT  Abbas has used his long tenure to exert a vice-like grip on Palestinian institutions.
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| FBI's top lawyer, Dana Boente, ousted amid Fox News criticism for role in Flynn investigation Posted: 30 May 2020 07:23 PM PDT  Boente was asked to resign on Friday and two sources familiar with the decision to dismiss him said it came from high levels of the Justice Department rather than directly from FBI Director Christopher Wray.
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| Police act like laws don't apply to them because of 'qualified immunity.' They're right. Posted: 31 May 2020 02:14 PM PDT  There's a legal obstacle that's nearly impossible to overcome when police officers and government officials violate our constitutional and civil rights.
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| WHO pushes to keep ties with 'generous' U.S. despite Trump's exit move Posted: 01 Jun 2020 08:51 AM PDT  The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday praised the United States' "immense" and "generous" contribution to global health in a push to salvage relations after President Donald Trump said he was severing ties with the U.N. agency. Accusing it of pandering to China and overlooking an initially secretive response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Trump said on Friday he was ending Washington's relationship with the WHO. "The United States' contribution and generosity towards global health over many decades has been immense, and it has made a great difference in public health all around the world," he said.
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| Body cameras weren't activated when authorities fatally shot Louisville man, mayor says Posted: 01 Jun 2020 02:22 PM PDT  Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer also said that Police Chief Steve Conrad, who had already announced his resignation in May, has been fired
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