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Thursday, April 15, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Potter Charged With Manslaughter

A former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer who resigned after fatally shooting a 20-year-old Black driver during a traffic stop on Sunday, setting off days of protests, was charged Wednesday with second-degree manslaughter. 

Kim Potter, a 26-year police veteran who is white, was arrested and later freed after posting a $100,000 bond. Former Police Chief Tim Gannon, who also resigned after the shooting, had said before he did that Potter appeared to have mistakenly fired her gun instead of her Taser as Daunte Wright tried to struggle out of the grasp of police and get away when they tried to arrest him on an outstanding warrant. The outstanding warrant was discovered after police pulled Wright over for having expired tags on his car. 

Protesters clashed with police for a fourth straight night at the Brooklyn Center police station. An order was given to disperse about an hour before curfew, with police saying objects were being thrown at officers and people were trying to take down a fence put up to protect the station. Police fired gas canisters in return.

 ➤EXPERT TESTIFIES GEORGE FLOYD DIED DUE TO HEART DISEASE: A forensic pathologist testified yesterday in the murder and manslaughter trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin that George Floyd died of a sudden heart rhythm disturbance due to heart disease. The testimony from defense witness Dr. David Fowler, a former Maryland chief medical examiner, contradicted prosecution experts who testified last week that Floyd died due to a lack of oxygen from the way he was pinned down on the ground with Chauvin's knee on his neck. Fowler further stated that the fentanyl and methamphetamine in Floyd’s system, and possibly also carbon monoxide from car exhaust were contributing factors in his death. However, he acknowledged under examination that Floyd's blood wasn't tested for carbon monoxide, so there was data to support that suggestion.

Fowler also stated that Chauvin’s knee was, quote, "nowhere close" to Floyd's "airway," and that the fact that Floyd was speaking and groaning showed his airway was open. He said that Floyd didn't complain about vision changes or other symptoms of insufficient oxygen to the brain, and that he was coherent until shortly before he stopped moving, stating, "The bottom line is, moving air in and out, and speaking and making noise is very good evidence that the airway was not closed."


➤BIDEN SAYS WILL REMOVE ALL TROOPS FROM AFGHANISTAN: President Biden announced yesterday that he will withdraw all remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11th, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that led the U.S. to go into that country. There are about 2,500 U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan. Speaking from the White House Treaty Room, the same place where then-President George W. Bush announced the start of the war in Afghanistan, Biden said, "It is time to end America’s longest war," stating, "We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan hoping to create the ideal conditions for our withdrawal, expecting a different result." He added, "I am now the fourth United States president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility to a fifth."


➤ADMINISTRATION TO ANNOUNCE SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA: The Biden administration will be announcing sanctions on Russia in response to the large-scale SolarWinds hacking campaign last year that got into federal agencies, as well as for its 2020 election interference efforts, AP reported last night, citing a senior administration official. The sanctions are set to be announced today.

➤CDC ADVISERS POSTPONE RECOMMENDATION ON JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices decided Wednesday not to make a recommendation yet on whether to continue the pause that began a day earlier on Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine because of concerns about rare blood clots. The panel, which is expected to reconvene in seven to 10 days, said it wants to gather more information before coming to a decision.


➤CALLS INCREASE FOR GAY SEASON OF 'THE BACHELOR': In the wake of former 'Bachelor' Colton Underwood coming out as gay yesterday, some fans of the show are calling for a same-sex season of 'The Bachelor,' with at least one tweeting that it's, quote, "long overdue." There have been calls before for a same-sex season of the show, which only just had its first season with a Black Bachelor. Some of those calling for gay Bachelor yesterday were suggesting it should be Underwood. But others said it shouldn't be him, after he allegedly stalked Cassie Randolph, who he'd chosen, after they broke up, and she took out a restraining order against him last year. She later dropped it.

Bachelor alum Colton Underwood is ready to speak his truth. On ABC’s Good Morning America, he said he’s the “happiest and healthiest” he’s ever been, and credits the pandemic to giving him the time to really discover his true self.
 

"Obviously, this year has been a lot for a lot of people, and it's probably made a lot of people look themselves in the mirror and figure out who they are and what they've been running from or what they've been putting off in their lives. For me, I've ran from myself for a long time; I've hated myself for a long time. And, I'm gay," he said during an exclusive sitdown with Robin Roberts for ABC News' GMA. "I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it. And the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know. I'm still nervous."

He does have some regrets, and addressed what many people might be feeling after his time as The Bachelor: "Do I regret being the Bachelor and do I regret handling it the way I did? I do. I do think I could have handled it better. I just wish I wouldn't have dragged people into my own mess of figuring out who I was. I genuinely mean that."

Underwood said he always knew on some level that things were different for him. "I've known that I've been different since the age of 6, and I couldn't process it and I couldn't put my finger on what it was until high school of my freshman year when I knew I was gay." Growing up in the Catholic church, he said, "I learned in the Bible that gay is a sin" and he recalled how, as an athlete, the word "gay" was used in a negative connotation. "There are a lot of things where I look back and say, 'No wonder I held it in.'"

➤BERNARD MADOFF, MASTERMIND OF MASSIVE PONZI SCHEME, DEAD AT 82: Bernard Madoff, the mastermind of a massive Ponzi scheme for which he was sentenced to 150 years in prison, died behind bars yesterday. He was 82. An attorney for Madoff, who pled guilty to securities fraud and other charges in 2009, said it's believed he died from natural causes related to failing health. Madoff, who was a former chairman of the Nasdaq stock market, swindled both celebrities and charities of huge amounts of money in what's believed to have been the largest fraud in Wall Street’s history. A judge stripped Madoff of all his personal property and $80 million in assets his wife, Ruth Madoff, had claimed were hers. Court-appointed trustees have over the years recovered more than $14 billion of an estimated $17.5 billion investors had given to Madoff.

🛫STUDY: EMPTY MIDDLE SEATS ON PLANES REDUCE COVID TRANSMISSION RISK: New study results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that keeping the middle seats empty on planes reduces the risk of coronavirus transmission by 23 percent to 57 percent compared to full planes. However, while many airlines stopped selling middle seats after the pandemic began, all major U.S. airlines have gone back to selling all seats except for Delta. But it will also begin selling middle seats again on May 1st.

➤BUSH: NOT PASSING IMMIGRATION REFORM ONE OF BIGGEST REGRETS: Former President George W. Bush said in an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Norah O'Donnell that's set to air on CBS Sunday Morning this weekend that not passing immigration reform is one of his biggest regrets. The 74-year-old Bush, who has a new book out called, Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants, was asked by O'Donnell of immigration, "Is it one of the biggest disappointments of your presidency . . . " and answered, "Yes, it really is. I campaigned on immigration reform. I made it abundantly clear to voters this is something I intended to do." Bush also said he's ready to re-enter the immigration debate, including lobbying his own party on the issue.

➤EXPOSURE TO SMELLS IN EARLY INFANCY CAN MODULATE ADULT BEHAVIOR: It turns out the things we smell as infants can impact our behavior later in life. Researchers from Japan looked at mice, and found that during the critical period, when a newborn mouse pup is exposed to an odor (within the first week of life), the body released the hormone oxytocin which helps bond them to the memory of the odor and make them have good associations with it. Researchers note that even if a mouse pup is exposed to an odor with normally negative associations during that first week of life, they will still have a positive response when they encounter the odor later in life. The researchers say when it comes to humans, the results suggest that improper sensory inputs may cause neuro-developmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and attachment disorders (AD). They also add that the result opens many research questions about the functioning of the human brain and behavior.


➤DIETARY COCOA IMPROVES HEALTH OF OBESE MICE; LIKELY HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMANS:  Feeding mice that normally ate high-fat diets cocoa powder was found to improve their health. Penn State researchers say cocoa powder is rich in fiber, iron and phytochemicals that are reported to have positive health benefits. Study leader Joshua Lambert says, “While it is typically considered an indulgence food because of its high sugar and fat content, epidemiological and human-intervention studies have suggested that chocolate consumption is associated with reduced risk of cardo-metabolic diseases including stroke, coronary heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.” He adds that the dose of cocoa given to mice was the equivalent of about 10 teaspoons of cocoa powder per day for a human. It’s considered an important finding because a significant proportion of the world’s population has preexisting obesity, and this could potentially be an effective dietary intervention, which is something that is much needed.

⚾WHITE SOX'S RODON THROWS NO-HITTER, HIT BATTER IN 9TH INNING BLOWS PERFECT GAME: Chicago White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon threw a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians last night (April 14th), and had a perfect game going in the 8-0 win until it was blown with one out in the ninth inning when his pitch hit Roberto Perez on the foot. That was the only runner Rodon allowed, getting out the final two batters. A crowd of just over 7,000 in Chicago, limited because of Covid-19 restrictions, saw the 28-year-old's gem, as he threw 75 of his 114 pitches for strikes, striking out seven.
 
⚾FIVE ASTROS PLAYERS PUT ON COVID LIST: Five Houston Astros players were put on the Covid-19 injured list yesterday, but it's not known if any had tested positive for the coronavirus or if they were out because of contact tracing. They are: second baseman Jose Altuve; third baseman Alex Bregman; designated hitter Yordan Alvarez; catcher Martín Maldonado; and infielder Robel Garcia.

⚾MLB TO CELEBRATE JACKIE ROBINSON DAY: Major League Baseball will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day today, with all players, managers, coaches and umpires to wear Robinson's Number 42. The date marks the anniversary of when the Hall of Famer debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, breaking baseball's color line. A video called, "Thank You, Jackie" will be shown at all ballparks, and more than 100 players will donate either all of part of their game-day salaries to support The Players Alliance, an organization of current and former MLB players advocating for Black representation in baseball.

🏈RAMS' AARON DONALD ACCUSED OF ASSAULT: Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald was accused of assault yesterday by a 26-year-old man who told police Donald attacked him at a Pittsburgh nightclub last weekend. Todd J. Hollis, an attorney for De'Vincent Spriggs, said Spriggs had a broken orbital bone in his head, a broken nose, a sprained or broken arm, and needed 16 stitches. He said, "We believe there was a misunderstanding that Mr. Spriggs bumped into Mr. Donald and Mr. Donald escalated the matter, leading to my client’s assault moments later." Police said they will consult with prosecutors, who will decide if charges against Donald are warranted. The Rams said they were aware of the reports and were gathering more information.

🏈CLOWNEY SIGNS WITH BROWNS: Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Cleveland Browns yesterday. The 28-year-old was the Number 1 overall pick in 2014, spending five seasons with the Houston Texans before being with the Seattle Seahawks for one year and then the Tennessee Titans last season. He season was cut short last year by a knee injury after eight games.

🏒SABRES CAPTAIN EICHEL OUT FOR REST OF SEASON WITH INJURY: Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel will be out for the rest of the season with a neck injury. The NHL team said yesterday that the 24-year-old center, who hasn't played since March 7th, has a herniated disk. He's expected to be healthy for next season.

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