In the last month, the United States has seen four mass shootings in public places that killed at least four people aside from the perpetrator, including yesterday’s attack at a FedEx warehouse in Indianapolis. Prior to the Atlanta spa shootings on March 16, more than a year had elapsed without such a crime, which is […]
To avoid a murder or manslaughter conviction, Derek Chauvin needed to undermine at least one of the two pillars supporting the prosecution’s case: that the former Minneapolis police officer used excessive force against George Floyd, and that Floyd died as a result. Barry Brodd, the defense’s use-of-force expert, took aim at that first claim on […]
The defense in Derek Chauvin’s murder trial yesterday presented testimony from a use-of-force expert who said the former Minneapolis police officer’s “interactions” with George Floyd “were following his training, following current practices in policing, and were objectively reasonable.” That conclusion contradicted the testimony of the city’s police chief, other supervisors, and other use-of-force experts. It […]
When Christians met in each other’s homes for prayer or Bible study, they had to be careful. Such gatherings were illegal, and the organizers never knew who might inform the authorities. Although that sounds like a scene from the Soviet Union, it actually describes the situation in California under COVID-19 regulations that the Supreme Court […]
Closing out its presentation of witnesses in Derek Chauvin’s murder trial yesterday, the prosecution underlined two essential elements of its case: that the former Minneapolis police officer’s actions caused George Floyd’s death last May and that his use of force was not justified in the circumstances. The defense, which began calling witnesses today, will try […]
The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked enforcement of California’s pandemic-inspired restrictions on at-home religious gatherings, saying the plaintiffs are likely to prevail in their claim that the state’s rules violate the First Amendment. The Court previously had issued emergency injunctions against California’s limits on gatherings in houses of worship, and Friday’s decision confirms that the […]
Prosecutors argue that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd by pinning him facedown to the pavement for nine and a half minutes, which made it impossible for Floyd to get the oxygen he needed to stay alive. Although that account was reinforced last week by detailed testimony from Chicago pulmonologist Martin Tobin, […]
It has long been clear that the conventional understanding of the “opioid crisis,” which focuses on patients who inadvertently become addicted to pain medication, is highly misleading. A new study reinforces that point. The study, reported in the journal Injury, looked at the relationship between pain pill prescriptions and fatal injuries, including unintentional deaths, suicides, […]
The prosecution in Derek Chauvin’s murder trial argues that the former Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd by pinning him facedown to the pavement for nine and half minutes. In that position, prosecutors say, Floyd could not breathe enough to stay alive. Today expert witnesses reinforced that account, saying the evidence indicates that Floyd—who complained […]
During a 2019 presidential debate, Joe Biden scolded Kamala Harris, then his opponent for the Democratic nomination, for promising to impose gun control by executive fiat instead of through legislation. “Let’s be constitutional!” he said. “We’ve got a Constitution.” Today President Biden and Vice President Harris, frustrated by the legislative branch’s failure to approve the […]
