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Top prosecutor in trial of officer who killed George Floyd writes book recounting case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:28 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota prosecutors were so worried a judge would move the murder trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin out of the city where he killed George Floyd that they conducted a mock trial in a deep red rural county to test their strategy, Attorney General Keith Ellison reveals in a new book.It worked. Ellison was pleasantly surprised that even the mock jurors in Stearns County of central Minnesota would have convicted Chauvin and three co-defendants of manslaughter, and almost all would have convicted them on the top charge of second-degree murder. Two simulated juries in Hennepin County, where the case ultimately stayed, came back guilty on all counts.“Break the Wheel: Ending the Cycle of Police Violence,” will be released Tuesday by Twelve, an imprint of the Hachette Book Group, two days ahead of the third anniversary of Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020. Chauvin, who is white, kneeled on the Black man’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes. A bystander video captured Floyd...

German chancellor calls some climate activists’ protests ‘nutty’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:28 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday sharply criticized climate activists as “nutty” for drastic protests such as blocking streets or gluing themselves to famous paintings in museums.“I think it’s completely nutty to somehow stick yourself to a painting or on the street,” Scholz said during a visit to an elementary school in the town of Kleinmachnow outside of Berlin, German news agency dpa reported.The chancellor added that he did not think anybody’s opinion on climate change could be changed by such actions but rather that these protests made people angry.“That’s an action that I don’t think is going to help,” Scholz told the students.Members of the group Last Generation have repeatedly blocked roads across Germany in an effort to pressure the government to take more drastic action against climate change. In recent weeks, they’ve brought the traffic to a halt on an almost daily basis in Berlin, gluing themselves to busy junctions and highways.Ove...

Pakistan frees Imran Khan associate even as authorities plan to prosecute thousands of his followers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:28 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani court Monday ordered the release of an associate of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from detention, even as authorities pressed on with efforts to prosecute thousands of his followers accused of recent anti-government violence.Shireen Mazari, who served as rights minister under Khan during his 2018-2022 term in office, was arrested last Thursday in the capital, Islamabad, on charges of inciting people to violence. She has been a vocal critic of Pakistan’s military and the government of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who replaced Khan after his ouster in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April 2022.Mazari’s daughter, Imaan Mazari, had petitioned a high court, arguing that her mother’s arrest was unlawful. She said the Lahore High Court ordered her mother’s release on Monday but that she was still at a detention facility in Rawalpindi.It remained unclear when Shireen Mazari would actually walk free. She was also arrested earlie...

World summits' 'family photos' show Putin's isolation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:28 GMT

They're known as “family photos,” the images of world leaders posed in faux relaxation during global summits.And like portraits of a family that has isolated a dysfunctional member, recent “family photos” from the G7 and G8 — the world's most industrialized nations — show how Russian President Vladimir Putin has been outcast.The Russian president has faced unprecedented international isolation since his nation invaded Ukraine in February 2022. An International Criminal Court arrest warrant hangs over his head and clouds his prospects of traveling to many destinations, including those viewed as Moscow’s allies.It was only 10 years ago when Putin stood proudly among his peers at the time -– former U.S. President Barack Obama, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — at a Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland. But Russia has since been kicked out of the group, which consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the Unit...

South Carolina Democrats demand apology from GOP governor for 'hunt them with dogs' comment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:28 GMT

(The Hill) -- South Carolina Democrats are demanding an apology from the state’s Republican Gov. Henry McMaster for comments he made at a South Carolina GOP convention.According to a Tweet from The State reporter Joseph Bustos — which was then shared by Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Jaime Harrison — McMaster said at the convention over the weekend, "I look forward to the day that democrats are so rare, we have to hunt them with dogs."The Democratic Party in Anderson and Charleston counties put forth a petition on the DNC website asking the governor to “apologize and retract this racially-tinged dog whistle.” If he doesn’t, the state’s Democrats are asking the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division to “open an investigation into this threat and incitement of political violence.” NAACP president on Florida warning: We shouldn’t use race to ‘weaponize against people’ Harrison tagged former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and the state’s U.S. Sen. Tim Scot...

How much does the world's most expensive ice cream cost?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:28 GMT

(WXIN) -- If you're in the market for trying a good dairy treat, Guinness World Records has announced the world's most expensive ice cream, and this one will set you back more than a second-hand car.The world's most expensive ice cream delicacy is made by Japanese ice cream brand Cellato using rare ingredients that sent its price tag through the roof. A serving of the delicious treat -- named Byakuya -- costs a steep 873,400 Japanese yen, which equates to about $6,696 per serving in the U.S. Byakuya, the world's most expensive ice cream. (Guinness World Records)Its ingredients contribute to the high price, with the highlight being a rare white truffle grown in Alba, Italy. That's priced at 2 million Japanese yen or $15,192 per kilogram.Making the most expensive ice cream wasn't Cellato's only goal; they wanted to fuse together European and Japanese ingredients. To do so, the company brought in Tadayoshia Yamada, the head chef at RiVi, a restaurant in Osaka known for its imaginative ...

LIVE: Uvalde city leaders mark nearly 1 year since deadly shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:28 GMT

UVALDE, Texas (KXAN) — City leaders in Uvalde are speaking Monday morning to mark one year since the deadly mass shooting at an elementary school. Mayor Don McLaughlin and City Manager Vince DiPiazza will address reporters at the local civic center starting at 11 a.m. KXAN will carry a live stream of their remarks in this story and on the station's Facebook page. Uvalde ‘moving forward’: Horror to hope, one year later A gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022. In a news release, the mayor said there will be no city-sanctioned events planned this week to remember the tragedy. However, Monday's news conference is intended to "balance the news media's need to tell a story and the need of Uvalde residents to have space and privacy to reflect on the last year without the fear of intrusion," according to a statement from the mayor. The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District created a foundation after the shooting to work on demolish...

APD briefs Public Safety Committee on DPS partnership

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:28 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin City Council's Public Safety Committee will receive a briefing from law enforcement this morning on the Texas Department of Public Safety's (DPS) patrols in Austin.The initiative, which began on March 30, is currently on pause as troopers focus their attention on border cities following the expiration of Title 42. DPS temporarily halts partnership in Austin The goals of the partnership are to reduce traffic deaths and violent crime, and free up Austin Police Department (APD) officers to respond to emergency calls more quickly.Since the program began, there have been “significant decreases in violent crime, response times, and calls for service,” according to APD. The department used a data-driven approach to identify crime “hot-spots” as well as high-travel roads most common for crashes – and deployed troopers to those locations.In the crime hot spot areas where DPS deployed, violent crime dropped 58%, according to APD’s chief data officer. DPS’ presen...

Texas Senate committee advances teacher pay bill with addition of school voucher-like program

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:28 GMT

Austin (KXAN) -- One of the last viable bills in the Texas legislature that would increase teacher pay now has a provision that would create a school voucher-like program. The Senate Committee on Public Education on Monday, in a 9-3 vote, advanced the version of the bill that would create an education savings account program to the full Senate for a vote. Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, over the weekend, filed a committee substitute of the bill that would add an education savings account program that would allow parents to re-direct up to $8,000 to private school tuition.The Texas legislature has yet to pass a bill that would address the growing shortage of teachers in Texas public schools. Austin ISD plans to pull millions from reserve funds to give educators 7% raise House Bill 100 would increase the per-pupil allotment for public schools by $50– and through that provision – would require school districts to use a certain amount of those funds to increase teacher pay. The allo...

Which Texas airport ranks among the angriest in the US?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:23:28 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Travelers at the San Antonio International Airport are among the angriest in the nation, a May study released by Forbes Advisor found. The Central Texas airport ranked fifth in the country, as evaluated in the report.The report compiled and analyzed more than 37,000 tweets aimed at the 60 busiest airports in the country between March 2022 and March 2023. Forbes Advisor then calculated the total number of angry tweets out of all tweets aimed at them. Top 10 angriest airports were ranked as follows:1. John Wayne Airport: Orange County, California65% of tweets were angryTop complaint was about noise levels2. Jacksonville International Airport: Jacksonville, Florida60% of tweets were angryTop complaint was about lines3. Eppley Airfield: Omaha, Nebraska59% of tweets were angryTop complaint was about delays4. Tampa International Airport: Tampa, Florida57% of tweets were angryTop complaint was about bags issues5. San Antonio International Airport: San Antonio, Texas57% of ...