Ex-Officer Guilty of Abetting Manslaughter in Floyd’s Killing
A former Minneapolis police officer who held back bystanders as other officers restrained George Floyd was found guilty Monday of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s killing. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill said in the verdict that former Officer Tou Thao, who had waived his right to a jury trial, “actively encouraged his three colleagues’ dangerous prone restraint of Floyd.” Floyd died May 25, 2020, after one of the officers, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee on his neck for more than nine minutes. Thao is serving a 3 1/2-year federal sentence for failing to provide medical help to Floyd and for failing to stop Chauvin.
Trump Likely to Sit Out One or Both of First Two GOP Debates
The leading Republican candidate for president, Donald Trump, is likely to skip at least one of the first two debates of the 2024 Republican presidential nominating contest, according to five people who have discussed the matter with the former president. In private comments to aides and confidants in recent weeks, Trump has made it clear that he does not want to breathe life into his Republican challengers by sharing the stage with them. Trump has led his nearest rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, by around 30 percentage points in recent polls. All other contenders are polling in single digits.
One Dose of HPV Vaccine Prevents Infection for at Least Three Years
A single dose of the human papillomavirus vaccine is highly effective at preventing infections over three years, most likely lowering rates of cervical cancer and other diseases linked to the virus, according to a new study in Kenya. A single-dose strategy would dramatically extend supplies of the vaccine, lower costs and simplify distribution, which would make vaccination a more viable option in countries with limited resources, experts said. HPV is a sexually transmitted infection linked to cervical cancer and other malignancies. At least 24 countries, including Mexico, Tonga and Guyana, have shifted to the one-dose approach, according to the World Health Organization.
Prominent Retired Judge Calls for Ethics Rules for Supreme Court Justices
A prominent conservative former federal judge joined a group of legal experts Tuesday in calling on Congress to enact new ethical standards for Supreme Court justices, after a series of revelations about the justices’ undisclosed gifts, luxury travel and property deals. The statement by Judge J. Michael Luttig, a retired appeals court judge revered by some conservatives, was released hours before the Democratic-led Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Supreme Court ethics. Pressure has mounted among progressives for a stricter code of conduct for the justices, the nation’s highest judges, who are appointed to lifetime terms and are bound by few disclosure requirements.
No Criminal Charges for Former Officer Who Fired Taser at Tyre Nichols
A former Memphis, Tennessee, police officer who fired a Taser at Tyre Nichols, the Black FedEx worker who was brutally beaten by several other officers in January after a traffic stop, will not be criminally charged in connection with Nichols’ death days after the beating, a top prosecutor said Tuesday. The former officer, Preston Hemphill, joined the police response on the night of Jan. 7 after Nichols was pulled over for what was supposed to be a routine traffic stop. Hemphill was one of seven officers fired from the Memphis Police Department after the fatal beating of the 29-year-old.
Palestinian Detainee Dies in Israeli Prison After Hunger Strike
Khader Adnan, a prominent Palestinian prisoner who had been on a hunger strike in an Israeli prison for 87 days to protest his detention, died early Tuesday, according to his lawyer and Palestinian and Israeli officials, amid rising violence in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian leaders and armed groups vowed retaliation, saying Israel was responsible for the death of Adnan. A barrage of more than 20 rockets was launched into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, according to Israeli media. A joint statement from armed Palestinian groups in Gaza claimed responsibility for the rockets “as a first response to this heinous crime.”
Sudan’s Warring Generals Agree to Weeklong Truce, Says South Sudan
The two rival generals fighting in Sudan agreed to a seven-day truce starting Thursday and will name representatives to peace talks, according to the Foreign Ministry of South Sudan, which has been working with neighboring countries to negotiate an end to a conflict that has sent more than 100,000 refugees pouring across their borders in a few weeks. There was no immediate public confirmation, however, that an agreement had been reached from either side in the conflict between the Sudanese army, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Lt. Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. And no date has been set yet for negotiations to begin.
Russia Ramps Up Pressure on Civilians in Occupied Ukraine
Russia is ramping up pressure on civilians in occupied parts of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, whose forces have stepped up their assaults behind enemy lines before a widely expected counteroffensive. The assault could prove a critical opportunity after 14 months of war, not just for Ukraine to regain territory but also for it to try and persuade its Western allies to send still more weapons and aid. Anticipating the campaign, and still recovering from their costly winter offensive, many Russian forces have shifted into defensive positions. And despite its staggering losses, Russia still controls a large swath of Ukrainian territory.
As Attacks on Journalists Rise, the Times’ Publisher Warns of Risks to Democracy
A.G. Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, warned Tuesday that “when the free press erodes, democratic erosion almost always follows,” delivering a call to protect journalists as fatal attacks on reporters have increased — especially in the war in Ukraine. In remarks at a United Nations event honoring the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, he urged world leaders to protect independent journalism, whether by securing legal protections in their countries or by punishing attacks on journalists elsewhere. The Committee to Protect Journalists, a watchdog group, reported that at least 67 journalists and media workers were killed in 2022, most during the war in Ukraine or in Latin America.
Man Arrested Outside Buckingham Palace as Police Conduct Controlled Explosion
British police conducted a controlled explosion outside Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, detonating a bag taken from a man who they said had thrown suspected shotgun cartridges onto palace grounds just days ahead of King Charles III’s coronation. There were no injuries and no shots were fired, but the man was swiftly detained and subsequently arrested after he was found to be carrying a knife, London’s Metropolitan Police said. He was not in possession of a firearm and the incident is not currently being treated as terror related, they added.
Australia Aims to ‘Stamp Out’ Vaping With Sweeping Regulations
The Australian government said it wanted to crack down on the use of e-cigarettes to “reduce smoking and stamp out vaping” in one of the most sweeping tobacco regulatory moves in the country in years. The proposal, announced Tuesday, would ban all single-use, disposable vapes; stop the importation of nonprescription vapes; require “pharmaceutical-like packaging”; reduce nicotine concentrations and amounts; and restrict certain flavors, colors and ingredients. The government would also work with states and territories to end vape sales in convenience stores and other retail settings “while also making it easier to get a prescription for legitimate therapeutic use,” the Department of Health and Aged Care said in a statement.
By wire sources
