Stories by Associated Press

Chicago Agency to Release Video of Teen’s Shooting by Police

The agency that investigates Chicago police shootings will release body camera video of an officer fatally shooting a 13-year-old boy, first to the boy’s family and then to the public, an official said Friday.

Police Chief: Kneeling on Floyd’s Neck Violated Policy

The Minneapolis police chief testified Monday that now-fired Officer Derek Chauvin violated departmental policy — and went against “our principles and the values that we have” — in pressing his knee on George Floyd’s neck and keeping him down after Floyd had stopped resisting and was in distress.

‘Trial of the Chicago 7’ Takes Top Honors at SAG Awards

The starry cast of Aaron Sorkin’s 1960s courtroom drama took the top prize Sunday at a virtual Screen Actors Guild Awards where actors of color, for the first time, swept the individual film awards. 

Vaccine Passports Are Latest Flash Point in COVID Politics

The argument over whether vaccine passports are a sensible response to the pandemic or governmental overreach echoes the bitter disputes over the past year about masks, shutdown orders and even the vaccines themselves.

Oklahoma Hires Loyola Chicago’s Moser as Basketball Coach

Oklahoma hired Loyola Chicago’s Porter Moser as its basketball coach Saturday following Lon Kruger’s retirement. Moser embraces the challenge of coaching at a Big 12 program that reached the Final Four in 2016 and has featured NBA talents Buddy Hield and Trae Young.

Chauvin’s Trial Leaves Many Black Viewers Emotionally Taxed

The televised trial of Derek Chauvin, the former white police officer charged in the death of George Floyd, has provoked strong emotions among many Black men and women — all tinged with an underlying dread that it could yield yet another devastating disappointment. 

Pressure Mounts on Corporations to Denounce GOP Voting Bills

Pressure is mounting on leading companies in Texas, Arizona and other states, particularly after Major League Baseball’s decision Friday to move the 2021 All-Star Game out of Atlanta. 

Mercedes Gets 1st 5 Career Hits, White Sox Beat Angels 12-8

Yermín Mercedes got his first five major league hits and drove in four runs, and José Abreu hit a grand slam for the Chicago White Sox in their 12-8 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.

Man Rams Car Into 2 Capitol Police; 1 Officer, Driver Killed

A Capitol Police officer was killed Friday after a man rammed a car into two officers at a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol and then emerged wielding a knife.

Lieutenant: Kneeling on Floyd’s Neck ‘Totally Unnecessary’

Kneeling on George Floyd’s neck while he was handcuffed and lying on his stomach was top-tier, deadly force and “totally unnecessary,” the head of the Minneapolis Police Department’s homicide division testified Friday.

Fully Vaccinated People Can Travel Safely Again, CDC Says

Add travel to the activities vaccinated Americans can safely enjoy again. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance to say fully vaccinated people can travel within the U.S. without getting tested for the coronavirus or going into quarantine afterward.

George Floyd’s Girlfriend Recalls Their Struggles With Addiction

George Floyd’s girlfriend tearfully told a jury Thursday the story of how they met — at a Salvation Army shelter where he was a security guard with “this great, deep Southern voice, raspy” — and how they both struggled mightily with an addiction to opioids.

US Draws Close to 100M Vaccinations as Baseball Resumes

The U.S. moved closer Thursday toward vaccinating 100 million Americans in a race against an uptick in COVID-19 cases that is fueling fears of another nationwide surge just as the major league baseball season starts and thousands of fans return to stadiums.

Child Among 4 Dead in Shooting at California Office Building

A child was among four people killed Wednesday in a shooting at a Southern California office building that left a fifth victim wounded and the gunman critically injured, police said. It was the third U.S. mass shooting in just over two weeks.

Biden Announces Huge Infrastructure Plan to ‘Win the Future’

Plus: Our Spotlight Politics team weighs in on ‘Chicago Tonight’

President Joe Biden on Wednesday outlined a $2.3 trillion plan to reengineer the nation’s infrastructure over the next eight years in what he billed as “a once in a generation investment in America” that would undo his predecessor’s signature legislative achievement of giant tax cuts for corporations in the process.

Ex-Cop Told Onlooker Floyd Was Big, ‘Probably on Something’

After the ambulance took George Floyd away, the Minneapolis officer who had pinned his knee on the Black man’s neck defended himself to a bystander by saying Floyd was “a sizable guy” and “probably on something,” according to police video played in court Wednesday.

COVID-19 Pushed Total US Deaths Beyond 3.3 Million Last Year

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed total U.S. deaths last year beyond 3.3 million, the nation’s highest annual death toll, the government reported Wednesday.

Suspect in Attack on Asian American Woman in NYC Is Arrested

A suspect was arrested on assault and hate crime charges in an attack on an Asian American woman in New York City, police said Wednesday. The suspect was arrested after police circulated images taken from surveillance video around the attack. The suspect has a previous conviction.  

Pfizer Says Its COVID-19 Vaccine Protects Younger Teens

Pfizer’s vaccine is authorized for ages 16 and older. Vaccinating children of all ages will be critical to stopping the pandemic — and helping schools, at least the upper grades, start to look a little more normal after months of disruption.

Biden Wants Infrastructure Package Approved Over Summer

President Joe Biden is aiming for summer passage of an infrastructure plan that is expected to cost more than $3 trillion, and the White House hopes to take a more deliberate and collaborative approach with the contentious Congress than it did on the COVID-19 rescue package, officials said.

Witnesses: Onlooker Anger Increased as Floyd Stopped Moving

Onlookers grew increasingly angry as they begged Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin to take his knee off George Floyd’s neck, but Chauvin would not let up, and another officer forced back members of the crowd who tried to intervene, witnesses testified Tuesday at Chauvin’s murder trial.

Video Shows Vicious Attack of Asian American Woman in NYC

A vicious attack on an Asian American woman as she walked to church near New York City’s Times Square is drawing widespread condemnation and raising alarms about the failure of bystanders to intervene amid a rash of anti-Asian violence across the U.S.

Biden Rolls out Diverse First Slate of Judicial Nominees

President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated a racially diverse and overwhelmingly female group to federal and other judgeships, including three Black women for the U.S. courts of appeals, one pathway to the Supreme Court.

Justice Department to Review How Best to Fight Hate Crimes

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday ordered a review of how the Justice Department can best deploy its resources to combat hate crimes during a surge in incidents targeting Asian Americans.

Jurors Shown Video at Ex-Officer’s Trial in Floyd’s Death

The video of George Floyd gasping for breath was essentially Exhibit A as the former Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee on the Black man’s neck went on trial Monday on charges of murder and manslaughter.

Biden Economic Plan to Focus 1st on Infrastructure This Week

Plus: ‘Chicago Tonight’ on what the plan could mean for the city, state

President Joe Biden will lay out the first part of his multitrillion-dollar economic recovery package this week, focusing on rebuilding roads, bridges and other infrastructure, followed by a separate plan later in April addressing child and health care.
 

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