USA TODAY Ipsos poll found most Americans approved of the finding.

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USA TODAY Ipsos poll found most Americans approved of the finding.

The poll, conducted in the three hours after the verdict was announced, found 71% of Americans agreed Chauvin was guilty and 62% said they intended to accept the verdict and do nothing.

Chauvin, who is 45 and white, was found guilty of second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man. Chauvin was seen on video pinning Floyd to the ground with his knee last Memorial Day for over nine minutes after police responded to a report that Floyd used a counterfeit $20 bill.

Chauvin faces 12 1/2 years or 150 months in prison under sentencing guidelines for a first-time offender. But, the prosecution argues there are aggravating factors that require a longer prison term. That means Chauvin may face longer than that sentence.

In the hours after a guilty verdict was announced in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, a USA TODAY Ipsos poll found most Americans approved of the finding.

But the snap poll also found differences in public views of Chauvin’s motivations. Of those surveyed, 40% said they believed Chauvin was guilty of murder, while 32% said the act was negligence on the part of the officer. Only 11% said they believed Chauvin’s actions were an accident.

The Ipsos poll was conducted from 5-8 p.m. on April 20 for USA TODAY. It surveyed 1,000 adults age 18-65 in every state online and in English, and has a confidence interval of 3.2 percentage points.

There was a lot of talk on social media about the draft war rooms of NFL coaches and general managers

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There was a lot of talk on social media about the draft war rooms of NFL coaches and general managers

This year, the Los Angeles Rams are sure to get a lot of attention for their draft headquarters. In a partnership with Rocket Mortgage, they converted a massive 9,000-square-foot Malibu mansion into their draft pad, with an infinity pool and views of the Pacific Ocean.

The league is allowing a select number of people from each team to be together for the draft this year, with a maximum of 10 fully vaccinated individuals able to be in the room at once. The Rams have plenty of space to spread out at their luxurious remote location, and they’ll be the only team in the NFL to make their picks away from their headquarters.

There was a lot of talk on social media about the draft war rooms of NFL coaches and general managers last year as representatives of each team worked remotely during the pandemic. Kliff Kingsbury took the cake with a luxurious setup at his home, sitting on a couch with his feet up on the coffee table.

“To complement the bold leadership of Les and Coach McVay, we continue to push the envelope in how we operate and collaborate with our partners,” said Rams Vice President of Partnership Marketing Lexi VonderLieth. “We are thrilled to work with Rocket Mortgage to build this stunning and first-of-its-kind Draft headquarters and set the foundation for drafting a little differently for years to come.”

In a search for more victims, the Memphis branch of the FBI reached out to the public earlier this month

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In a search for more victims, the Memphis branch of the FBI reached out to the public earlier this month

The FBI’s news release didn’t mention that one of the men, Brian Summerson, has repeatedly been accused of committing similar crimes. In one case from January 2020, a woman told deputies in North Carolina she’d been kidnapped and escaped from Summerson’s truck while he was asleep. Deputies found her story inconsistent and Summerson wasn’t arrested.

Later that month, deputies in South Carolina found a screaming woman in Summerson’s truck, according to records. He was charged federally and freed on bond, only to face two new allegations in other states in the following months that he had choked women.

In a search for more victims, the Memphis branch of the FBI reached out to the public earlier this month for information about two long-haul truckers accused of an interstate scheme to kidnap women and hold them for ransom. 

Summerson coordinated with Pierre Washington, according to a later indictment filed in Memphis, to figure out ways to make money off the women, trying to persuade them to work as prostitutes or contacting their families to demand ransom to let them go.

Now 26, Summerson stands 6’2 and weighs 256 pounds, according to one law enforcement report. He is from Dillon, South Carolina and has a prior domestic abuse record from his home state. He incorporated a trucking company there, Summerson Transport LLC, in March 2020.

The judge presiding over the murder trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin said “disrespectful”

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The judge presiding over the murder trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin said “disrespectful”

Waters, D-Calif., joined protests in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on April 17, where she told the press “we are looking for a guilty verdict” in Chauvin’s trial.

“If nothing (happens), then we know … we’ve got to not only stay in the streets, that we’ve got to fight for justice. That I am very hopeful, and I hope that we’re going to get a verdict that is a guilty, guilty, guilty. And if we don’t, we cannot go away,” Waters said, according to video by WCCO-TV.

Chauvin is accused of killing George Floyd, a Black man who died after Chauvin knelt on his neck for nine minutes in May 2020.

After closing arguments, Judge Peter Cahill rejected a defense request for a mistrial based in part on Waters’ remarks.

The judge presiding over the murder trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin said “disrespectful” statements made by Rep. Maxine Waters Saturday may give the defense grounds to appeal and overturn the trial. Attorneys for the prosecution and the defense delivered closing arguments on Monday.

“I’m aware the Congresswoman Waters was talking specifically about this trial and about the unacceptability of anything less than a murder conviction and talk about being confrontational,” Cahill said. “I think if (representatives) want to give their opinions, they should do so in a manner that is consistent with their oath to the Constitution to respect the co-equal branch of government.”

“Their failure to do so, I think, is abhorrent, but I don’t think it has prejudiced us with additional material that would prejudice this jury,” he continued. “A congresswoman’s opinion really doesn’t matter a whole lot.”

The prosecution and defense gave their closing statements Monday in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin,

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The prosecution and defense gave their closing statements Monday in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin,

 The 12 members of the jury are sequestered as they deliberate a verdict. 

Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death last Memorial Day.

If convicted of the most serious charge, Chauvin likely faces 12 1/2 years or 150 months in prison under sentencing guidelines for a first-time offender. But, the prosecution argues there are aggravating factors that require a longer prison term. That means Chauvin may face a sentence longer than outlined in the guidelines.

The prosecution and defense gave their closing statements Monday in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin, accused in the death of George Floyd.

Jurors must decide whether or not the government proved all of the elements of a given charge beyond a reasonable doubt. The defense bears no burden of proof, and Chauvin is deemed innocent unless convicted at trial.

During deliberations, the court provides meals for the jurors and puts them up for the night in a hotel, where marshals provide security, The jurors are not allowed to discuss the case with anyone else or even with each other when they’re outside the deliberation room.

Journalists covering a protest in a Minneapolis suburb Friday night were forced on their stomachs by law enforcement

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Journalists covering a protest in a Minneapolis suburb Friday night were forced on their stomachs by law enforcement

The incident occurred hours after a judge issued a temporary order barring the Minnesota State Patrol from using physical force or chemical agents against journalists, according to court documents. It also barred police from seizing photographic, audio or video recording equipment, or press passes.

Minnesota State Patrol on Saturday said in a statement, “troopers checked and photographed journalists and their credentials and driver’s licenses at the scene in order to expedite the identification process.”

While some journalists were “detained and released during enforcement actions after providing credentials, no journalists have been arrested,” MSP said.

Journalists covering a protest in a Minneapolis suburb Friday night were forced on their stomachs by law enforcement, rounded up and were only released after having their face and press credentials photographed.

Approximately 500 protesters were marching peacefully until around 9 p.m. when an incident triggered police to start using chemical irritants such as tear gas, pepper balls and projectiles, Jasper Colt, a photojournalist with the USA TODAY Network, reported.

Colt described police then corralling protesters and media into one group and yelling for them to get “flat on our stomachs.”

Paul, The YouTube And Social Media Celebrity, Landed A Right Hand At Askren.

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Paul, The YouTube And Social Media Celebrity, Landed A Right Hand At Askren.

Askren, the retired MMA fighter, got back on his feet and took the mandatory eight-count. But the referee waved off the fight at 1:59 of the first round as Paul improved to 3-0 as a professional boxer.

Jake Paul knocked out Ben Askren in the first round of their highly-publicized boxing match Saturday night in Atlanta.   

Paul, the YouTube and social media celebrity, landed a right hand that sent Askren sprawling to the canvas at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

After the referee waved off the fight, Paul dropped to the canvas and sobbed. He had dedicated the fight to Shamir “Shadow” Bolivar, Paul’s late bodyguard who died earlier this month.

“He told me I would knock (Askren) out in the first round,’’ Paul said of Bolivar. “He said he had a vision, a dream. This has been the hardest 10 days of my life (since Bolivar’s death). I had to hold it together to keep this fight going. And I’m just honored to be here.’’

Askren, 36, was making his pro boxing debut. But with a 19-2 record as an MMA fighter and as a two-time Division I college wrestling champion, he was considered Paul’s most formidable opponent yet.

During a post-fight press conference, Paul referred to sexual assault allegations he faced the week leading up to the fight. TikTok personality Justine Paradise has accused Paul of sexual assault.

On Tuesday, Paul issued a statement denying the allegations. But he indicated the allegations coupled with the death of his security guard and having trained for three fights in the past 14 months have drained him.

Why didn’t anyone intervene to save George Floyd’s life?

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Why didn’t anyone intervene to save George Floyd’s life?

What you’re missing, I told my friends, is that some of us are Black and some of us are white. Those Black people weren’t thinking about being arrested. They are acutely aware that the police will not hesitate to shoot you.

In that place and in that situation, maybe the white onlookers felt the same way. It is traumatic and life-threatening to come upon an encounter like the one between Floyd and former police officer Chauvin and his subordinates. As they testified in Chauvin’s trial, did you hear the crowd members, young and old, crying on the witness stand because they didn’t save George Floyd? What a regret!

Why didn’t anyone intervene to save George Floyd’s life? They had nine minutes to do it while he was under Derek Chauvin’s knee, but no one did. Some in my diverse group of longtime friends wondered about this recently on Facebook — why no bystander bolted forward to break the choke hold, even knowing they’d be arrested.

No way these Minneapolis officers would have hesitated to shoot anyone who got too close. It would have been nice if some hero — Black Panther or Captain America — had come up and intervened, but I am totally afraid that is a fantasy.

Beyond this encounter, there is Chauvin’s record as a Minneapolis police officer. There were 18 complaints against him in his 19 years there, including six from 2014 through 2019 (one involved a woman) in which he used some sort of force as he did in Floyd’s case. Most of the complaints will not be entered into evidence for this trial, by ruling from the judge.

That “crowd” knew cops are the people with the guns who are likely never to be punished for shooting anyone while on the job.

President Joe Biden’s recently announced commission to study the Supreme Court

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President Joe Biden’s recently announced commission to study the Supreme Court

Dismissed by some on the right as an effort to “pack the court” with additional justices, the 36-member group is also already drawing fire from some quarters on the left for its composition of academics, limited mandate and six-month timeline to finish its work.

President Joe Biden’s recently announced commission to study the Supreme Court is facing political headwinds before it convenes its first meeting, underscoring the challenge advocates for change have faced for years.

“I am a little disappointed that the commission wasn’t given a mandate that says ‘come up with recommendations,'” said Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, a nonpartisan group seeking term limits for justices and greater transparency at the court. “I don’t believe it’s that hard to come up with a consensus on core issues.”

Then-candidate Biden promised to name the commission as President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans rushed to confirm Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett before the election, giving conservatives a 6-3 edge at the court for the first time since the 1930s. At the time, Biden said he was “not a fan” of adding to the nine-member bench.

“Nothing produced by such a far-left commission has any chance of passing,” she said. 

But while expanding the court is controversial, there has been bipartisan support for some other changes to the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court, in the past. Some of those ideas have been deeply intertwined with constitutional debates since the nation’s founding.

The White House said Friday President Joe Biden plans to increase the number of refugees allowed to resettle

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The White House said Friday President Joe Biden plans to increase the number of refugees allowed to resettle

The administration said earlier Biden would sign an emergency determination that would maintain the fiscal year’s target of 15,000 refugee admissions – a historically low number set by former President Donald Trump. The move, an abrupt reversal of his promise to lift the cap to 62,500, prompted immediate blowback among Democratic allies and advocacy groups.

The order instead lifted refugee admission restrictions on regions previously blocked by the Trump administration, including Africa and the Middle East, and said the president would consult with Congress “should we need to increase the number of admissions to further address the unforeseen emergency situation.”

The White House said Friday President Joe Biden plans to increase the number of refugees allowed to resettle in the United States next month, hours after facing public outcry over a surprise decision to keep a Trump-era cap in place.

In February, Secretary of State Antony Blinken had announced the U.S. would allow 62,500 refugees to resettle, saying the move was “justified by grave humanitarian concerns.”

Democrats and human rights groups blasted the earlier announcement that the caps would stay the same for now.

Rep. Ilham Omar, D-Minn., called Biden’s decision to keep the Trump-era cap “shameful.” 

“As a refugee, I know finding a home is a matter of life or death for children around the world,” tweeted Omar, herself a refugee whose family fled Somalia’s civil war in the 1990s. “It is shameful that @POTUS is reneging on a key promise to welcome refugees.”

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