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Stories from April 15, 2021

House, Senate remain at odds over public safety

House, Senate remain at odds over public safety

Competing public safety bills are advancing at the Capitol. The push for greater police accountability is a big fault line.
by Brian Bakst and Tim Pugmire

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Chauvin defense rests without testimony from ex-officer; closing arguments begin Monday

Both the state and the defense rested their cases on Thursday, the latter without testimony from former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who has been charged with murder and manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd. This afternoon MPR News update for Thursday, April 15, 2021, was hosted by Kirsti Marohn. Theme music by Gary Meister.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Chauvin trial reaction: ‘Victim-blaming’ and an international perspective 

Chauvin trial reaction: ‘Victim-blaming’ and an international perspective 

All eyes are on Minnesota as former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s murder and manslaughter trial continues. Host Angela Davis talks to a reporter with international ties about what the world is seeing, then asks two experts how “victim-blaming” played a role in how George Floyd has been portrayed during the trial. 
by Angela Davis

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Vikings stadium debt becomes piece of budget debate

Vikings stadium debt becomes piece of budget debate

Minnesota Senators are moving to rework debt from the Vikings stadium construction to shorten the payment window, but it would take money off the table that Gov. Tim Walz has routed toward his budget priorities.
by Brian Bakst

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Democrats unveil long-shot plan to expand size of Supreme Court from 9 to 13

Democrats unveil long-shot plan to expand size of Supreme Court from 9 to 13

Republicans were scathing in their response to the measure, but the bill has a grim future even without their opposition. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she has no plans to bring it to the floor.
by Krishnadev Calamur and Nina Totenberg

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Police training is on trial in Minnesota

Police training is on trial in Minnesota

Before Derek Chauvin and Kim Potter were charged with killing Black men, they were both responsible for helping train the next generation of police officers. What lessons will future recruits learn from their actions? 
by Kerri Miller and Marcheta Fornoff

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Minnesota sees major improvement in drought conditions

Temperatures turn milder through the weekend, as more sunshine returns.  The seasonable weather is short-lived though as colder weather returns next week.
by Nicole Mitchell

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'Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing' isn't just a cult memoir

'Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing' isn't just a cult memoir

Essay after essay, it becomes clear that writer Lauren Hough is drawing parallels between the Family and good ol' fashioned American Exceptionalism in all its various facets.
by Ilana Masad

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The most popular J&J vaccine story on Facebook? A conspiracy theorist posted it

The most popular J&J vaccine story on Facebook? A conspiracy theorist posted it

A vast network of professional vaccine skeptics on social media have been waiting for a development like the Johnson & Johnson pause. Now experts say they will milk it for all its worth and more.
by Miles Parks

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Officer in Wright's killing: From veteran who trained colleagues to defendant

Officer in Wright's killing: From veteran who trained colleagues to defendant

The white police officer who fatally shot a Black man in a Minneapolis suburb has gone from being a veteran staffer who trained less experienced colleagues and led the department's union, to a criminal defendant held up by community activists as a symbol of police aggression toward Black people.
by The Associated Press

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Daunte Wright, slain by police, known as jokester, doting dad

Daunte Wright, slain by police, known as jokester, doting dad

Daunte Wright loved making people laugh and, after becoming a father in his teens, relished the role of doting young dad, according to his family and friends. He also had talked to a mentor about being careful if he was pulled over by police, given the long history of Black men shot by police during traffic stops.
by The Associated Press

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What is infrastructure? It's a gender issue, for starters

What is infrastructure? It's a gender issue, for starters

Many traditional infrastructure jobs have gone to men in the past. Progressives like Rep. Katie Porter fear that the way Biden is splitting his economic agenda could hurt American women.
by Danielle Kurtzleben

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Some sunshine finally returns Thursday

Minnesota finally sees a few more breaks of sunshine Thursday, and temperatures continue to nudge slightly milder.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Ahead of hearing, Capitol Police says it needs help to address insurrection failures

Ahead of hearing, Capitol Police says it needs help to address insurrection failures

Responding to a critical inspector general's report, the U.S. Capitol Police acknowledges that "much additional work needs to be done," but that it will need "significant resources" from Congress.
by Claudia Grisales

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'I'm scared because of that booming': A preschooler and her family watch protests, police in Brooklyn Center

'I'm scared because of that booming': A preschooler and her family watch protests, police in Brooklyn Center

On the day Daunte Wright was killed by a Brooklyn Center police officer, Tenean Manier says she and her two little kids didn’t sleep most of the night. The space near her apartment building quickly filled with protesters, then police officers and flash-bangs. She says it felt like her neighborhood had suddenly become a war zone. 
by Elizabeth Shockman and Evan Frost

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Officer who shot Wright to make 1st court appearance

Protests continued for a fourth day after a Brooklyn Center police officer shot and killed Daunte Wright. Another large crowd gathered Wednesday after the former officer was charged with second-degree manslaughter. Kim Potter is expected to make her first appearance Thursday. Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents arrested Potter and booked her into Hennepin County Jail Wednesday. She resigned from the department Tuesday. This is an MPR News morning update for Thursday, April 15, 2021. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

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April 15 update on COVID-19 in MN: New cases, vaccinations continue steady climb

April 15 update on COVID-19 in MN: New cases, vaccinations continue steady climb

Minnesota’s COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to grow. But growth is slower than than last week, blunted by state’s steady pace of vaccinations. State health officials are briefing reporters now.
by MPR News Staff

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Chauvin trial: No testimony from ex-officer; closing arguments begin Monday

Chauvin trial: No testimony from ex-officer; closing arguments begin Monday

Both the state and the defense rested their cases on Thursday, the latter without testimony from Derek Chauvin, who has been charged with murder and manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd.
by Brandt Williams, Dan Gunderson, Riham Feshir and Jon Collins

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Wright family questions lack of murder charges; officer makes 1st court appearance

Wright family questions lack of murder charges; officer makes 1st court appearance

The family of Daunte Wright and their attorneys said Thursday they welcomed the criminal charge against the former police officer who fired the shot that killed him Sunday, but questioned why she wasn’t charged with murder.
by Peter Cox and Matt Sepic

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Art Hounds: Artists explore self-care during hard times

Art Hounds: Artists explore self-care during hard times

Mezzo soprano Mia Athey’s vocal showcase celebrates self-love as a remedy during the pandemic, Tori Hong and Cori Nakamura Lin’s “Growbook” offers a creative self-directed format for healing, and the Danger Committee’s juggling, knife-throwing, comedy show gives the whole family a chance to laugh.
by Emily Bright

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APM documentary: 'Remembering Jim Crow'

APM documentary: 'Remembering Jim Crow'

For much of the 20th century, Black Americans in the South were barred from the voting booth, sent to the back of the bus and walled off from many of the rights they deserved as citizens. Until well into the 1960s, segregation was legal. The system was called Jim Crow. In this documentary, Americans — Black and white — remember life in the Jim Crow times.
by MPR News Staff

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