April 28, 2022 4:56 pm
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is appealing his conviction for murder in the killing of George Floyd, arguing that jurors were intimidated by the protests that followed and prejudiced by heavy pretrial publicity. Chauvin asked the Minnesota Court of Appeals in a court filing this week to reverse his conviction, reverse and remand for a new trial in a new venue, or order a resentencing. Last June, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Chauvin to 22 1/2 years in prison after jurors found him guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin pinned the Black man to the ground with his knee on his neck for 9 minutes, 29 seconds.
April 28, 2022 4:54 pm
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Russia mounted attacks across a wide area of Ukraine on Thursday, bombarding Kyiv during a visit by the head of the United Nations. At least one person was killed and several were injured in the attack on Kyiv, including some who were trapped beneath the rubble after two buildings were hit. A spokesperson said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his team were safe. The attack is the boldest the capital city has seen since Russian forces retreated weeks ago. Elsewhere, Ukrainian authorities reported intense Russian fire in the Donbas, the eastern industrial heartland that the Kremlin is bent on capturing.
April 28, 2022 4:51 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is asking Congress for an additional $33 billion to help Ukraine fend off the Russian invasion. The money is expected to last for five months, and would be a big boost in U.S. efforts to bolster Kyiv in an intensifying war that’s showing no signs of ending anytime soon. Biden says the “cost of this fight is not cheap, but caving to aggression is going to be more costly.” The proposal has more than $20 billion in military assistance for Ukraine and for bolstering defenses in nearby countries. Biden is also seeking new powers to seize and repurpose the assets of Russian oligarchs.
April 28, 2022 8:41 am
Moderna is asking U.S. regulators to open its COVID-19 vaccine to the nation’s youngest children. Kids under 5 are the only group in the U.S. not yet eligible for vaccination, and frustrated parents are waiting impatiently for a chance to protect them. Moderna hopes the Food and Drug Administration will rule in time for tots to start getting vaccinated by summer. It’s a complex decision partly because while other countries give Moderna shots to older children, the U.S. so far has restricted them to adults. Rival Pfizer also is studying its vaccine in the littlest kids.
April 28, 2022 4:23 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Firefighters have been making significant progress on the biggest wildfires burning unusually hot and fast for this time of year in the western U.S. But forecasters from the Southwest to the southern High Plains are warning of the return the next two days of the same gusty winds and critical fire conditions that sent wildland blazes racing across the landscape last week. Some of the nearly 1,000 firefighters battling the biggest fire in drought-stricken New Mexico cut away brush and burned out any extra fuel Wednesday. It’s burned about 94 square miles. And hotter, drier, windier weather is in the forecast into the weekend.
April 28, 2022 4:21 am
POKROVSK, Ukraine (AP) – European leaders blasted Russia’s decision to cut natural gas shipments to Poland and Bulgaria as “blackmail.” They said the cutoff and the Kremlin’s warning that it might cut shipments to other countries is a failed attempt to divide the West over its support for Ukraine. Russia’s decision to use its most essential export as leverage marked a dramatic escalation in the economic war of sanctions and counter-sanctions that has unfolded in parallel to the fighting on the battlefield. The tactic against the two EU and NATO members could eventually force targeted nations to ration gas. It could also deprive Russia of badly needed income to fund its war effort.
April 28, 2022 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A majority of U.S. adults say misinformation around Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a major problem, and they largely fault the Russian government for spreading those falsehoods. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows 61% of Americans say the spread of misinformation about the war is a major problem, with only 7% saying it’s not a problem. Older adults were more likely to identify the wartime misinformation as an issue, with 44% of those under 30 calling it a problem, compared with 65% of those 30 and older.
April 28, 2022 4:17 am
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) – An Osceola County Fire Rescue & EMS official says one person was killed and at least three others were injured Wednesday night after a shooting at a Target in Kissimmee, Florida. Public Information Coordinator Andrew Sullivan said in an email to The Associated Press that one person was taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds and later died. Another person had a minor shrapnel injury to their hand, and two others were hurt after falling while running away from the store at 4795 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway. All four were adults, Sullivan said, but he did provide anymore information about the injured. Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said two Osceola deputies were involved in the shooting but neither deputy was hurt.
April 28, 2022 4:16 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – The International Atomic Energy Agency chief says the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear plant which is currently under Russian occupation in Ukraine is a “red light blinking” as the IAEA tries in vain to get access for work including repairs. Rafael Grossi in an Associated Press interview turned the focus to the nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia a day after Ukraine marked the anniversary of the 1986 deadly disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear plant. Chernobyl was itself occupied for weeks by Russian soldiers after their February invasion. Grossi says Russia and Ukraine need to help on access to the Zaporizhzhia plant but there is reluctance on both sides.
April 28, 2022 4:14 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Leading candidates for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania’s open governor’s office met for their statewide live-televised prime-time debate Wednesday. They’re seeking an edge in a nine-person field. Four met the polling threshold set by the station’s parent company: former Congressman Lou Barletta; state Sen. Doug Mastriano; lawyer Bill McSwain; and plumbing and HVAC firm owner Dave White. They made big promises about what they can do for the economy. They also vowed to get rid of no-excuse mail-in voting. Democrat Josh Shapiro doesn’t face a challenger for the party’s nomination. The primary election is May 17.
