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Month: April 2021

With virtual reality police training, Sacramento tries to ‘get to a much better place’

With police training programs across the country under intense scrutiny after Derek Chauvin’s murder conviction, one department in California is using several high-profile police killings of Black Americans as it trains the next generation of officers to better anticipate and respond to high-risk encounters. The Sacramento Police Department’s training techniques have been largely shaped by

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Tennessee governor declares that Covid-19 is no longer a health emergency with only 25% of state’s residents fully vaccinated

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signaled Tuesday that he will not renew any public health orders, saying “Covid-19 is no longer a health emergency in our state,” though only 25% of the state’s population is fully vaccinated. “A widely available vaccine changes everything and it’s a new season in Tennessee,” Lee said in a tweet. Health

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US Capitol rioters charged in Sicknick case were armed with bear spray but only used pepper spray, prosecutors say

The Justice Department on Tuesday abandoned the idea that pro-Trump rioters had used bear spray against US Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick during the January 6 riot, a major change after implying for weeks that bear spray, not pepper spray, had been deployed. Prosecutors addressed the seemingly small but significant difference at a detention hearing

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CDC gives new guidance on what vaccinated people can safely enjoy. But we may be hitting a wall with vaccine hesitancy

Just in time for warmer weather, fully vaccinated Americans can now safely enjoy more pre-pandemic activities without a mask, according to new guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But health officials are seriously concerned about sputtering vaccine interest in some areas. The CDC defines fully vaccinated people as those who are

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Man arrested at airport after 35 birds intended for singing contests found in his clothing, officials say

A man was arrested and charged with allegedly smuggling 35 live finches in hair curlers from Guyana for “singing contests” in New York City, according to a complaint from the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Kevin Andre McKenzie, a 36-year-old Guyanese resident, flew to John F. Kennedy International Airport in

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First to CNN: Ilhan Omar reintroduces policing legislation as progressives eye ongoing bipartisan talks

Progressive Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is reintroducing three policing bills she hopes will be incorporated into the bipartisan package lawmakers have been fine-tuning for weeks as pressure mounts on Congress to pass meaningful legislation that will impose new police practices across the country. All three bills were first introduced in the last Congress,

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Murkowski challenger wrote in support of ‘ex-gay’ organization and posts on evils of ‘addictive’ witchcraft and ‘Twilight’

Kelly Tshibaka, a Republican Senate candidate seeking to challenge Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski in 2022, once wrote in support of an “ex-gay” Christian organization that promoted discredited “conversion therapy” and said that homosexuality was caused by “sexual molestation during childhood.” In an article unearthed by CNN’s KFile, Tshibaka wrote that gay people can “work through

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10-foot-tall concrete letters to be installed welcoming people into SF’s Bayview

Click here for updates on this story     SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood is making a name for itself. 10-foot-tall letters spelling out “BAYVIEW” were installed Monday off Third Street, near Meade Avenue. It is a community-designed initiative by the Bayview Community Parks Project. The engineering firm behind it says the letters are

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Ugly no more: Crocs sales surge

There’s no end in sight for the ongoing love affair between Crocs, the maker of the often-mocked foam clog, and comfort-seeking consumers. On Tuesday, Crocs reported that sales surged 64% in its first quarter, to $460 million. The company also raised its 2021 sales forecast, saying it now expects revenue for the year to increase

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On-duty NYPD officer dies after being struck by an intoxicated hit-and-run driver with a suspended license on the Long Island Expressway

A 43-year-old NYPD officer was struck and killed early Tuesday morning on the Long Island Expressway by an intoxicated driver who fled the scene and was later arrested, police officials said. Officer Anastasios Tsakos was on the LIE in Queens, New York, directing traffic and helping investigate another fatal crash that had occurred earlier on

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Biden picks Texas sheriff who criticized Trump-era policies for ICE director

President Joe Biden will nominate Harris County, Texas, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, a critic of former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, to serve as director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the White House announced Tuesday. Gonzalez, who was elected sheriff of Harris County in 2016, has a decades-long career in law enforcement, according to his biography.

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The census is a lucky break for Republicans

The most important development thus far in the race for control of the House of Representatives in 2022 arguably occurred with Monday’s release of data from last year’s census. The census provides the basis for redrawing Congressional and other legislative district lines every 10 years. Although state legislatures, or in some case special districting commissions,

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Leaders discuss new options for Internet

Click here for updates on this story     SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts (WSHM) — Councilors from across western Mass. came together Monday to hammer out what it’ll take to bring affordable high-speed internet to their communities. Joined by a panel of industry experts, the focus of Monday night’s discussions was municipal-owned fiber-optic internet networks, where the local government

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Justin Bieber is being accused of cultural appropriation over his hair. Again.

Justin Bieber is facing backlash over his hair. Again. The pop star debuted some short dreadlocks this week, sparking cries of cultural appropriation and racial insensitivity. The outcry came four years after he was similarly criticized over wearing cornrows — and, yes, dreadlocks. Dreadlocks are traditionally connected to the culture and identities of Black people,

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Biden pushes new CDC mask guidance as a reason why all Americans should get vaccinated

President Joe Biden spoke on Covid-19 Tuesday afternoon. You can watch it live below: View Post President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged all eligible Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, saying that new guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention easing certain restrictions for fully vaccinated individuals is a great incentive

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Biden judicial pick secures endorsements ahead of hearing with Supreme Court overtones

Dozens of former Supreme Court clerks, Justice Department officials and law professors are throwing their support behind President Joe Biden’s highest-profile judicial nominee to date as the Senate Judiciary Committee gets set to consider his first batch of selections for the federal courts. The endorsements, in a series of letters obtained by CNN, show a

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Great Lakes piping plovers return

Click here for updates on this story     CHICAGO (WLS) — After spending the winter separately in Texas and Florida, Chicago’s first fowl couple, Monty and Rose the piping plovers, are back. To the delight of bird enthusiasts, known as birders, Rose returned Sunday and Monty on Monday. They came back to Montrose Beach, the place

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McCarthy on Cheney’s fitness for leadership: ‘That’s a question for the conference’

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy pointedly declined an opportunity on Tuesday to say whether he believes Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3-ranking House Republican who has been a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, was a “good fit” for the party’s leadership. Asked by Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman whether Cheney, the GOP conference chairwoman

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Vehicle crashes into junior high classroom

Click here for updates on this story     MOORE, Oklahoma (KOCO) — Oklahoma City firefighters responded the scene where a vehicle crashed into a classroom Monday afternoon at Brink Junior High Schools, in the Moore Public Schools District. The school is located near Southwest 119th Street and Western Avenue. Fire officials said no one was injured.

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Brothers meet after nearly 60 years apart

Click here for updates on this story     GREENSBORO, North Carolina (KOAT) — Flying into the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, Martin Hauser said his stomach was doing backflips. It wasn’t because of traveling during the pandemic or missing a layover. Waiting for him in the lobby was his long-lost brother. Hauser was

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