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☆ Major US Muslim group moves annual gala after threats at Virginia hotel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the Marriott Crystal Gateway hotel (MAR.O) in Arlington, Virginia, which has hosted its gathering for more than 10 years, told the group it had received threats. "Anonymous callers have threatened to plant bombs in the hotel's parking garage, kill specific hotel staff in their homes, and storm the hotel in a repeat of the Jan. 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol if the events moved forward," CAIR said Thursday night. Marriott did not confirm specific threats. "Please join ZOA in calling Marriott to demand that they cancel this dangerous CAIR event," the ZOA said in an "action alert" on Thursday. On Thursday, the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, a second advocacy group, said the Hilton hotel (HLT.N) in Houston had abruptly canceled its booking for an annual conference on Oct. 27-29.

Persons: Kim Potter, Daunte Wright, Marriott, Greg Abbott, Hilton's, Hilton, Abbott, Joe Biden, Doina Chiacu, Julia Harte, Doyinsola, Chizu Nomiyama, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: National Guard, Minnesota, Islamic, Hennepin County Government Center, Islamic Relations, Marriott Crystal Gateway, U.S, Capitol, Crystal Gateway Marriott, Department, Hamas, Marriott, CAIR, Endowment, Middle East, Zionist Organization of America, U.S . Campaign, Palestinian Rights, Hilton, Texas, Thomson Locations: Hennepin County, Minneapolis , Minnesota, U.S, ARLINGTON , Virginia, Virginia, Arlington , Virginia, United States, Gaza, Israel, Houston, Texas, Illinois, Washington, New York

☆ R. Kelly and Universal Music Group must pay over $500,000 in music royalties to his victims, judge rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Minyvonne Burke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Disgraced musician R. Kelly and Universal Music Group must pay more than $500,000 in music royalties to his sexual abuse victims, a New York judge ruled. As part of his sentencing in the case, Kelly, Universal and Sony Music Entertainment were ordered to pay his half-million dollar debut. Universal Music Group is holding at least $567,444.19. Universal Music Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. Kelly, 56, was found guilty in September 2021 on nine counts of sex trafficking and racketeering in a high-profile sex trafficking case.

Persons: Kelly, Ann Donnelly, Robert Sylvester Kelly, — Daniel Arkin, Adam Reiss Organizations: Universal Music Group, U.S, Eastern, of New, Universal, New, Sony Music Entertainment, Prosecutors, Sony, Universal Music, Attorney's, Hennepin County Attorney's Locations: Leighton, Chicago, New York, of New York, Brooklyn, U.S, York, Minnesota, Hennepin County

☆ STIs are on the rise in the US. A pill taken after sex could help slow them down
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Yet recent research suggests that one pill of the drug can be effective in preventing such infections among men who have sex with men if taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex. He added that any guidance from the CDC will help “fill gaps,” provide direction to clinics and offer a framework for using doxyPEP for STI prevention. “Drug resistance when taking doxyPEP is currently being studied in people using this treatment for STI prevention. “There are still many STI prevention and treatment gaps left to fill. “In STI prevention, we’ve been relying on tools that are decades, sometimes centuries old.

Persons: Dr, Jonathan Mermin, ”, doxyPEP, Stephanie Cohen, “, “ We’re, ” Cohen, ” David C, Harvey, ” Harvey, DoxyPEP, someone’s, Annie Luetkemeyer, gonorrhea, ” Luetkemeyer, Connie Celum, Kenya Medical Research Institute —, Jenell Stewart, Stewart, ” Stewart, Suneer Chander, Wisp, ” Chander, Sanjay Gupta, Mermin, Deidre McPhillips Organizations: CNN, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC’s National Center, HIV, CDC, San Francisco Department of Public Health, California Department of Public Health, San Francisco Department of Public, National Coalition, STD, “, New England, of Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, UCSF, University of Washington, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Hennepin Healthcare, University of Minnesota, PEP, Food and Drug Administration, CNN Health Locations: United States, San Francisco, Seattle, King County, Washington, Kenya, Hennepin

The sentence will run concurrently with the 3-1/2 years Thao previously received on a federal conviction of violating Floyd's civil rights, Fox 9 in Minneapolis reported. Cahill in May found Thao guilty of one count of aiding and abetting manslaughter in the second degree for his role in Floyd's death. Thao, a nine-year veteran of the police force, was the fourth and final officer sentenced in the killing. Lane was sentenced to 2-1/2 years and Kueng to three years in federal prison, to run concurrently with the state sentence. Last year, he received a concurrent sentence of 21 years in prison on federal charges of violating Floyd's civil rights.

Persons: Tou Thao, George Floyd, Peter Cahill, Keith Ellison, Thao, Cahill, Derek Chauvin, Floyd, Thomas Lane, J, Alexander Kueng, Chauvin, Lane, Kueng, Brendan O'Brien, Will Dunham Organizations: Former Minnesota, Hennepin County Sheriff's, REUTERS, Former Minneapolis, Minnesota, Fox, Thomson Locations: Hennepin County Jail, Minneapolis , Minnesota, U.S, Hennepin County, Minneapolis, United States, Kueng, Chicago

CNN —Tou Thao, the former Minneapolis police officer who held back a crowd of bystanders during George Floyd’s fatal arrest in May 2020, was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison Monday for aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Tou Thao, the last former Minneapolis police officer to face sentencing in state court for his role in the killing of George Floyd, appeared in court Monday. During the arrest, Lane held down Floyd’s legs, Kueng held down Floyd’s torso, and Thao stood nearby and kept back a crowd of upset bystanders, including an off-duty firefighter trying to render aid. Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in state court and was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison in June 2021. Lane, Kueng and Thao were found guilty in federal court of violating Floyd’s civil rights and of failing to intervene to stop Chauvin during the restraint.

Persons: Tou Thao, George Floyd’s, Thao, ”, George Floyd, Peter A, Cahill, “ Mr, Chauvin, Kueng, Lane, ” Thao, “, Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, J, Alexander Kueng, George Floyd's, Floyd, Floyd’s, Judge Cahill Organizations: CNN, Minneapolis, Minnesota Department of Human Rights Locations: Minneapolis, Minnesota, Hennepin, Floyd, Kueng

☆ Minneapolis police agree to court-enforced reforms 3 years after George Floyd protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Rachel Nostrant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] A pedestrian walks past a mural near the closed Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct on the third anniversary of the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., May 25, 2023. The agreement approved July 13 by Hennepin County District Court Judge Karen Janisch provides for an independent community commission to oversee the Minneapolis Police Department and mandates policing reforms. "No, I don’t think it’s going to be enough.”Under the July 13 agreement, Minneapolis city and police officials have 60 days to put together implementation teams. Her department had conducted its own investigation into Minneapolis police after last year announcing it had found probable cause to believe that the Minnesota Human Rights Act had been violated. It worked with the city and its police department on the agreement approved by Judge Janisch.

Persons: George Floyd, Leah Millis, Karen Janisch, Derek Chauvin, Floyd, Toussaint Morrison, Rebecca Lucero, Judge Janisch, Rachel Nostrant, Donna Bryson, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Hennepin, Minneapolis Police Department, Minneapolis police, Department's Civil Rights, Minnesota Department of Human Rights, Minnesota Department of Human, Minnesota Human, Thomson Locations: Minneapolis, Minneapolis , Minnesota, U.S, Minnesota, Hennepin County

☆ 'Obama,' 'Trump gets impeached twice' and the other top political references in Fall Out Boy's new cover of the Billy Joel classic 'We Didn't Start the Fire'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Fall Out Boy's new cover of the 1989 Billy Joel classic covers a lot of the bases the original touch. "Cambridge Analytica" (2018): The British consulting firm had been around for years, but bombshell reporting by The New York Times and The Guardian in 2018 sparked a scandal. Obama went on to defeat Republican presidential nominee John McCain en route to becoming the nation's first Black president. "Trump gets impeached twice" (2021): President Donald Trump became the first president to be impeached twice in the wake of the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Video later showed that Rice, who was 12 years old, was killed within two seconds of officers arriving, The New York Times reported.

Persons: Billy Joel, Obama, Trump, —, Billy Joel's, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Dwight D, Eisenhower, It's, Egypitan Hosni Mubarak, Muammar Gaddafi, Rodney King, King, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Viktor Yanukovych, Russia's, Donald Trump's, Alexander Nix, Cambridge Analytica, Osama bin Laden's, Illinois Sen, Barack Obama, New York Sen, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Donald Trump, acquit Trump, Roberto Schmidt, Timothy McVeigh, Alfred P, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Bland, Rice, George Floyd, Derek Chauvin, Chauvin, Kerem Yucel, Gore, George W, Bush, Al Gore, Sandra Day O'Connor, Tom Delonge Organizations: Service, Cubs, Israel, NPR, National Guard, Russia, Cambridge, The New York Times, Guardian, London Thomson Reuters, US, New York, Democratic, Affordable, Republican, AFP, Getty, Murrah Federal Building, Georgia Republican, Minneapolis Police, Civil, Hennepin County Government Center, Texas Gov, Electoral College, Washington Post, CNN, Fox News, The Washington Post, New York Times Locations: Suez, Israel, Egypt, United Kingdom, France, British, Tunisia, North Africa, California's, Crimea, Ukraine, Azov, Kerch, Moscow, Russian, London, Afghanistan, Illinois, Iowa, Washington, Oklahoma, Georgia, The, Hennepin County, Minneapolis , Minnesota, AFP, Florida

☆ Fact Check-Drag performer did not expose genitals to children in 2019 Minnesota event
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A 2019 photo of a drag performer has recirculated with the false impression that they flashed their genitals to children at a library, but unedited photos show the performer was clothed. The original photo shows a drag performer who goes by the name Sasha Sota during an event called Stories Together with Drag Performers at Ridgedale Library, part of the Hennepin County Libraries, in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The event drew criticism by conservative outlets at the time (here), (here), (here). Stories Together with Drag Performers was a program by Hennepin County Libraries that partnered with drag performers to read aloud to children, as covered by local news outlet MPR News (here). The drag performer pictured did not flash their genitals to children at a library event.

Persons: Sasha Sota, Joshua Yetman, Yetman, Read Organizations: Ridgedale, Hennepin County Libraries, Twitter, Reuters Locations: Hennepin, Minnetonka , Minnesota, Hennepin County

☆ Supreme Court rules for homeowner in 'equity theft' dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Lawrence Hurley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Supreme Court of the United States building are seen in Washington D.C., United States on December 28, 2022. But the county sold the home for $40,000 and kept all the proceeds, Tyler's lawyers at the Pacific Legal Foundation say. The remaining states return the surplus proceeds when seized properties are sold. A year later, the county sold it for $40,000, keeping the $25,000 in profit. Owners have three years to pay the taxes and have an opportunity to repurchase the seized properties.

☆ Ex-Minneapolis police officer found guilty of aiding in George Floyd killing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Thao had opted to allow Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill decide whether he was guilty or not guilty, waiving his right to a trial by jury. Derek Chauvin, a white officer captured on cellphone video kneeling on the handcuffed Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, was found guilty of murdering Floyd in 2021. With Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck, and Lane and Kueng restraining his knees and buttocks, Floyd pleaded for his life before falling limp. Two other former officers, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, pleaded guilty last year to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, the same charge Thao faced. At a federal trial last year, Keung, Lane and Thao were found guilty of violating Floyd's civil rights.

CNN —A Minnesota judge found former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter for his role in the May 2020 killing of George Floyd, according to court documents filed Monday. “Like the bystanders, Thao could see Floyd’s life slowly ebbing away as the restraint continued,” Cahill wrote in the verdict. Tou Thao Hennepin County Sheriff's Office“The conviction of Tou Thao is historic and the right outcome,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, the lead prosecutor of Floyd’s murder, said in a statement. Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in state court and was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison in June 2021. Lane, Kueng and Thao were found guilty in federal court of violating Floyd’s civil rights and of failing to intervene to stop Chauvin during the restraint.

The dispute concerns Minnesota's tax regime under which the state takes "absolute title" of a property if an owner fails to pay property taxes for five years. Tyler's attorneys said in a court filing that 13 other states have similar policies that let government or private investors benefit when collecting delinquent property taxes. She owed $15,000, including roughly $2,300 in property taxes, as well as penalties, interests and costs. States have long permitted forfeitures of an entire property for neglecting to pay taxes, which are a reasonable condition of property ownership, the county said. Rulings in this case and any others not yet decided by the Supreme Court are due by the end of June.

☆ The Supreme Court Takes Up ‘Home-Equity Theft’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Christina Martin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Images: Reuters/Shutterstock Composite: Mark KellyGeraldine Tyler never thought she’d end up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court—especially at 94. Ms. Tyler is a victim of what’s often called home-equity theft, but this form of robbery isn’t criminal; in fact, it’s legal in a dozen states. The Supreme Court, which hears oral arguments Wednesday in Tyler v. Hennepin County, has the opportunity to end these predatory tax foreclosures once and for all. To collect what it was owed, Hennepin County seized and later sold the one-bedroom condo for $40,000. You might think the county would settle the $15,000 debt and return the $25,000 balance to Ms. Tyler.

☆ Appeals court affirms conviction of Chauvin for George Floyd murder
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 17 (Reuters) - The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Monday upheld the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd during a 2020 arrest, rejecting Chauvin's request for a new trial. In December 2021, Chauvin pleaded guilty in federal court to charges he violated George Floyd's civil rights. The most serious state crime for which Chauvin was convicted was second-degree unintentional murder involving third-degree assault. Writing for the appeals court panel, Judge Peter Reyes disagreed. "Chauvin crossed that line here when he used unreasonable force on Floyd."

March 27 (Reuters) - E-cigarette company Juul Labs Inc and its former largest investor, Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc (MO.N), will face their first U.S. trial this week over claims that they created a public nuisance by marketing addictive e-cigarettes to minors. It says Juul sold its e-cigarettes in sweet flavors and promoted them on social media to appeal to underage consumers. Juul and Altria have faced thousands of similar lawsuits around the country. The state also says Altria helped Juul market its products, including by providing it access to its sales force and including Juul advertisements in Marlboro products. Altria this month announced that it had given up its investment in Juul in exchange for some of Juul's intellectual property.

☆ Court asked to void verdict against Derek Chauvin in George Floyd's murder
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

An attorney for Derek Chauvin asked an appeals court Wednesday to throw out the former Minneapolis police officer’s convictions in the murder of George Floyd, arguing that legal and procedural errors deprived him of a fair trial. But Neal Katyal, a special attorney for the state, said Chauvin got “one of the most transparent and thorough trials in our nation’s history. ... Chauvin’s many arguments before this court do not come close to justifying reversal.”Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Chauvin to 22 1/2 years after jurors found him guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. “Judge Cahill managed this trial with enormous care, and even if Chauvin could identify some minor fault, any error is harmless,” Katyal said. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin addresses the court as Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill presides over Chauvin's sentencing on June 25, 2021, at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis.

The justices will weigh a claim brought by Geraldine Tyler, a 93-year-old whose property in Minnesota was seized by Hennepin County because she owed $15,000 in property taxes and related costs. The state says that under Minnesota law it “provides ample opportunity for property owners to protect their interests” before a property is seized. The state’s lawyers point out that owners have three years to pay the taxes and have an opportunity to repurchase the seized property. The case was brought by the Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative legal group that often brings property rights cases. The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, is often sympathetic to property rights claims.

Authorities have identified a 19-year-old man fatally shot Friday inside a department store in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, as Johntae Raymon Hudson. Hudson also told KARE 11 that when she learned her brother was shot, she held out hope he would survive. Several members of the New York Giants, who faced off against the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, were in the Mall of America when the shooting occurred. The mall told the station then that it was testing options “that may allow us to further enhance” security systems. Earlier this year, a man fired three shots in front of a store in the mall, KARE 11 reported.

☆ Extreme cold weather stretches U.S. homeless shelters' capacity
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Gabriella Borter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] A man stands outside of his tent during a period of cold weather in Denver, Colorado, U.S. December 22, 2022. Officials prepared the indoor arena to house 225 people but increased its capacity to 359 on Wednesday night. The report found that homelessness among people in shelters declined by 1.6%, while unsheltered homelessness increased by 3.4%, compared to 2020. "Severe weather exacerbates the cruel reality of homelessness in America," said Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. Nearly 1,000 migrants were staying at Denver city shelters or partner shelters as of Thursday, according to a city statement.

☆ Former Minnesota police officer to be sentenced in George Floyd case
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Eric MillerDec 9 (Reuters) - A former Minneapolis police officer is expected to be sentenced on Friday for his involvement in the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who was killed when a fellow police officer knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes in May 2020. Kueng, 29, and fellow officer Thomas Lane helped Chauvin restrain Floyd while another officer, Tou Thao, kept bystanders from approaching the scene. Chauvin was convicted of murder in a state trial and sentenced to 22-1/2 years. He also pleaded guilty to related federal charges and is serving a federal sentence of 21 years concurrently. The three other officers were convicted in federal court of depriving Floyd of his civil rights and sentenced in July to between 2-1/2 and 3-1/2 years in prison.

☆ Fact Check-Election graphs published by Mike Lindell do not indicate U.S. voter fraud
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

A series of graphs published by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell on his social media channels and livestreams appearing to show real-time U.S. midterm election updates do not indicate or prove fraud, experts told Reuters. Lindell published four graphs on his Instagram account purporting to show real-time vote counts during the elections. But such ‘spikes’ seen in graphs using unofficial election data do not indicate or provide proof of fraud, with races rarely officially called on election night (here). The four graphs appearing to show real-time midterm election data do not point to fraud or nefarious activity. Visualizing unofficial vote counts in real-time where the incoming data may be non-uniform in distribution can lead to apparent “spikes” in graphs, experts told Reuters.

On social media, families say they’ve hunted for hours for Tamiflu and the first-line antibiotics amoxicillin and Augmentin. They have one viral illness after another. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of US states have “high” or “very high” respiratory virus activity. As for the antibiotics amoxicillin and Augmentin – a combination of amoxicillin and clavulanate, an agent that helps guard against antibiotic resistance – it’s not entirely clear why demand is so high. Some viral illness, like influenza, can leave the body more vulnerable to secondary bacterial infections that may need treatment with antibiotics.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence drug overdose was main cause of death for George Floyd in 2020
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled Floyd’s death a homicide with the cause of death as “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression” (here). Under cross examination by Chauvin’s lead lawyer, Baker said that certain heart diseases or use of opioids can be fatal but that neither directly caused Floyd’s death. Reuters reporting on additional expert testimony during the trial that countered the defense’s claim that opioid use caused Floyd’s death can be found (here), (here), (here) and (here). But the fentanyl levels in Floyd’s blood should not be the sole factor in determining his cause of death. Available evidence about George Floyd’s death and toxicology test results do not show that his main cause of death was a drug overdose and toxicology results alone cannot identify a lethal level of fentanyl or other drugs in the body.

☆ DOJ plans to monitor elections in these 46 cities and counties to ensure voters aren't harassed
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Justice Department plans to monitor polls in two dozen states across the country to ensure no one intimidates voters or otherwise meddles with Tuesday's midterm elections. The department's Civil Rights Division selected 64 jurisdictions in 24 states, including Alaska, Florida, Georgia and Nevada, for oversight in both the general election and early voting. The division routinely monitors elections in the field, starting in 1965 when Congress passed the Voting Rights Act. DOJ monitored polls in 18 states and 44 cities and counties in 2020, by comparison. Attorneys' Offices and the Office of Personnel Management will assist the DOJ Civil Rights Division in monitoring efforts and maintaining contact with state and local election officials.

Oct 24 (Reuters) - A former Minneapolis police officer charged in connection with the murder of George Floyd pleaded guilty on Monday as his trial was about to begin, a court spokesperson confirmed. Kueng and Thomas Lane helped Chauvin restrain Floyd, an unarmed Black man, while another officer, Tou Thao, kept bystanders from approaching the scene. Chauvin was convicted of murder in a state trial and sentenced to 22-1/2 years; he also pleaded guilty to related federal charges and is serving a federal sentence of 21 years concurrently. Kueng's plea agreement includes a sentence of 3-1/2 years that will be served concurrently with his federal sentence, according to Matt Lehman, a spokesperson for Hennepin County District Court. Kueng's defense attorney and the Minnesota attorney general's office, which is prosecuting the case, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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