5 things to know for April 14: Covid-19, police violence, Afghanistan, Russia, abortion

Protesters gathered for a third night on the streets of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, to show their anger over the death of Daunte Wright to police. A county prosecutor says he hopes to have a charge decision today on ex-officer Kim Potter, who shot Wright after allegedly confusing his weapon with a Taser. Potter and the Brooklyn Center police chief have resigned after Sunday’s meeting. Meanwhile, the Virginia attorney general is investigating an incident in which two officers aimed pistols at a U.S. Army officer, sprayed him with pepper and pushed him to the ground during a traffic stop. And in Minneapolis, not far from the Brooklyn Center riots, the prosecution has rested its case on the murder of ex-officer Derek Chauvin, and the defense has begun to launch its arguments.

President Biden is expected to announce the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan before 9/11, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Today’s announcement will expand the presence of U.S. troops beyond the May 1 deadline set by the Trump administration in a deal with the Taliban. The decision to eliminate troops, which ended America’s longest war, has been divisive. Some leaders and lawmakers think withdrawing troops right now could risk a collapse of the Afghan government and erase some hard profits from the United States. Others celebrate the return of American forces and the end of a long and exhausting conflict. However, the United States has no plans to withdraw the 2,500 troops. Some will remain in the country to provide diplomatic security. There are also several hundred U.S. special operations forces in Afghanistan, whose next moves are unclear.

Russia continues to accumulate troops along the western border with Ukraine and Biden has proposed a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss solutions. The two leaders spoke on the phone yesterday. They discussed gun control and emerging security issues, and Biden urged Putin to reduce tensions in the region. The Kremlin has said today that it is too early to talk about the details of a possible summit between the countries. The United States has become increasingly concerned about Russia’s military build-up in western Russia and Crimea, which includes more than 50,000 troops, about 18% of the country’s total ground forces. And there is one big point: the United States and other nations are not entirely clear about Russia’s goals.

A U.S. appellate court has upheld an Ohio law banning abortion due to fetal Down syndrome. The ruling challenges the precedents set by the Supreme Court and potentially sets new battles in similar cases nationwide. Unlike other recent court decisions on abortion that focused primarily on regulation or access to the procedure, this decision involves a woman’s reason for requesting the procedure and what she can tell her doctor. . Because the current Supreme Court has a conservative majority, it is more likely to uphold the decision if asked to resolve the issue.

It’s not because our hygiene is getting worse (hopefully ?!), it’s a sign of a pandemic anxiety going on.

Now, this news calls for a good glass of ratafia!

We are certainly innovating at the speed of the seltzer front at a fast pace.

They are all quite alarming, to be honest.

Sometimes obscure language filters can be … well, you know.

This is how it is believed that there are remains of victims in the Vall dels Caiguts, a mass grave for the victims of the country’s civil war of 1936-39. Spain plans to open the tomb and begin exhuming remains to identify them.

He NCAA Governing Board, which said in a statement that it “strongly and unequivocally supports” transgender athletes amid recent state laws that would limit transgender participation in school sports

This beautiful 18th century swan automaton (mobile device) is made of pure silver and even the glass water and silver fish are very realistic. (Click here to see it.)