(NEW YORK) — Here are today’s In Crisis headlines:
Protests over Daunte Wright shooting; officer, police chief resign; charges being considered
There was another night of protests Tuesday over the police shooting Sunday of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, with officials there and in neighboring cities issuing curfews through Wednesday morning. Earlier Tuesday, Kim Potter, the officer who shot Wright during a traffic stop, submitted her letter of immediate resignation from the police force. Police Chief Tim Gannon also submitted his resignation Tuesday. Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott said at a Tuesday press conference that he hadn’t yet accepted Potter’s resignation and also hadn’t ruled out the possibility of firing her.
Potter has stated that she shot Wright in error, believing that she had drawn her Taser and not her firearm. KTSP TV in Minneapolis reports that the Washington County Attorney’s Office may announce today whether to charge Potter with a crime. The case was sent to neighboring Washington County officials to avoid a conflict of interest with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, which works closely with Brooklyn Center Police on criminal cases. Mayor Elliot also tweeted Tuesday that he’s requested the governor to assign the Minnesota attorney general’s office to investigate the shooting in order to “ensure transparency.”
Defense continues case today in Derek Chauvin murder trial
The defense will today begin their second day of testimony in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, charged with murdering George Floyd during his arrest on May 25 of last year. Prosecutors Tuesday concluded their case after calling 38 witnesses and presenting numerous videos to support their argument that Chauvin used excessive and unnecessary force during Floyd’s arrest, causing his death. Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, called witnesses Tuesday in rapid succession, including Barry Brodd, a police use-of-force expert who testified Chauvin was justified and acted reasonably in the amount of force used on Floyd, including placing his knee on Floyd’s neck. At one point, Brodd suggested that if Floyd was being compliant, he would have had both hands in the small of his back “and just be resting comfortably.” That prompted an incredulous response from the prosecutor, who said Floyd was moving was because he was struggling to breathe by shoving his shoulder into the pavement.
President Biden expected to announce US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan today
President Biden is today expected to announce that the United States will withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by September 11, according to a senior administration official. Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has already responded, calling the move a “grave mistake and “abdication of American leadership.” There are roughly 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan now. American troop levels reached a high of 100,000 troops in August 2010 and stayed at that level for much of the following year.
COVID-19 numbers
Here’s the latest data on COVID-19 coronavirus infections, deaths and vaccinations.
Latest reported COVID-19 numbers globally per Johns Hopkins University
Global diagnosed cases: 137,544,208
Global deaths: 2,961,963. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 563,449.
Number of countries/regions: at least 192
Total patients recovered globally: 78,371,168
Latest reported COVID-19 numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 31,346,923 reported cases in 50 states + the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. This is more than in any other country.
U.S. deaths: at least 563,449. California has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 60,547.
U.S. total people tested: 410,410,902
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in California, with 3,706,629 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 39.51 million. This ranks second in the world after England, which has 3,824,441 cases. Texas is second in the U.S., with 2,837,160 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 29 million.
Latest reported COVID-19 vaccination numbers in the United States
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a total of 245,364,805 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. Of those, 192,282,781 doses have been administered, with 122,295,530 people receiving at least one dose and 75,322,283 people fully vaccinated, representing 36.8% and 22.7% of the total U.S. population, respectively. The Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines each require two doses to be effective. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires a single dose to be effective.
All 50 states pause use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine in wake of blood clot news
All 50 states have now indicated that they will pause use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at the urging of the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, after the discovery of six cases in the United States of a rare and severe type of blood clot that developed about two weeks after the vaccine was administered. Even with the pause, President Biden said “there is enough vaccine, that is basically 100% unquestionable, for every single, solitary American.”
Concerning the reported blood clots, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who heads the White House COVID-19 task force, tells ABC News: “The important thing to emphasize is that it is very rare. There were six women out of the 6.85 million vaccinations of the J&J, which means that it’s less than one in a million.” The CDC has called a public meeting this afternoon of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to discuss the six adverse cases. The committee may recommend more research, end the pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or limit the population demographic they recommend should get the vaccine.
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