Good morning.
International attention is on Minneapolis this morning, where the trial of a former police officer accused of killing George Floyd will get under way. Floyd’s death, after officers knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest while he pleaded that he could not breathe, triggered a wave of Black Lives Matter protests across the globe.
An autopsy from the county medical examiner’s office ruled Floyd’s death was homicide because he suffered heart failure caused by “law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression”.
The family is seeking justice, the public is seeking accountability,” said the civil rights attorney and commentator Areva Martin. “The world is waiting to see if the US will be courageous enough to stand up to a system that has a history of violating the rights of African Americans and, rather than protecting those lives, has actually destroyed them.”
What are the key arguments likely to be? The prosecution’s case will center around a nine-minute bystander video of the incident, and attorneys are expected to allege that Chauvin had a long history of excessive force. Chauvin’s defence is expected to focus on the autopsy’s findings that Floyd had heart disease, and that there was evidence of intoxication.
There will be an increased police presence, alongside the national guard, during the trial, after anger over Floyd’s death spilled into riots last year.
A Georgia senator is pushing for more White House action on voter rights
The Georgia senator Raphael Warnock challenged Joe Biden to move voter suppression up his priority list, telling the president that “we have to pass voting rights no matter what”. It comes after Republican lawmakers in the state passed new restrictions on voting, which critics say will disproportionately target black and other minority voters who lean Democrat.
The president has described the legislation in Georgia as “unAmerican” and “Jim Crow in the 21st century”.
We’ve got to work on the infrastructure of our country, our roads and our bridges, and we’ve got to work on the infrastructure of our democracy,” Warnock told CNN’s State of the Union.
There has finally been some progress on the Suez canal
The enormous container ship blocking the Suez canal was finally refloated in the early hours of Monday, suggesting the key international trade artery may soon be cleared. Authorities have been attempting to shift the Ever Given for almost a week, as huge backlogs of cargo built up on either side of the canal.
More than 360 vessels are waiting to travel through the canal, carrying goods ranging from Ikea furniture to livestock and tea. Experts reckon the total value of goods stuck at sea could be anywhere between $3bn and $9.6bn.
Crude oil prices fell after news of the progress, with Brent crude down $1.41 a barrel to $63.05.
In other news …
Up to 60 people are missing after an ambush in Mozambique by Islamist militants on Friday – mostly foreign citizens. Just seven vehicles in a convoy of 17 made it to safety after the attack, with those in the other vehicles assumed dead.
Police on Miami Beach have been accused of heavy-handedness and racism, after swathes of spring break crowds breaking coronavirus restrictions were cleared from the area. Sunday night was the second night of an emergency 8pm curfew, with police arresting 156 people over the weekend.
The US men’s soccer team will miss the Olympics for the third time in a row after losing to Honduras in a crucial match on Sunday.
Stat of the day: legalizing marijuana could bring in $350m annually to New York
New York has legalized marijuana for recreational use, as well as medical, joining 14 other states. Andrew Cuomo’s administration has estimated legalization could bring in about $350m annually, with the industry projected to be worth $4bn in the state. But aside from the lucrative finances, the primary goal was “to end the racially disparate enforcement of marijuana prohibition”, one lawmaker said.
Don’t miss this: how toxic waste poisoned a California community
A lead battery recycling plant in Vernon, California, released layers of lead and cancer-causing arsenic into nearby Latino communities. Terry Gonzalez-Cano is one resident whose home had more than double the 80 parts per million (ppm) that California deems acceptable – one neighbour’s levels were high enough to qualify as toxic waste.
Last Thing: the Schitt’s Creek motel is up for sale
The motel from the hit TV show Schitt’s Creek is up for sale – and could be yours for C$2m. The series, in which the wealthy Rose family are stripped of their glamorous lifestyle and forced to start over in a backwater town, won a sweep of Emmys and fans across the world.
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