MPR News PM Update
April 8, 2021

One more day of April car wash. Showers are likely, again, after midnight. Lows tonight will be in the upper 40s. Tomorrow will be another rainy day with a chance of patchy fog in some parts of the state. Highs Friday will be in the lower 50s.Get the latest from Updraft.

A pulmonologist, testifying in the trial of Derek Chauvin, says George Floyd died because of low levels of oxygen.

Dr. Martin Tobin said by handcuffing and pinning Floyd to the street, the officers essentially placed Floyd's left side in a vise.

"It’s totally being pushed in, squeezed in from each side — from the street at the bottom, and then the way the handcuffs are manipulated. It’s not just the handcuffs — it’s how the handcuffs are being held, how they’re being pushed, where they're being pushed that totally interfere with central features of how we breathe."

Tobin also says Floyd's prone position, combined Chauvin's knees pressed into his neck and side, deprived him of oxygen.

The cause of Floyd’s death is taking shape as a key dispute in the murder trial, as Chauvin’s attorney contends drug use and poor health were to blame.

The number of COVID-19 cases each day continues to trend upward, even as vaccination efforts accelerate. 

Active cases are trending now at levels not seen since the start of the year. Hospitalizations and deaths also continue to slowly climb. There are now 565 people with COVID-19 in Minnesota hospitals, and the age of people needing to be hospitalized is trending younger.    

But there have now been more than 3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered across the state. More than 1.9 million Minnesotans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and the state is on track to have 50 percent of adults vaccinated within two weeks. 

Subscribe to our Minnesota Today podcast to get the up-to-date Minnesota news twice daily. — Tim Nelson | MPR News
 
Even with prospect of aid, Minnesota school budgets in dire shape
The coronavirus hasn’t just upended classrooms around the state — it’s wreaking havoc on district budgets, which are largely determined by enrollment. State and federal lawmakers are considering and passing billions of new dollars in education funding, but Minnesota districts are still laying off staff and closing schools.
 
Minnesota woman charged in attack on U.S. Capitol
FBI agents arrested a Rochester, Minn., woman Thursday on charges connected to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Victoria White is expected to make her first appearance in federal court later Thursday. The details of the charges against the 39-year-old White have been sealed. It was not immediately clear if White has an attorney who could speak on her behalf.
 
Biden tightens some gun controls, says much more needed
President Joe Biden, in his first gun control measures since taking office, announced a half-dozen executive actions Thursday aimed at addressing a proliferation of gun violence across the nation that he called an “epidemic and an international embarrassment."
 
Police: 1 killed, 4 wounded in shooting at Texas business
One person was killed and four people were wounded Thursday in a shooting at a cabinet-making business in Bryan, Texas, police said, and the shooter was not in custody. Bryan Police Chief Eric Buske told reporters he believes the shooting suspect is an employee at the Kent Moore Cabinets location.
 
SPONSOR

 
 
Police ask for help finding a suspect in three random stabbings in March
Police think three random stabbing incidents in south Minneapolis in mid-March are connected. They include a woman stabbed to death at a bus shelter the morning of March 17, a man stabbed on on Park Avenue a few minutes later a short distance away, and another man stabbed and seriously injured at a Lake Street bus shelter minutes after that.
 
Fresh unrest in Northern Ireland sparks comparisons to 'The Troubles'
The latest violence in Belfast has erupted amid anger from Protestant unionists concerned they're being isolated from the U.K. and pushed into a union with the Republic of Ireland due to post-Brexit trade rules.
 
Gulf builds in MN Legislature over public safety plans
In the shadow of the Derek Chauvin trial, Minnesota lawmakers are debating more changes to police accountability. They’re far from agreement.
 
Have you been tested for COVID-19? We want to hear from you.
While the state and federal government have increased attention on COVID-19 vaccinations, epidemiologists say testing for COVID-19 has to be a priority to pinpoint an outbreak. MPR News and our partners at APM Reports are interested in better understanding the types and costs of COVID-19 tests available across the country.
 

Preference CenterUnsubscribe

This email was sent by: Minnesota Public Radio
480 Cedar Street Saint Paul, MN, 55101