Floyd Little, Syracuse and Broncos great, dies at 78
FILE - In this Sept.1969 file photo, Denver Broncos' Floyd Little avoids the tackle of New York Jets' Steve O'Neal (20) during a football game in Denver. Little, the Hall of Fame running back who starred at Syracuse and for the Denver Broncos, has died. (AP Photo/File)DENVER โ Floyd Little, the versatile running back who starred at Syracuse and for the Denver Broncos, has died after a long bout with cancer. โSo, I supposedly saved the franchise.โLittle was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. โFloyd Little was a true hero of the game," said David Baker, president and CEO of the pro hall.
Judge drops 3rd-degree murder charge against former cop in Floydโs death
MINNEAPOLIS โ A Minnesota judge has dismissed a third-degree murder charge filed against the former Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee against George Floydโs neck, but the more serious second-degree murder charge remains. Cahill said there was enough probable cause for the second-degree murder charge and manslaughter charge against Derek Chauvin to proceed to trial. Floyd, a Black man who was in handcuffs, died May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floydโs neck as Floyd said he couldnโt breathe and became motionless. Defense attorneys argued that there was not enough probable cause to charge the former officers. ___This story has been corrected to show the name of one of the officers charged in Floydโs death is J. Kueng, not J. Jueng.
Ex-cop's video captures crowd's horror during Floyd arrest
MINNEAPOLIS Newly released body-camera video from a third officer involved in George Floyds arrest captures for the first time the growing horror of onlookers who repeatedly pleaded with the officers to get off Floyd. The video made available Thursday comes from fired Officer Tou Thao, one of four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of Floyd, a handcuffed Black man. Floyd died after a white officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee against Floyd's neck for nearly eight minutes on a south Minneapolis street May 25 as Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe. That footage, along with Thao's video, shows Floyd pleading with the officers as they struggle to place him in the squad car in the moments before his death. Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe and called out for his mother before passing out.
Barr to condemn rioting at much-anticipated House hearing
FILE - In this March 23, 2020, file photo Attorney General William Barr speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Briefing Room in Washington. Barr is scheduled to appear for the first time before the House Judiciary Committeeon Tuesday, July 28. Massive but peaceful demonstrations had followed Floyd's death in May. But he will also condemn Americans who he says have responded inappropriately to Floyd's death through what he said was rioting and anarchy. Barr also pushed for a more lenient sentence for another Trump ally, Roger Stone, prompting the entire trial team's departure.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler, players kneel during anthem
San Francisco Giants' manager Gabe Kapler kneels during the national anthem prior to an exhibition baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Monday, July 20, 2020, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)OAKLAND, Calif. San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler and several of his players knelt during the national anthem before Monday night's exhibition game against the Oakland Athletics. Kapler, beginning his first season managing the Giants after two disappointing years guiding the Phillies, didn't discuss his plans to kneel in a pregame session with media members. Kapler has been outspoken about social injustice and racial issues and athletes' roles in helping spur positive change. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started taking a knee during the national anthem in 2016 to protest racial inequality and police mistreatment of minorities. Former A's catcher Bruce Maxwell in 2017 became the first major leaguer to kneel for the anthem since Kaepernick began his silent protest.
Betts: Baseball didn't do good job with response to Floyd
Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts, center, and center fielder Cody Bellinger, right, chat during the restart of baseball spring training Saturday, July 4, 2020, in Los Angeles. MLB was the last of the major pro sports leagues that either responded to Floyd's death or condemned racism. I think baseball did not do a good job with that, but voices were heard, Betts said Monday on a video conference call with reporters. Obviously, MLB can help, Betts said, but I think its on us, as in the Black players, and kind of make baseball cool because I think thats where the disconnect is. I just don't want us to lose the traction, the momentum, the conversations that we've had over the last month.
Body camera video could offer more detail in Floyd encounter
โA video camera, when properly authenticated, is an eye witness. The widely seen video recorded by a bystander shows Chauvinโs actions and Floydโs anguish as he gasps for air. Body camera videos are not expected to be made public until a trial or until the cases are otherwise resolved. In the Floyd case, Bruce Gordon, a spokesman for the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, confirmed that body camera video captured portions of the incident. Mel Reeves, a longtime community activist in Minneapolis, said he doesn't think the body camera video will matter because the bystander video should be enough to convict the officers.
Athletes sign petition asking Congress to end qualified immunity for police
Several Jacksonville Jaguars players are among the list of athletes who signed the petition, which asks Congress to pass a bill ending qualified immunity. Phillips said qualified immunity was originally intended to give police the benefit of the doubt. The problem is qualified immunity has become absolute immunity, meaning police officers cant get in trouble if the victim is dead and theres no other evidence," Phillips said. When you have body cameras that are turned on and available, cellphone camera with footage like weve seen on Mr. (George) Floyd, those are the ones that bust qualified immunity. Qualified immunity prevents offices from being sued in civil court unless they are fired from the police department.
Historical figures reassessed around globe after Floyd death
People stand around the fallen Christopher Columbus statue at the Minnesota state Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., Wednesday, June 10, 2020. In Bristol, England, demonstrators over the weekend toppled a statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston and threw it in the harbor. On Wednesday night, protesters pulled down a century-old statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond, Virginia, the former capital of the Confederacy. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, who has proposed dismantling all Confederate statues in the city, asked protesters not to take matters into their own hands for their own safety. Andrew Cuomo, who is Italian American, said he opposes removal of a statue of Columbus in Manhattans Columbus Circle.
CrossFit founder, dropped by Reebok, apologizes about tweet
SILVER SPRING, Md. SILVER SPRING, Md.The founder of CrossFit is apologizing for a Twitter post he made about racial inequality protests after Reebok cut ties with his company. Our partnership with CrossFit HQ comes to an end later this year," Reebok told the AP. Recently, we have been in discussions regarding a new agreement, however, in light of recent events, we have made the decision to end our partnership with CrossFit HQ. We will fulfill our remaining contractual obligations in 2020.Glassman, through his company's Twitter account, wrote, I, CrossFit HQ, and the CrossFit community will not stand for racism.
Biden promises police changes without stripping funding
But spokesman Andrew Bates added that Biden does not believe that police should be defunded, as some Minneapolis authorities are pursuing locally and some activists are demanding nationally. The former vice president was in Houston on Monday to meet privately with Floyds family ahead of his funeral. Biden supports the urgent need for reform -- including funding for public schools, summer programs, and mental health and substance abuse treatment separate from funding for policing -- so that officers can focus on the job of policing, Bates said. Specifically, he calls for a $300 million infusion into existing federal community policing grant programs. The measure included federal money for the kind of community policing Biden champions, but it also helped states build more prisons and toughened federal sentencing laws in ways that Biden and others now acknowledge disproportionately hurt black and other nonwhite defendants.
Keedron Bryants message continues to spread
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Keedron Bryant is everywhere these days. This is what God has called me to do.Keedron Bryant, whose song "I Just Want to Live" went viral, performed a stunning national anthem at @amsupdates. pic.twitter.com/akDoEabnfX NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 8, 2020Keedrons voice is powerful, but his message is what has resonated with listeners. Keedron sang the song acapella at his house and it went viral instantly. All of us together.The lyrics to Keedron and his mothers song are below.
Asia Today: South Korea's cases surpass 50 for 2nd day
Queensland state police community liaison officers hand out face masks to people gathering for the Black Lives Matter protest in Brisbane on Saturday, June 6, 2020. Black Lives Matter protests across Australia proceeded mostly peacefully Saturday as thousands of demonstrators in state capitals honored the memory of Floyd and protested the deaths of indigenous Australians in custody. South Koreas caseload peaked in late February and early March when it recorded hundreds of new cases each day. The new cases in recent weeks have been linked to nightclubs, an e-commerce warehouse, church gatherings and door-to-door sellers in the Seoul metropolitan area. It is on guard against imported cases as it begins to ease restrictions on flights and people arriving from abroad.
Woods speaks out for 1st time since George Floyd's death
Tiger Woods is speaking out for the first time since George Floyds death, saying his heart goes out to Floyd, his family and everyone who is hurting right now. The 44-year-old golfer broke his silence with a statement on his Twitter account Monday night. I have always had the utmost respect for our law enforcement, Woods said. His death sparked protests in Minneapolis and around the country, some of which became violent. We can make our points without burning the very neighborhoods we live in, Woods said.