Author: J.P. Knowles

Lisa Christensen, a woman who was selected as an alternate juror in the very publicized trial of Derek Chauvin, has admitted that even she felt the massive pressure from BLM activists and democratic leaders would have affected her decision in the trial compared to the evidence presented.

“I did not want to go through rioting and destruction again and I was concerned about people coming to my house if they were not happy with the verdict,” she stated.

Christensen’s heart “broke a little” when she was informed by the judge presiding over the case that she would be an alternate juror.

When asked if she even wanted to be a juror for such a high-profile case.

Christensen responded, “ I had mixed feelings. There was a question on the questionnaire about it and I did not know. The reason, at that time, was I did not know what the outcome was going to be, so I felt like either way you are going to disappoint one group or the other. I did not want to go through rioting and destruction again and I was concerned about people coming to my house if they were not happy with the verdict.”

Christensen also conceded that, “I would have voted guilty. … I feel like Chauvin is responsible for Mr. Floyd’s death.” She said that prosecution witness Dr. Martin Tobin “broke it down to where we could understand it. He had us demonstrate. We were all in the jury touching our necks and we could feel what he was trying to make us feel.”

She said that was a turning point for her, but claimed, ‘I did consider the defense’s points about the enlarged heart, the narrowing of the arteries, the drug use. But regardless, I do not think he would have passed away on that day at that time.”

Raguse noted that later this summer the other three officers are scheduled to be on trial and asked, “How do you think that will go for them?”

Christensen said, “I think their trial is going to be impacted by this trial and the outcome of it. I think everybody played such a different role and everybody should be judged on their participation.”

Raguse persisted, “When you say a tougher time, do you mean putting on the trial because of the publicity from this trial?”

Christensen answered, “Yes.”

Just days prior to the announcement of the jury’s verdict, even President Joe Biden called for the jury “praying” that they would reach the only “right verdict.” He went to recall feelings he had after he spoke with George Floyd’s family, “I can only imagine the pressure and anxiety they are feeling, and so I waited until the jury was sequestered and I called. I wasn’t going to say anything about it … it was a private conversation. They’re a good family and they are calling for peace and tranquility no matter what that verdict is. I’m praying the verdict is the right verdict, which is, I think it’s overwhelming, in my view. I wouldn’t say that unless the jury is sequestered.”

Joe Biden on the Chauvin trial: "I'm praying the verdict is the right verdict, which I think is overwhelming in my view."pic.twitter.com/aJDQlZGHO4

— Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) April 20, 2021

U.S. equity markets dropped Thursday afternoon after a report was released stating that the Biden administration is thinking about increasing the capital gains tax.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell over 321 points while the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 both declined nearly one percent.

Apparently, Biden is mulling increasing the top capital gains tax rate for those earning over $1 million to between 39.6% and 43.4%. The increase would go towards funding Biden’s American Families Plan, the details of which are still being ironed out.

In economic data, initial jobless claims fell to a coronavirus-era low of 547,000, better than the 617,000 that analysts were expecting. Additionally, existing-home sales slid to a seven-month low as record prices and tight inventory held back transactions.

Also impacting trade on Thursday was Biden’s virtual conference with 40 world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, where he pledged to lower U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by up to 52% from 2005 levels before the end of the decade. Automakers were among the groups in focus as Biden gets set to unveil his climate actions.

Looking at earnings, AT&T posted a quarterly profit of $7.5 billion, or $1.04 a share, up from 63 cents per share in the same period a year ago.

Meanwhile, Credit Suisse Group said it could raise around $2 billion through the sale of new shares in order to shore up its balance sheet following the Archegos Capital Management debacle, which resulted in a 4.4 billion Swiss franc charge. The bank expects an additional 600 million Swiss franc charge in the current quarter.

American Airlines Group Inc. loss in the three months through March narrowed to $1.25 billion, from $2.24 billion a year earlier, as it posted a fifth straight quarterly deficit. The airline sees signs of demand recovering during the current three-month period.

Rival Southwest Airlines Co. earned $116 million last quarter, boosted by $1 billion in federal money that offset labor costs. The company forecasts its cash burn will slow to between $2 million and $4 million per day in April as more Americans get vaccinated and begin to travel.

Elsewhere, Homebuilder D.R. Horton Inc. reported quarterly profit nearly doubled from a year ago as low mortgage rates and increased demand for housing in the socially distant suburbs amid the pandemic boosted sales. Meanwhile, appliance maker Whirlpool raised its full-year guidance as demand for housing remains strong.

In commodities, West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 8 cents to $61.43 per barrel and gold dropped $11.10 to $1,781.20 an ounce.

Overseas markets were a different story with European markets rallying across the board with Britain’s FTSE 100 up 0.62%, Germany’s DAX 30 gaining 0.82% and France’s CAC 40 advancing 0.91%.

In Asia, China’s Shanghai Composite index slipped 0.23% while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index and Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 0.47% and 2.38%, respectively.

President Joe Biden issued a statement to “white Americans” and declared that the entire country was suffering from “systemic racism.” When a reporter asked if President Joe Biden was ever going to “accept his own culpability,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki swiftly stopped any follow-up questions pointing to Biden is one of the “core architects.” In regards to the mass incineration of the black community.

Biden stated in a press release after the verdict of the George Floyd murder trial that Floyd’s death “ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see the systemic racism” in the United States.

“But he is an architect of multiple federal laws in the 1980s and ’90s that disproportionately jailed black people and contributed to what many people see as systemic racism,” the reporter said, later highlighting a quote from a left-wing activist who said that Biden needs to take responsibility for creating the system.

“To what extent does President Biden acknowledge his own role in systemic racism, and how does that inform his current policy positions?” the reporter asked.

“Well, I would say that the President is — one of the President’s core objectives is addressing racial injustice in this country not just through his rhetoric, but through his actions,” Psaki claimed. “And what anyone should look to is his advocacy for passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, for nominating leaders to the Department of Justice to address long-outdated policies, and to ask his team — leadership team here in the White House to prioritize these issues in his presidency, which is current and today and not from 30 years ago.”

“Does he believe it’s important to accept his own culpability in setting up a system —” the reporter pressed before being cut off by Psaki.

“I think I’ve answered your question,” Psaki snapped back as she then quickly called on another reporter.

WATCH:

With all the issues in America, democrats continue to try to push unrelated legislation that holds no purpose at all. In a 216-208 vote early on Thursday, the House of Representatives approved legislation that would make Washington, D.C., the 51st state in the nation. The next stop for the bill will be the US Senate.

“It’s the second time the House has approved such legislation in two years, but the statehood bill, long a goal for the nation’s capital, faces an uphill climb in a Senate evenly divided between the two parties,” noted The Hill, adding that “Winning a vote in the Senate would likely require ending the filibuster that requires most legislation to clear a 60-vote hurdle. Even then, not all 50 Democrats in the Senate back making D.C. a state.”

The House passed H.R. 51, titled, “Washington, D.C. Admission Act,” which calls “To provide for the admission of the State of Washington, D.C. into the Union.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi celebrated the bill on Wednesday, saying, “With H.R 51, Congress is taking a significant step to enfranchise the people of DC and empower them to participate fully in our democracy.”

“Again, we’re excited that we will pass it. We will celebrate, and we hope that momentum will help it pass in the Senate so that the President can sign it into law,” Pelosi added.

H.R. 51 has been passed by the House before only to be stopped in the Republican-controlled Senate at the time. HR 51 has shown to not be for the people of DC. It is all about creating more Democrat seats in the US Senate.

“Let’s be very clear what HR 51 is all about: It’s all about creating two new Democrat US Senate seats,” GOP Rep. James Comer of Kentucky stated.

“This bill is part of the progressive pathway that President Biden, Leader Schumer, and Speaker Pelosi have to reshape America into that socialist utopia that the Squad talk about,” he added.

Every member of “the squad” is a sponsor on the bill, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley among the long list of Democratic Representatives introducing the bill.

The bill looks to have the support of the Biden administration. In an official endorsement titled, “Statement of Administration Policy” on H.R. 51, the White House stated:

The Administration strongly supports H.R. 51, the Washington, D.C. Admission Act. For far too long, the more than 700,000 people of Washington, D.C. have been deprived of full representation in the U.S. Congress. This taxation without representation and denial of self-governance is an affront to the democratic values on which our Nation was founded. H.R. 51 rights this wrong by making Washington, D.C. a state and providing its residents with long-overdue full representation in Congress, while maintaining a Federal District that will continue to serve as our Nation’s seat of government.

Establishing the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth as the 51st state will make our Union stronger and more just. Washington, D.C. has a robust economy, a rich culture, and a diverse population of Americans from all walks of life who are entitled to full and equal participation in our democracy. The Administration looks forward to working with Congress as H.R. 51 proceeds through the legislative process to ensure that it comports with Congress’s constitutional responsibilities and its constitutional authority to admit new states to the Union by legislation. The Administration calls for Congress to provide for a swift and orderly transition to statehood for the people of Washington, D.C.

According to an autopsy performed by the chief medical examiner, Francisco Diaz, United States Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick’s death was a result of 2 strokes and not an allergic reaction to chemical irritants he encountered during a riot on January 6.

Sicknick, 42, passed away the day after the riots from natural causes from what Diaz ruled as an “acute brainstem and cerebellar infarcts due to acute basilar artery thrombosis.”

The report shows that Sicknick was sprayed with the chemical substance around 2:20 p.m. on the day of the Capitol attack but didn’t collapse until 10 p.m. later that night. He was declared dead around 9:30 p.m. the next day.

Last month, federal officials arrested and charged two individuals with assault for spraying Sicknick with bear spray during the attack. 32-year-old Julian Elie Khater and 39-year-old George Pierre Tanios are looking at a list of charges, including assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon as well as conspiracy to injure a police officer. However, authorities did not charge the pair with the officer’s death.

If convicted, the men could be looking at 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines for every assault charge.

Originally, law enforcement claimed Sicknick had been struck by a fire extinguisher, this narrative was picked up by The New York Times and is now accepted as true. The piece was later quietly updated to say Sicknick had “succumbed to his injuries” after protecting the building from protesters.

Capitol police say Sicknick “was injured while physically engaging with protesters. He returned to his division office and collapsed. He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.”

Officer Sicknick was just one of the five people who lost their lives after a crowd of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol while the electoral count that would certify Joe Biden as the next President of the United States was taking place. About 140 Capitol officers were also injured during the siege.

The fallen officer was honored in the Capitol Rotunda in early February. President Biden and his wife the First Lady Jill Biden were among those who came to show their respects.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of all charges in the death of George Floyd. His bond was withdrawn and he now faces the outlook of spending the rest of his life in prison. There are three other officers who have been charged with aiding and abetting in Floyd’s death. And many Americans have wondered what will become of the former police officers.

Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane were also fired the day after Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020. They have stayed out of the spotlight compared to Derek Chauvin who has now become the face of “police systemic racism.”

Floyd resisted arrest that day on May 25th after being arrested on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill for a pack of cigarettes at a corner market in Minneapolis. After three officers struggled to place the large man in the back of the squad car, they placed him on the ground face down instead.

The three officers who have been charged with aiding and abetting in Floyd’s death responded to the call but did not directly cut off Floyd’s breathing.

The three officers were later charged with aiding and abetting unintentional second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter – charges that carry up to 40 years in prison.

They will stand trial in court together beginning on Aug. 23 in Hennepin County. The men remain free on $750,000 bail.

The community of Hennepin County reacted with jubilation around the entire city of Minneapolis. Flooding the streets with banners, cheering, and laughing in the streets as Chauvin’s guilty verdict will likely end the former police officer’s life.

Over the last few decades, police officers have been painted as the villains in the stories of these criminals who have made “gangbanging” and doing drugs just an innocent pastime. It was heartbreaking to see America be so surrounded by fear to do what is right due to the violence that the people cheering in the streets would have done if Chauvin wasn’t found guilty.

“One down, three to go!” Was the cheer that people cried at the intersection of where George Floyd resisted arrest and died from his consequences.

A panel of jurors has found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on three charges in connection with the death of George Floyd after months of the most closely watched criminal trials since the O.J. Simpson case.

Chauvin has been charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. With the entire nation on edge as we awaited the verdict, the jury announced that it has found him guilty on all three counts.

His bail was immediately revoked and he was escorted out of the courtroom with his hands cuffed behind his back. Cheers and cars honking could be heard outside the Hennepin County Courthouse as the verdict was announced.

Chauvin’s sentencing is scheduled for about two months from now, the judge said and he could be sent to prison for decades.

It took the jury about 10 hours and 20 minutes to reach a decision, which was read late in the afternoon in a city on edge regarding the possibility of more unrest like that that erupted last spring.

The courthouse was ringed with concrete barriers and razor wire, and thousands of National Guard troops and law enforcement officers were brought in ahead of the verdict. Some businesses were boarded up with plywood.

The jury was made up of seven women and five men. Six jurors were White, four were Black and two identified as multiracial. Jurors were sequestered, their whereabouts kept secret, during deliberations that began Monday afternoon.

Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died on May 25, 2020 after Chauvin held his knee against his neck or upper body for nine minutes and 29 seconds, as a handcuffed Floyd repeatedly said that he could not breathe.

It was May 25, 2020 (330 days ago) when George Floyd was killed. Close to a year ago. After a 16 day trial, the jury deliberated for just 11 hours before reaching a verdict.

— Emma Goss (@EmmaAudreyGoss) April 20, 2021

During the months-long trial, the jury heard from many high-ranking Minneapolis police officials as well as loved ones of Floyd, bystanders, an officer who also responded to the scene, and medical experts — some of whom presented opposing opinions.

The case came down to two important questions: whether Chauvin’s actions caused Floyd’s death and whether those actions were reasonable. Each individual charge required a different element of proof as to Chauvin’s state of mind.

Former vice president under Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, died Monday at 93. He has been remembered during these trying times for reimagining the role of vice president and for his public service during his career in politics.

His family stated that he died in Minneapolis. No cause of death was given.

President Biden issued a statement on the death of Mondale while recalling that back in 1973 that Mondale was one of the first to greet him when he arrived in the Senate.

“He may have been modest and unassuming in manner, but he was unwavering in his pursuit of progress; instrumental in passing laws like the Fair Housing Act to prevent racial discrimination in housing, Title IX to provide more opportunities for women, and laws to protect our environment.”

Mondale has had a long history in U.S politics. He served as Minnesota attorney general from 1960 to 1964 and as its U.S. senator from 1964 to 1976. He went on to serve as vice president to former President Jimmy Carter.

“Today I mourn the passing of my dear friend Walter Mondale, who I consider the best vice president in our country’s history,” Carter said in a statement. “During our administration, Fritz used his political skill and personal integrity to transform the vice presidency into a dynamic, policy-driving force that had never been seen before and still exists today.”

“He was an invaluable partner and an able servant of the people of Minnesota, the United States, and the world. Fritz Mondale provided us all with a model for public service and private behavior. Rosalynn and I join all Americans in giving thanks for his exemplary life, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family,” the statement added.

Jurors have sat quietly during the three weeks of Derek Chauvin’s murder trial in George Floyd’s death that sparked nationwide protests and riots. The jury of six people who are black or multiracial and six people of white people have been anonymous by order of the judge until they reach a verdict.

They have set to enter their first full day of deliberations due to closing arguments consuming most of the day on Monday.

Prosecutors argued in closing that Chauvin squeezed the life out of Floyd in a way that even a child knew was wrong.

The defense rebuked that the 46-year-old Floyd died from complications of a pre-existing heart condition and multiple years of illegal drug use with former officer Chauvin acting reasonably within his training.

Chauvin, 45, is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin, if convicted, could spend the rest of his life behind bars if the jury concludes that his actions in Floyd’s death were unreasonable.

“Use your common sense. Believe your eyes. What you saw, you saw,” prosecutor Steve Schleicher said in closing arguments, referring to the bystander video of Floyd pinned to the pavement with Chauvin’s knee on or close to his neck for up to 9 minutes, 29 seconds.

Attorney Eric Nelson argued that jurors must look past the prosecution’s narrative and also assess the first 16 minutes and 59 seconds of video before reaching their verdict. In which during those 16 minutes and 59 seconds Chauvin did what any reasonable police officer would do in an ever “dynamic” and “fluid” situation involving a large man struggling with three officers.

Stores around the city of Minneapolis have been boarded up in the wake of the jury’s decision. National Guard troops have been stationed and patrolling around the courthouse that has now been ringed with concrete barriers and razor wire. This city is now poised to erupt after any decision about Chauvin has been made.

“Justice 4 George Floyd & all stolen lives. The world is watching.” – Reads a banner as hundreds of protestors and supporters of Black Lives Matter march in the streets outside the courthouse.

California Rep. Maxine Waters has already stated that if Chauvin isn’t convicted of murder then “we’ve got to get more confrontational.” Judge Peter Cahill rejected a defense request for a mistrial based on these comments but remarked:  “Congresswoman Waters may have given you something on appeal that may result in this whole trial being overturned.” He called her comments “abhorrent” and “disrespectful to the rule of law and to the judicial branch.”

Derek Chauvin’s defense attorney believes his client’s actions as a police officer were reasonable on the day in question if you take into account the full scope of George Floyd’s arrest instead of just the 9 minutes and 29 seconds the officer’s knee was on Floyd’s neck.

That’s what attorney Eric Nelson focused on during his closing argument for Chauvin. He said people need to take into account the 17 minutes that led up to the part of the arrest that he claims the prosecution is unfairly focusing on.

Nelson claimed that his client used all of his training and instincts as a police officer to respond to the situation appropriately and argued that Chauvin’s use of force on Floyd was totally justified.

There is also the difficulty of defining the rules regarding “use of force,” so Nelson told the jury it would be hard to analyze Chauvin’s actions, which, against, can not be limited to 9 minutes.

Nelson urged the jury to examine the case from the point of view of a police officer who is only human and therefore “capable of making mistakes in highly stressful situations.”

“In this case,” he added, “the totality of the circumstances that were known to a reasonable police officer in the precise moment the force was used demonstrates that this was an authorized use of force, as unattractive as it may be.”

Nelson’s closing arguments lasted for more than 2 hours during which Chauvin took off his mask for a long period of time for unknown reasons. The judge then finally let the jury break for lunch.

Earlier in the day, the prosecution gave their closing arguments stating that Chauvin “had to know” he killed Floyd and claimed it was not an accident.

Now that closing arguments have come to a close the jury will start deliberations. Judge Cahill reiterated instructions and the jury will be sequestered until they are able to reach a verdict.