Pastor Denell Howard leads a prayer Saturday at a vigil at Olivet Missionary Baptist Church in Indianapolis for the victims of the shooting Thursday at a FedEx facility.

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Pastor Denell Howard leads a prayer Saturday at a vigil at Olivet Missionary Baptist Church in Indianapolis for the victims of the shooting Thursday at a FedEx facility.

Michael Conroy/AP

The man who police say carried out a mass shooting that left eight people dead and several others injured at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis is said to have used two assault rifles in the attack, both of which were purchased legally.

A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives trace revealed that the weapons used by Brandon Hole, 19, in Thursday’s attack were purchased legally in July and September of 2020, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said.

On Saturday, Hole’s family issued an apology to the victims and claimed that the family had attempted to get him “the help he needed.”

“We are devastated at the loss of life caused as a result of Brandon’s actions; through the love of his family, we tried to get him the help he needed,” the family said in a statement provided to The Indianapolis Star. “Our sincerest and most heartfelt apologies go out to the victims of this senseless tragedy. We are so sorry for the pain and hurt being felt by their families and the entire Indianapolis community.”

Paul Keenan, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis field office,
said on Friday that the FBI had interviewed Hole in April 2020 after his mother warned that he might commit “suicide by cop.”

Hole was placed in a mental health detention and had his shotgun seized. Agents at the time found no evidence of a crime or a racially motivated ideology, Keenan said.

The victims of the attack have been identified as Matthew R. Alexander, 32; Samaria Blackwell, 19; Amarjeet Johal, 66; Jaswinder Kaur, 64; Jaswinder Singh, 68; Amarjit Sekhon, 48; Karlie Smith, 19; and John Weisert, 74.

Among the dead are four members of the Sikh community in Indiana — home to an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Sikh Americans.

Joined by the Indianapolis mayor, members of the Sikh community and other city residents came together for a vigil Saturday and called for gun reform. Aasees Kaur of the Sikh Coalition was among the speakers.

“Horrific events like Thursday’s shooting call us to action,” Kaur said. “We must support each other not just in grief, but in calling our policymakers and elected officials to make meaningful change.”

According to police officials, Hole had been previously employed by the FedEx facility where the attack was carried out. Officials have yet to report a motive.

In a statement on Friday, President Biden called U.S. gun violence “an epidemic” and said that the country “can, and must, do more to act and to save lives.”

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2021/04/18/988498492/indianapolis-shooting-suspect-obtained-guns-legally-police-say

“In terms of the specific measures that we would undertake, we are looking at a variety of different costs that we would impose,” Sullivan said. “And I’m not going to telegraph that publicly at this point, but we have communicated that there will be consequences if Mr. Navalny dies.”

Navalny was arrested upon returning to Russia in January and has been on a hunger strike for several weeks. Navalny’s doctor warned Saturday that the opposition leader “could die at any moment.”

Navalny blames Moscow for his poisoning by a nerve agent last year, which Russia has denied. The U.S. slapped sanctions on Russia in March over Navalny’s poisoning.

Biden denounced the treatment of Navalny by Russia on Saturday.

“It’s totally, totally unfair,” Biden said, according to a White House pool report. “Totally inappropriate.”

But Sullivan was pressed by host Dana Bash over why Biden isn’t demanding Navalny’s release or granting him medical attention at “every single opportunity,” including in a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week or in announcing further sanctions against Russia on Thursday. Sullivan responded that the Biden administration sees diplomatic channels as the best way to advocate on behalf of Navalny.

“We actually have made the judgment that direct communication to the Russian government on this issue — including both how we see it, how our allies and partners see it, and what might unfold … should he pass away — and we have judged that rather than just make general statements publicly, the best way to deal with this issue is privately and through diplomatic channels direct to the uppermost levels of the Russian government,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan declined to discuss whether a potential summit between Biden and Putin could be scrapped in the event of Navalny’s death. Biden proposed a summit “in the coming months” in his call with Putin, according to a White House readout of their conversation.

“There isn’t currently a summit on the books,” Sullivan said. “It’s something we’re talking about and that summit would have to take place, of course, in the right circumstances in a way that could actually move the relationship forward.”

Source Article from https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/18/russia-navalny-dies-sullivan-482837

The NBA has instructed teams to be vigilant about the impact of a potential verdict this week in the Derek Chauvin trial for the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, including the possibility of game postponements, sources told ESPN.

The looming specter of possible protests, civil unrest and team reactions in the aftermath of a verdict has the league office preparing for the prospect that a night or two of league games could be postponed this week, sources said.

Final arguments are expected Monday in the case against Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who faces charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death after he held his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes in May 2020. Chauvin has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets postponed a game last week after the police shooting of an unarmed Black man, Daunte Wright, during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis.

The Timberwolves started a four-game, seven-day Western Conference road trip on Sunday in Los Angeles.

The NBA and WNBA postponed a full slate of playoff games after another unarmed Black man, Jacob Blake, was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during the NBA’s restart in Orlando, Florida, in August 2020. The Milwaukee Bucks boycotted a playoff game against the Orlando Magic, triggering a full stoppage of league games for three days.

Source Article from https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31283169/sources-nba-tells-teams-ready-impact-verdict-derek-chauvin-trial

DETROIT – As COVID-19 cases continue surging in Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is being criticized by those who believe she has changed her position about following science recommendations related to the pandemic.

Whitmer made an appearance on Meet the Press Sunday with the show’s host Chuck Todd who asked about whether she has changed her position slightly.

Before she could answer clips were shown of Whitmer speaking at the beginning of the pandemic.

“We got to follow the science and the data and we have to make decisions based on that,” said Whitmer in one clip that was played on Meet the Press.

In another clip that was played she said, “I’m not going to be bullied into not following the science or not doing what I know to be the right thing.”

Then one recent clip was played of Whitmer speaking this month about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggesting that Michigan’s response to rising COVID-19 cases should be to shut things down.

“What might seem like a natural thing to do is much more complicated than what the CDC might suggest when you look at the reality here on the ground,” said Whitmer in the clip.

In response to whether she has changed her position Whitmer told Todd that many things have changed since the start of the pandemic.

“You know fifteen months ago we didn’t know that this virus could be contained by the simple act of wearing a mask. We didn’t have personal protective equipment at our fingertips. We certainly didn’t have the testing, or the vaccines. We’re now in a much different position on top of that,” said Whitmer.

She pointed out that a lot of her coronavirus emergency powers were stripped away by a ruling from the Michigan Republican controlled Supreme Court.

“I don’t have all of the exact same tools. Despite those things, we still have some of the strongest mitigation measures in the country, mask mandates, capacity limitations, working from home. So we’re still doing what we can. But what is really happening on the ground here is we’re moving fast to get shots in the arms. We got a million in two weeks, a million in just the last nine days, so we keep breaking our own records. We’ve got these continued mitigation practices, and I’m working with a smaller set of tools at my disposal and that’s why we really do need and appreciate the additional help that we’re getting from the federal government,” she said.

In response to the issue of Metro Detroit hospital systems being overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients Whitmer said everyone has to do their part to help prevent the spread.

“Well at the end of the day this is going to come down to whether or not everyone does their part. That’s the most important thing,” said Whitmer.

On Friday, Michigan reported a total of 8,955 new cases and 40 additional deaths. It was the second highest single-day case total in Michigan since the start of the pandemic. On Nov. 20, 2020 the state reported a total of 9,779 cases, its highest case total to date.

The number of cases went down on Saturday with more than 5,000 reported.

Michigan has extended the COVID-19 order that implemented restrictions on gatherings, restaurants, entertainment venues and more.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has extended its epidemic order through May 24. It also expanded mask requirements to include children ages two to four years old.

Additionally, the COVID-19 B117 is growing quickly here in Michigan.

Whitmer said that this is the time of year people are going on spring break which can contribute to the spread of COVID-19.

“That’s why we’re imploring people to take this seriously, mask up, get tested if you’ve been around someone who is positive, stay home and if you do get COVID-19 use one of these monoclonal antibodies so that we can keep you out of the hospital and help you retain your health,” said Whitmer.

Chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci, was also on Meet the Press Sunday addressing concerns related to the pandemic. You can watch Sunday’s episode in the video above.

Source Article from https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2021/04/18/michigan-governor-responds-to-critics-who-say-she-changed-her-position-on-following-science-recommendations-during-pandemic/

Three people were killed and at least two were seriously injured in a shooting early Sunday morning at a busy Kenosha County tavern, authorities said.

Investigators believe it is possible there was more than one gunman. They had not arrested anyone as of midday Sunday. 

About 100 officers were looking for suspects, Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said in a news conference.

Residents near Somers House tavern in the village of Somers likely were not at risk Sunday, Beth said.

The suspected shooter was a patron who “wasn’t cooperating with the management” at the tavern, Beth said. The man left the bar and returned a short time later, about 12:45 a.m., to begin shooting, he said.

Shots were fired inside the tavern as well as outside, leading investigators to believe more than one person could have fired shots, Beth said. He believed handguns were used.

The patron who fired shots “knew who the victims were” and targeted them, Beth said. He did not know whether the victims knew the patron.

Authorities had not released the names of the victims Sunday morning.

In addition to the three people who were killed and the two who were seriously injured, “there’s a possibility that one or two or maybe even more had minor injuries or some other injuries,” Beth said.

Source Article from https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2021/04/18/kenosha-county-shooting-3-dead-2-injured-somers-house-tavern/7276284002/

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The former employee who shot and killed eight people at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis legally purchased the two assault rifles used in the attack despite red flag laws designed to prevent that, police said.

A trace of the two guns found by investigators at the scene revealed that suspect Brandon Scott Hole, 19, of Indianapolis, legally bought the rifles in July and September of last year, officials with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said Saturday.

IMPD did not share where Hole bought the guns, citing the ongoing investigation, but said Hole was witnessed using both rifles during the assault.

Deputy Police Chief Craig McCartt said Hole began firing randomly at people in the parking lot of the FedEx facility late Thursday, killing four, before entering the building, fatally shooting four more people and then turning the gun on himself.

Paul Keenan, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis field office, has said that agents questioned Hole last year after his mother called police to say that her son might commit “suicide by cop.” He said the FBI was called after items were found in Hole’s bedroom but he did not elaborate on what they were. He said agents found no evidence of a crime and that they did not identify Hole as espousing a racially motivated ideology.

A police report obtained by The Associated Press shows that officers seized a pump-action shotgun from Hole’s home after responding to the mother’s call. Keenan said the gun was never returned.

Indiana has had a “red flag law” allowing police or courts to seize guns from people who show warning signs of violence since 2005, when it became one of the first states to enact such a law after an Indianapolis police officer was killed by a man whose weapons had to be returned despite hospitalization months earlier for an emergency mental health evaluation.

The law is intended to prevent people from purchasing or possessing a firearm if they are found by a judge to present “an imminent risk” to themselves or others.

Authorities have two weeks after seizing someone’s weapon to argue in court that the person should not be allowed to possess a gun, according to the law. Officials have not said whether a judge made a red flag ruling in Hole’s case.

McCartt said Hole was a former employee of FedEx and last worked for the company in 2020. The deputy police chief said he did not know why Hole left the job or if he had ties to the workers in the facility. He said police have not yet uncovered a motive for the shooting.

Investigators searched a home Friday in Indianapolis associated with Hole and seized evidence, including desktop computers and other electronic media, McCartt said.

Hole’s family said in a statement they are “so sorry for the pain and hurt” his actions caused.

Members of Indianapolis’ tight-knit Sikh community joined with city officials to call for gun reforms Saturday as they mourned the deaths of four Sikhs who were among the eight people killed.

At a vigil attended by more than 200 at an Indianapolis park Saturday evening, Aasees Kaur, who represented the Sikh Coalition, spoke out alongside the city’s mayor and other elected officials to demand action that would prevent such attacks from happening again.

“We must support one another, not just in grief, but in calling our policymakers and elected officials to make meaningful change,” Kaur said. “The time to act is not later, but now. We are far too many tragedies, too late, in doing so.”

The attack was another blow to the Asian American community a month after authorities said six people of Asian descent were killed by a gunman in the Atlanta area and amid ongoing attacks against Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic.

About 90% of the workers at the FedEx warehouse near the Indianapolis International Airport are members of the local Sikh community, police said Friday.

Satjeet Kaur, the Sikh Coalition’s executive director, said the entire community was traumatized by the “senseless” violence.

“While we don’t yet know the motive of the shooter, he targeted a facility known to be heavily populated by Sikh employees,” Kaur said.

There are between 8,000 and 10,000 Sikh Americans in Indiana, according to the coalition. Members of the religion, which began in India in the 15th century, began settling in Indiana more than 50 years ago.

The shooting is the deadliest incident of violence collectively in the Sikh community in the U.S. since 2012, when a white supremacist burst into a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and shot 10 people, killing seven.

___

Casey Smith is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Source Article from https://apnews.com/article/gun-politics-indianapolis-shootings-indiana-1e193bffbcfce7a54fca256d6863488f

U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., showed up at an anti-police brutality protest in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, on Saturday evening, saying demonstrators needed to “stay on the street,” demanding justice until police reform becomes a reality.

“I’m going to fight with all of the people who stand for justice,” Waters told reporters shortly before an 11 p.m. curfew. “We’ve got to get justice in this country and we cannot allow these killings to continue.”

Asked about the Derek Chauvin murder trial in Minneapolis, Waters told reporters if the former police officer isn’t found guilty of murdering George Floyd, “We’ve got to stay on the street and we’ve got to get more active, we’ve got to get more confrontational. We’ve got to make sure that they know that we mean business.”

“We’ve got to get more confrontational. We’ve got to make sure that they know that we mean business.”

— U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.

PAT ROBERTSON: DEREK CHAUVIN SHOULD BE PUT ‘UNDER THE JAIL’ FOR DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD

Waters said she was “hopeful” Chauvin would be convicted of murder, but if he isn’t, “we cannot go away.”

“We’ve got to fight for justice,” she added, saying she is pressing for a police reform bill to be passed in Congress but said Republicans would likely stand in the way. 

She reportedly said she plans to stay in Minnesota until Monday when closing arguments are expected in the Chauvin trial, according to New York Times reporter Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs. 

“This is a very difficult time in the history of this country,” Waters, 82, a member of Congress since 1991, told The Associated Press. “We have to let people know that we are not going to be satisifed unless we get justice in these cases.”

As reporters gathered around her, Waters said the protesters ultimately needed to show up at the polls for candidates who align with their views.

“The way to get in control is not to allow them to win,” Waters said of political opponents, in comments that aired on FOX 9 in Minneapolis. “You’ve got to register and you’ve got to vote and you’ve got to take the power.”

“The way to get in control is not to allow them to win. … You’ve got to take the power.”

— U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.

Chauvin is accused of killing Floyd on May 25, 2020, by kneeling on Floyd’s neck for several minutes. Defense witnesses have spoken of Floyd’s health issues and drug use as other possible causes.

Others appearing in Brooklyn Center on Saturday included the Rev. Jesse Jackson. The crowd was demonstrating for the seventh straight night against the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright, 20, during a traffic stop last Sunday.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson greets demonstrators during a protest April 17, 2021, in Brooklyn Center, Minn. (Associated Press)

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The clashes have included demonstrators throwing objects at police. Police arrested more than 100 people Friday but it was unclear if any arrests were made Saturday. 

The officer who allegedly killed Wright, identified as Kim Potter, resigned last week, as did the Brooklyn Center police chief. Potter claimed she accidentally grabbed her gun instead of a stun gun and shot Wright with the firearm. She faces manslaughter charges.

Waters reportedly left the protest shortly before the curfew took effect. A small crowd remained defiant after the curfew began. 

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/maxine-waters-urges-minnesota-anti-police-crowd-to-stay-on-the-street-if-chauvin-acquitted-in-floyd-case

  • Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is not not launching an “America First” caucus, her spokesperson said.
  • It’s a reversal from a day prior and follows condemnation from other Republicans.
  • Greene said she had not read the proposal that emphasized “Anglo-Saxon political traditions.”
  • See more stories on Insider’s business page.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is not launching an “America First” caucus and said she had not read the document shared by Punchbowl News on Friday that emphasized “Anglo-Saxon political traditions.”

This is a reversal from a day prior, when a spokesperson for the Georgia Republican told CNN in a statement to “be on the look out for the release of the America First Caucus platform when it’s announced to the public very soon.”

On Saturday, the same spokesperson, Nick Dyer, told the outlet Greene is not “launching anything” and the document that was released was “an early planning proposal and nothing was agreed to or approved.”

In a series of tweets on Saturday, Greene attacked the media, saying “they released a staff level draft proposal from an outside group that I hadn’t read.”

Rep. Paul Gosar, who Punchbowl News reported was also behind the proposal, also released a statement saying he had no prior knowledge of it prior to reading about it in the news on Friday.

Read more: Donald Trump is ditching the spray tan, M&M’s, and even some extra pounds at home in Florida. Insiders say losing 20 pounds might convince him to run for president again.

The proposal in question sparked outrage from Democrats and Republicans. It said the caucus would “follow in President Trump’s footsteps, and potentially step on some toes and sacrifice sacred cows for the good of the American nation.” It also outlined positions on election fraud, big tech, and immigration, among others.

The immigration section praised “common respect for uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions” and cautioned against “foreign citizens” being “imported en-masse.” The document included a number of false statements, Insider’s Sonam Sheth reported.

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger quickly denounced the caucus, saying anyone who joined “should have their committees stripped, and the Republican conference should expel them from conference participation.”

Top House Republicans also spoke out against nativism within the GOP without explicitly mentioning the caucus.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Twitter: “The Republican Party is the party of Lincoln & the party of more opportunity for all Americans—not nativist dog whistles.”

Rep. Liz Cheney said “Republicans believe in equal opportunity, freedom, and justice for all.”

“Racism, nativism, and anti-Semitism are evil. History teaches we all have an obligation to confront & reject such malicious hate,” she added.

Source Article from https://www.businessinsider.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-says-is-not-launching-america-first-caucus-2021-4

A doctor for imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is in the third week of a hunger strike, said on Saturday that his health is deteriorating rapidly and that the 44-year-old Kremlin critic could be on the verge of death.

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A doctor for imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is in the third week of a hunger strike, said on Saturday that his health is deteriorating rapidly and that the 44-year-old Kremlin critic could be on the verge of death.

Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

Imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is three weeks into a hunger strike, protesting the lack of medical attention he has received while in prison. Now, his doctor fears his death is imminent.

Physician Yaroslav Ashikhmin said test results that Navalny’s family shared with him reveal increased potassium levels, which could lead to cardiac arrest, as well as heightened creatinine levels from deteriorating kidneys.

“Our patient could die at any moment,” Ashikhmin wrote, according to a translated version of his Facebook post on Saturday.

Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said that the 44-year-old politician is in ailing health and that he has lost sensation in his limbs.

“Alexei is dying,” Yarmysh said on Facebook. “In his condition, it is a matter of days. And on the weekend, lawyers just can’t get to him, and no one knows what will happen on Monday.”

The prison has prevented Navalny’s personal doctors from seeing him. Kremlin and prison authorities have insisted that he’s getting adequate care.

In early April, as NPR previously reported, Navalny said he had developed a temperature and a cough. Additionally, Navalny complained that prison guards wake him up every hour throughout the night.

Navalny was arrested in January upon returning from Germany, where he had been recovering from a deadly poisoning last summer that he blames on Putin. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied poisoning Navalny, although international medical investigators have concluded that Navalny was poisoned with the Soviet-developed chemical agent Novichok.

The opposition leader’s imprisonment set off a wave of massive anti-Putin protests across Russia, that’s led to the arrests of thousands of people.

In response to Navalny’s poisoning, the Biden administration imposed new sanctions on senior Russian officials last month.

Asked about Navalny’s declining health on Saturday, the Associated Press reported, President Biden told reporters: “It’s totally totally unfair and totally inappropriate. On the basis of having the poison and then on a hunger strike.”

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2021/04/18/988437875/putin-critic-alexei-navalny-could-die-at-any-moment-doctor-says

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department confirmed on Saturday that two assault rifles used in Thursday’s mass shooting were purchased legally by the shooter in 2020.

According to police, during the shooting at FedEx Ground-Plainfield Operation Center, suspect Brandon Hole was witnessed using two assault rifles in the shooting that left eight people dead and several others injured.

Both rifles were found on Hole after he was discovered deceased in the business from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms conducted a trace on these two firearms and learned both were purchased legally by Hole in July and September of 2020.

On Saturday, several vigils took place across Indianapolis in memory of the victims who lost their lives in the shooting.

Anyone with information about this incident should call the IMPD Homicide Office at 317.327.3475 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317.262.8477 or (TIPS). 

Source Article from https://fox59.com/news/impd-says-assault-rifles-used-in-thursdays-mass-shooting-were-purchased-legally/

New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez championed the Biden administration’s decision to lift Trump-era refugee limits Friday night, following outcry from prominent congressional Democrats.

“This is a testament to the power that people’s movements, community advocates, & progressive coalitions have built,” the progressive wrote on Twitter.

“Thankful for that and the Biden admin’s decision to respond to organizers today. Now let’s get these families to their new homes here in the United States,” she added.

AOC RIPS INTO BIDEN FOR KEEPING ‘RACIST’ TRUMP-ERA REFUGEE CAP

On Friday, the president signed an emergency determination to accelerate refugee admission into the U.S., but he kept the record-low 15,000 refugee cap instated by his predecessor.

Democrats like Ocasio Cortez and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota condemned the move, following Biden’s pledged in February to raise the limit to 125,000 people for the next fiscal year.

“Completely and utterly unacceptable,” Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter. “Biden promised to welcome immigrants, and people voted for him based on that promise.”

PSAKI CONCEDES WHITE HOUSE DIDN’T SECURE ‘FORMAL’ AGREEMENTS WITH CENTRAL AMERICAN COUNTRIES

The White House originally said the decision not to raise limits on refugees “remains justified by humanitarian concerns and is otherwise in the national interest.”

But later on Friday, White House said Biden would instead lift the refugee cap by May 15, though as to what the new limit would look like was not specified. 

“We’re going to increase the number,” the president told reporters Saturday. Biden said the “crisis”  at the southern border prevented the adminstration from being able to juggle both immigration issues. 

“We couldn’t do two things at once. But now we are going to increase the number,” he added.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden has been consulting with advisors to determine the number of refugees they could realistically permit in the U.S. by Oct, the end of the 2021 fiscal year.

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The press secretary said it was “unlikely” the U.S. is able to permit the 62,500 refugees purposed for this year, “Given the decimated refugee admissions program we inherited.”

Biden’s emergency determination removed Trump-era restrictions on refugees arriving from Somalia, Yemen and Syria, and expanded slots awarded to refugees from Africa, the Middle East and Central America.

The Associated Press and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/aoc-declares-victory-after-biden-walks-back-on-refugee-cap

Amika Tendaji, executive director of the Chicago chapter of BLM, said she and her son Anthony McCollum III, 20, were preparing to leave just before 10 p.m. at Kedzie and Milwaukee avenues when Tendaji said she saw what she described as a familiar sight from last summer’s protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.

Source Article from https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-amika-tendaji-black-lives-matter-son-arrested-adam-toledo-protest-20210417-o3knv7m4hve77aekp24gonf6su-story.html

Relatives attend a COVID-19 victim’s burial at a cemetery in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, on Thursday.

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Global deaths from COVID-19 has surpassed 3 million, according to the latest data from John Hopkins University.

Leading in those deaths are the United States, with more than 566,000, and Brazil, with more than 368,000. They are followed by Mexico, India and the United Kingdom.

The global death toll reached 1 million in September 2020 and 2 million in January.

The grim milestone comes after health officials in the U.S. paused rollout of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine after six women experienced rare but severe blood clots a week or two after receiving it.

Overall, more than 129 million people in the U.S. have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, including 7.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine. More than 82 million Americans — nearly 25% of the population — have been fully vaccinated.

In Brazil, deaths have topped 3,000 per day as the country is ravaged by the virus. Mexico has recorded more than 211,000 deaths. India has had more than 175,000 deaths and deaths in the United Kingdom have topped 127,000.

COVID-19 variants are spreading throughout the U.S., with the more contagious U.K. variant, B.1.1.7, now dominant. On Friday, the Biden administration announced plans to spend $1.7 billion on combating and tracking variants.

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/04/17/988386358/global-covid-19-deaths-top-3-million

    Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/17/us/derek-chauvin-trial-verdict-us-cities/index.html