Three things for September 24
1. Grand Jury decision announced in Breonna Taylor case
Yesterday, Kentucky Judge Annie O’Connell read the charges of the ongoing trial surrounding the death of Louisville EMT Breonna Taylor.
Former police detective Brett Hankison was indicted on felony charges of wanton endangerment for shooting into an adjacent apartment in the incident that left Taylor dead.
Sgt. Johnathan Mattingly and detective Myles Cosgrove — two officers who were also involved in the shooting that killed Taylor — were found to be justified in their use of force, according to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. No charges have been brought against either officer.
The announcement of the trial’s results prompted protests in Louisville and other cities across the U.S. — including major cities such as New York City, Washington D.C., Atlanta and Nashville.
Hours following the announcement, two officers were shot and wounded in Louisville Wednesday night.
Interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder said both officers are expected to recover, and one has undergone surgery.
2. Trump declines to commit to a peaceful transferal of power
During a press briefing yesterday, President Donald Trump was asked by a reporter whether he would commit to a peaceful transfer of power following the Nov. 3 election.
“Win, lose or draw in this election, will you commit here today for a peaceful transferal of power after the election,” the reporter said. “There’s been rioting in Louisville. There’s been rioting in many cities across this country … will you commit to making sure that there is a peaceful transferal of power after the election?”
Trump began his response by saying, “Well, we’re going to have to see what happens.”
Trump continued his statements by casting doubt on the electoral process, claiming that “the ballots are a disaster.”
“Get rid of the ballots. Then you’ll have a very peaceful — there won’t be a transfer. Frankly, there will be a continuation,” Trump said.
When asked about those comments in a press briefing Thursday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said, repeatedly, “The president will accept the results of a free and fair election.”
3. Navalny released from hospital following poisoning
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was discharged from inpatient care in Berlin, Germany on Tuesday, following a 32-day stay following sudden illness brought on by Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent.
Navalny is the head of Russia for the Future, an anti-corruption Russian political party that opposes the rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It is unknown who poisoned Navalny; however, Russian political activists have voiced their concern that Navalny’s poisoning was politically-motivated, suspecting that Putin or members of Russia’s ruling party, United Russia, could have been behind the poisoning.
Putin denied any involvement in poisoning Navalny in a Sept. 14 phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, claiming that Navalny “could have taken the poison himself.”
