5 things to know for April 14: Covid-19, police violence, Afghanistan, Russia, abortion

Protesters gathered for a third night in the streets of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota to show their anger over the death of police who shot dead Daunte Wright. A state prosecutor says he hopes to get a indictment today regarding former officer Kim Potter, who shot Wright after she allegedly mistaken her gun as a Taser. Potter and the Brooklyn Center Police Chief both resigned after Sunday’s meeting. Meanwhile, Virginia’s attorney general is investigating an incident in which two officers aimed guns at a U.S. Army officer, sprayed him with pepper and pushed him to the ground during a traffic stop. And in Minneapolis, not far from the riots in downtown Brooklyn, the prosecutor resumed his case in the murder trial of former officer Derek Chauvin, and the defense began to put his arguments into action.

President Biden is expected to announce the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Today’s announcement will extend the presence of US troops to the May 1 deadline set by the Trump administration in an agreement with the Taliban. The decision to remove troops and thus end the longest war in America was a divisive decision. Some leaders and lawmakers think that the removal of troops at the moment could risk a collapse of the Afghan government and wipe out some difficult US gains there. Others welcome the return of US forces and the conclusion of a long and exhausting conflict. However, the US does not plan to withdraw all 2,500 troops. Some will stay in the country to provide diplomatic security. There are also several hundred U.S. special operations forces in Afghanistan whose following moves are unclear.

Russia continues to build troops along its western border with Ukraine, and Biden proposed a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss solutions. The two leaders spoke by telephone yesterday. They discussed gun control and emerging security issues, and Biden urged Putin to unload increasing tensions in the region. The Kremlin said today that it was too early to talk about the details of a possible summit between the two countries. The US is increasingly concerned about Russia’s military build – up in western Russia and Crimea, which includes more than 50,000 troops – about 18% of the country’s total land forces. And there is one big sticking point: the US and other countries are not entirely clear about Russia’s goals.

A U.S. appeals court has upheld a law in Ohio banning abortions due to fetal Down syndrome. The ruling disputes precedents set by the Supreme Court and could potentially set new battles in similar cases nationwide. Unlike other recent abortion court rulings that have focused primarily on regulating or accessing the procedure, this ruling involves a woman’s reason for the procedure and what she can tell her doctor. Since the current Supreme Court has a Conservative majority, it will be more likely to uphold the decision if asked to resolve the matter.

It’s not because our hygiene is getting worse (hopefully ?!), but it’s a sign of a passing pandemic anxiety.

This news calls for a delicious glass of ratafia!

We definitely innovate fast on the hard seltzer front.

They are all pretty worrying, to be honest.

Sometimes curse filters can be a … well, you know.

It is suspected that the remains of so many victims rest in the Valley of the Fallen People in Spain, a mass grave for victims of the country’s civil war of 1936-39. Spain plans to open the tomb and have remains excavated to identify it.

The NCAA Board of Governors, which said in a statement that it “steadfastly supports transgender athletes” amid recent bills that would restrict transgender participation in school sports

This beautiful 18th century swan vending machine (moving device) is made of pure silver, and even the glass water and silver fish are remarkably realistic. (Click here to see.)