Mistrial in 1st officer’s trial in Freddie Gray case
Mistrial in 1st officer’s trial in Freddie Gray case
BALTIMORE (AP) — The first effort to convict an officer in Freddie Gray’s death from a broken neck in a Baltimore Police van ended Wednesday with a hung jury and a mistrial.
Officials appealed for calm as small crowds protested along streets lined with police officers. The situation was quiet at North and Pennsylvania, the intersection where the worst rioting happened in April as parts of West Baltimore were set on fire.
William Porter’s mistrial is a setback for prosecutors trying to respond to a citizenry frustrated by violent crime and allegations of police misconduct. Homicides have soared and the pressure on city officials has been unrelenting since Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby charged six officers in Gray’s death.
About 30 protesters chanting “send those killer cops to jail” outside the courthouse switched gears after the mistrial was announced, chanting “No justice, no peace!” and “Black Lives Matter.”
The case hinged not on what Porter did, but what prosecutors said he didn’t do. He was accused of failing to get medical help for a critically wounded Gray and was charged with manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment, carrying maximum sentences totaling 25 years.
UK Parliament backs fracking below national parks
LONDON (AP) — The British Parliament has approved proposals that would allow fracking for shale gas below national parks, world heritage sites and other designated areas of natural beauty.
The measure, which is opposed by environmental groups, was endorsed Wednesday by 298 votes to 261 and paves the way to more extensive fracking three-fourths of a mile below parks.
The fracking process involves pumping huge volumes of water, sand and chemicals underground to split open rocks to allow oil and gas to flow.
It has produced major economic benefits in some countries, but also raised a number of fears, including that the chemicals could spread to water supplies.
The opposition Labour Party said after the vote that there should be a moratorium until better safeguards are in place.
“We should have a moratorium on fracking in Britain until we can be sure it is safe and won’t present intolerable risks to the environment,” said Lisa Nandy, Labour’s spokeswoman on energy and climate issues. She said the government is ignoring the public’s “legitimate concerns” about the technology.
Earlier this year, British lawmakers rejected a proposal to suspend fracking but indicated they would not permit fracking in national parks.
For GOP candidates, a fight to define party’s foreign policy
WASHINGTON (AP) — For Republicans, this week’s presidential debate highlighted a brewing fight to define the party’s foreign policy posture, exposing divisions among candidates about the U.S. role in fostering regime change in the Middle East and tactics to prevent terror attacks at home.
The fault lines reflect a party still in flux long after George W. Bush’s unpopular Iraq war damaged Republicans’ standing on international issues. While there’s little appetite among GOP candidates for the sweeping military intervention and nation-building Bush championed, most are wary of being pegged as isolationists, particularly given Americans’ heightened fears of terrorism following attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California.
“The fundamental debate is, well, if Bush did too much and Obama did too little, what’s the right amount of international engagement?” said Richard Fontaine, a former foreign policy adviser to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, and current president of the Center for New American Security think tank.
While foreign policy rarely decides presidential elections except in times of war, national security concerns are likely to remain a top issue for Americans at least through the early voting contests that begin in February. As GOP leaders eye the general election, they believe voters disappointed with President Barack Obama’s foreign policy stewardship will be reluctant to elect his former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination.
First, though, Republicans must work out their own divisions, which could be viewed most clearly in Tuesday’s debate through the prism of the rivalry between Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
New Orleans considers removing Confederate monuments
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans is poised to make a sweeping break with its Confederate past as city leaders decide whether to remove prominent monuments from some of its busiest streets.
With support from Mayor Mitch Landrieu, a majority on the City Council appears ready to take down four monuments, including a towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Their ordinance has sparked passionate responses for and against these symbols, and both sides will get one more say at a special council meeting before Thursday’s vote.
If approved, this would be one of the most sweeping gestures yet by an American city to sever ties with Confederate history.
“This has never happened before,” said Charles Kelly Barrow, commander-in-chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. “I’ve never heard of a city trying to sweep (away) all Confederate monuments.”
Geographers have identified at least 872 parks, natural features, schools, streets and other locations named for major Confederate leaders in 44 states, according to a mapping project. Barrow said more than a thousand statues and monuments and countless plaques also honor Confederate battles and heroes.