International
George Floyd murder trial a ‘referendum’ on American justice: family lawyer
AFP/Editor
The trial of the white police officer facing murder and manslaughter charges for the death of George Floyd is a referendum on American justice and equality, a Floyd family lawyer said Monday.
“Today starts a landmark trial that will be a referendum on how far America has come in its quest for equality and justice for all,” said Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer. “The whole world is watching.”
Opening arguments begin in Minneapolis on Monday in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white police officer accused of killing Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man.
Crump, who represents Chauvin’s family, warned that the defense in the Minnesota trial will try to impugn Floyd’s reputation to defend Chauvin, who held his knee to Floyd’s neck during an arrest on May 25, 2020 for more than eight minutes before Floyd lost consciousness and died.
The incident, which was filmed by bystanders, rocked the United States and led to widespread protests and riots over police mistreatment of African Americans.
“They are going to try to assassinate the character of George Floyd,” Crump said. “But this is the trial of Derek Chauvin, Let’s look at his record,” he added.
International
Russia and US to Meet in Istanbul for Diplomatic Talks on April 10
The Kremlin confirmed today a forthcoming meeting with the United States to discuss the normalization of diplomatic relations, which will take place in Istanbul.
“Our participation will be through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” said Dmitry Peskov, the presidential spokesperson, during his daily telephone press conference.
Peskov was responding to a question about who would represent Russia in the new round of negotiations, which is supposedly scheduled for April 10.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the delegations will be led by the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Alexandr Darchiev, and the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Sonata Coulter.
These are the same negotiators who met in late February in Istanbul, where the expert-level negotiation format was the same, according to the source.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had said a few days ago that the next meeting would be held in the Turkish city, though he did not confirm a date.
Lavrov, who participated in only one of these meetings, clarified that the upcoming discussions would address the issues still dividing Moscow and Washington diplomatically, referring to the operations of both countries’ embassies.
The Kremlin asserted that Washington has not yet responded to Russia’s security concerns, preventing a ceasefire declaration on land, sea, and air.
Meanwhile, Trump expressed discontent with Russia’s recent attacks, including one last week that killed 20 people in Krivi Rig, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
So far, Russia has rejected a cessation of hostilities and only declared a 30-day ceasefire on March 18 against attacks on energy infrastructure, which was extended by Kyiv a week later.
International
Transgender Student Arrested at Florida Capitol for Using Women’s Restroom Under New State Law
A transgender student was arrested at the Florida Capitol for using a women’s restroom, in violation of a 2023 state law that restricts the use of restrooms in government buildings based on the sex assigned at birth.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), this is the first known arrest for violations of transgender bathroom restrictions in the United States.
Before entering the women’s restroom in March, Marcy Rheintgen warned Capitol officers in Tallahassee, Florida’s capital, that she would be violating the law.
Rheintgen was detained and faces a misdemeanor charge of trespassing, which could carry up to 60 days in jail.
The 20-year-old’s hearing, which has reignited the national debate on transgender rights and the enforcement of similar laws in other states, is scheduled for next May.
“Marcy Rheintgen’s arrest is not about security. It’s about cruelty, humiliation, and the deliberate erosion of human dignity,” stated Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida.
International
Maduro Announces Economic Emergency Decree Amid Growing Tensions with the U.S.
Nicolás Maduro, who swore in for a third term after his disputed reelection in Venezuela, announced on Monday that he will sign a decree for an economic emergency, following a proposal from Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez due to the “delicate moments” and “uncertainty the world is experiencing.”
“Tomorrow I will sign the constitutional economic emergency decree to protect and defend Venezuela’s economy, and I will explain it,” the Chavista leader stated in his weekly program ‘Con Maduro +.’
Maduro recalled that he has used this measure in previous years and explained that this decree allows him to assume “special, constitutional, extraordinary powers” for what he considered “the defense of the Venezuelan economy in its push, in its development.”
In the television segment, the vice president handed Maduro the document with the proposal for him to take the “reins of the economy” to “protect national industry, guarantee the provision of essential goods and services for the population, and ensure that the national economic life continues its course.”
Venezuela is facing a 15% tariff increase from the U.S., in addition to other measures such as a 25% additional tariff on buyers of Venezuelan oil or gas and the termination of licenses for oil companies to operate in the Caribbean nation, such as the U.S. company Chevron and the Spanish company Repsol.
Last Friday, Maduro assured that Venezuela would be “the first country in the world to overcome the tariffs and the trade war declared by (U.S. President, Donald) Trump against the world.”
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