BALTIMORE – The Baltimore officer who faces the most serious charge in the death of Freddie Gray in police custody waived his right to a jury trial on Monday, opting to instead have a judge decide his fate.
Police van driver Caesar Goodson Jr. and his attorneys announced the change the day before jury selection was to begin in his case.
Goodson’s trial is now scheduled to begin Thursday morning in Baltimore City Circuit Court.
Of the six officers charged in Gray’s arrest and death, Goodson is the only one to face a murder charge. The most serious count against him – second-degree depraved-heart murder – carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison. He has also been charged with manslaughter, assault and misconduct in office.
MOSCOW – A French man apparently angered by the surge of Muslim migrants into Europe has been arrested trying to smuggle explosives and firearms for possible use in attacks during a major soccer tournament in France, officials in Ukraine said Monday.
Ukraine’s intelligence agency said the man plotted the attacks as a “sign of protest” against the mass migration of foreigners into France and the growing number of Muslims living in the country. In the past year, more than 1 million asylum seekers have entered Europe from places including war-battered Syria and Iraq.
SBU chief Vasyl Hrytsak described the suspect as motivated by “ultra-nationalist” views and said he had planned attacks against 15 targets, including a mosque, a synagogue and infrastructure in France during this month’s UEFA Euro 2016 soccer championship.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - When Hillary Clinton relentlessly criticized Donald Trump from a lectern in San Diego last week, supporters say they saw the candidate that they have been waiting for.
Even Clinton’s most ardent backers say that the speech revealed a new candidate: one who is authentic and unafraid to push boundaries.
The speech was widely considered to be a watershed moment for Clinton and her campaign, marking their decision to take on Trump head on.
SAN FRANCISCO – A San Francisco lawmaker has revived a proposal following the crash of a Blue Angels jet last week: It’s time, he said, to ban the renowned Navy squadron from flying over his city.
John Avalos, a member of the board of supervisors, told the San Francisco Chronicle that the jets are a threat to safety and should not be allowed to fly over occupied areas. Rather, he said, they should be kept over San Francisco Bay, where sea vessels typically congregate for Blue Angels performances.
“It’s about them crashing and hitting a building – a place where people live,” Avalos told The Chronicle. “It’s about the terror that they cause in people when they strafe neighborhoods. That’s something I hear about all the time when Blue Angels fly overhead.”
Avalos misused the term “strafing,” a term typically used to describe when pilots are flying their aircraft low to the ground, firing at targets while using machine guns or rotary cannons. Avalos did not return requests for an interview Monday morning.
Washington Post
