Good morning. It's Wednesday, April 21, and former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all counts yesterday. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Chauvin Found Guilty

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all counts yesterday for the May killing of George Floyd. Judge Peter Cahill also revoked Chauvin's bail—he had been out on bail since fall—and scheduled a sentencing hearing for June. Watch as the verdict was delivered here.

Chauvin was convicted on three counts: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter (see overview). The charges carry maximum sentences of 40, 25, and 10 years, respectively, but guidelines for those without prior arrests—as in Chauvin's case—are 12.5, 12.5, and four years. Analysts say the sentences are likely to run concurrently, as opposed to consecutively, which would significantly shorten any jail time. 

Cities across the US had braced for the verdict after protests, many of which grew violent, swept across the nation last summer. There were few reports of clashes with police or violence yesterday, with most protests turning celebratory following the conviction. See Floyd's family react to the verdict.

The conviction is expected to be appealed. Experts say Chauvin's defense may argue the widespread publicity of the case influenced juror perception and focus on Cahill's denial of requests to sequester the jury or move the case from Minneapolis. See more on what an appeal may look like. 

Three other former officers involved in the killing—Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane—go on trial Aug. 23 for charges they aided and abetted Chauvin. 

Russian Buildup

Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops near the Ukraine border in recent weeks, according to US intelligence. Satellite images also reveal the country has moved a number of fighter jets, armored ground units, attack helicopters, and other forces to strategic locations across the region. Western officials say the buildup is larger than that seen in 2014, when Russia invaded Ukraine and took control of the Crimean Peninsula. 

Analysts say it's unclear whether Russia is posturing or planning significant action; Ukrainian officials worry Russia is looking for a pretext to invade the eastern Donbas region, which has a strong separatist movement. Moscow also plans to close parts of the Black Sea through October for military exercises (see map)—likely restricting Ukraine's ports along the Sea of Azov.

Separately, read about the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group, a private mercenary firm reportedly active in Ukraine. 

Déby Dies Fighting

Chad's President Idriss Déby died yesterday from injuries sustained during clashes with rebels in the northern part of the country over the weekend. While details are murky—army generals said only that he died from gunshot wounds—his death would mark a rare instance of a modern world leader dying in active combat while holding office.

A French-trained fighter pilot, Déby assumed control of the central African country in 1990 after ousting his former ally (see timeline), Hissène Habré, in a successful coup. Déby's death comes just days before the country's election commission was expected to certify him as the winner of an April 11 election that experts allege was rife with fraud (Déby claimed almost 90% of the vote). 

The country's parliament was dissolved on the news, with a curfew implemented and borders shut. Déby's son, Mahamat Idriss Déby, will reportedly lead a transitional government with the promise of elections next year.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Manchester United, Chelsea among six English clubs that reverse course and pull out of European Super League that was announced just three days ago (More)

> Kate McKinnon tapped as Carole Baskin, John Cameron Mitchell cast as Joe Exotic in NBC’s “Joe Exotic” limited series (More)

> Jim Steinman, legendary rock composer best known for “Bat Out of Hell” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” dies at 73 (More) | Former president of Hollywood Foreign Press Association Philip Berk expelled as member after alleged racist email (More)

Science & Technology

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> Archaeologists conclude a mass Tyrannosaurus gravesite discovered in Utah suggests the predator may have been a pack animal, not a solitary hunter as previously believed (More)

> Lack of sleep identified as a risk factor for elderly dementia; three-decade study shows less than six hours of consistent sleep in your 50s and 60s is linked to a 30% increased risk of dementia in your late 70s (More)

> Two new neural network computing approaches allow researchers to solve families of partial differential equations—complex equations that describe real-life systems like the weather—in record time (More)

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Business & Markets

> US stock markets down (S&P 500 -0.7%, Dow -0.7%, Nasdaq -0.9%) driven by declines in travel and tech sectors (More)

> Netflix shares slide more than 8% in after-hours trading after adding 4 million subscribers in Q1 versus Wall Street expectations of 6.2 million (More)

> Venmo to roll out ability to hold, buy, and sell cryptocurrencies, in a move similar to parent company PayPal last year (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> European rollout of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to resume with warning label citing a very rare risk of blood clots; nine cases and one death have been possibly linked to the drug in the US, out of almost 7 million shots (More) | More than 51% of US adults have received one vaccine dose, 40% fully vaccinated (More)

> Pakistan parliament debates whether to expel the French envoy from the country, a move pushed by Islamist factions angry over France's allowance of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad (More)

> House rejects measure to censure Rep. Maxine Waters (D, CA-43) in party-line 216-210 vote; Waters sparked backlash with comments suggesting protesters should be "more confrontational" if Derek Chauvin was found not guilty (More) | See clip of original comments (More) | ... and Judge Peter Cahill's response to the comments (More)

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ETCETERA

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Historybook: RIP American author Mark Twain (1910); HBD Queen Elizabeth II (1926); 100,000 students begin protests at Tiananmen Square (1989); RIP singer-songwriter Nina Simone (2003); RIP legendary musician Prince (2016).

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear."

- Mark Twain

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