Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Derek Chauvin, a white officer, was convicted after kneeling for more than nine minutes on the neck of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, during an arrest last May. Video of the incident set off worldwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice. Twelve U.S. states urge Biden to back phasing out gas-powered vehicle sales by 2035 The governors of a dozen U.S. states including California, New York, Massachusetts and North Carolina called on President Joe Biden on Wednesday to back ending sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, a dramatic shift away from fossil fuels.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.N. rights chief says George Floyd murder case shows scale of systemic racism

The United Nations human rights chief on Wednesday welcomed as "momentous" the verdict in the George Floyd case which she said had highlighted how much remains to be done to end systemic racism against people of African descent in the United States. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on Tuesday of murdering Floyd in May 2020, a milestone in the fraught racial history of the United States and a rebuke of law enforcement's treatment of Black Americans.

Biden calls Chauvin verdict a 'giant step' toward justice in the United States

President Joe Biden on Tuesday called the guilty verdict in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged with the murder of George Floyd "a giant step" toward justice in the United States. Derek Chauvin, a white officer, was convicted after kneeling for more than nine minutes on the neck of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, during an arrest last May. Video of the incident set off worldwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

Twelve U.S. states urge Biden to back phasing out gas-powered vehicle sales by 2035

The governors of a dozen U.S. states including California, New York, Massachusetts and North Carolina called on President Joe Biden on Wednesday to back ending sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, a dramatic shift away from fossil fuels. Biden's $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan calls for $174 billion in spending and tax credits to boost electric vehicles (EVs) and charging networks but does not call for phasing out gasoline-powered passenger vehicles.

Ohio police kill Black teenage girl seen threatening others with knife

Police in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday fatally shot a Black teenage girl they confronted as she lunged at two people with a knife, as seen in police video footage of the encounter, authorities said. The incident, sparking street protests in Ohio's largest city, came as the nation was focused on the guilty verdict a Minneapolis jury returned against a white former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd last year by kneeling on his neck.

U.S. judge rejects ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's bid to end sentence early

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a petition by Michael Cohen, the onetime personal lawyer and fixer for former President Donald Trump, to release him from home confinement in May, six months ahead of schedule. U.S. District Judge John Koeltl said the petition was premature because prosecutors were not yet required, under a 2018 law allowing early release for some prisoners, to credit Cohen for hundreds of hours of work and courses he completed while imprisoned at a federal facility in New York state.

'No sympathy' for Chauvin, say those who had run-ins before Floyd

For some of those who encountered Derek Chauvin's policing or witnessed his use of force as an officer there is no sympathy for the man convicted of killing George Floyd. Chauvin was the subject of at least 17 complaints during his career, according to police records, but only one led to discipline. Prosecutors sought permission to introduce eight prior use-of-force incidents, but the judge would only allow two. In the end the jury heard none.

Chauvin likely to appeal, claiming trial tainted by civil settlement, media coverage

Former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin will likely seek to overturn his murder and manslaughter convictions by arguing that the jury was prejudiced by media coverage and a settlement in the civil case brought by George Floyd's family, though his odds of success are slim, legal experts said. A jury on Tuesday found that Chauvin was guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree "depraved mind" murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd, a Black man.. Video of the incident touched off global protests over race and police brutality.

'Last Straw': Americans confront racism, violence in Chauvin trial

The trial and conviction of former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin for murdering George Floyd came with America at a crossroads, a moment of anguish, but also of possibility, which historians and activists compared to the Civil Rights era. From policing and race relations to the criminal justice system, the three-week trial of Derek Chauvin became "a symbol and stand in for our emotions, our fears and our hopes surrounding this whole set of issues," said David Greenberg, a professor of history and media studies at Rutgers University.

Chauvin convicted of murdering George Floyd in landmark U.S. racial justice case

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on Tuesday of murdering George Floyd, a milestone in the fraught racial history of the United States and a rebuke of law enforcement's treatment of Black Americans. A 12-member jury found Chauvin, 45, guilty of all three charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter after considering three weeks of testimony from 45 witnesses, including bystanders, police officials and medical experts. Deliberations began on Monday and lasted just over 10 hours.

U.S. House Speaker Pelosi criticized for thanking George Floyd for 'sacrificing your life'

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday drew criticism by thanking George Floyd, a Black man who became a symbol of the struggle for racial justice, after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering him. During a news conference following Chauvin's conviction on three criminal counts, Pelosi called the outcome "a step in the right direction for justice."