Aug 20, 2018

Michigan official faces manslaughter charges linked to Flint water crisis

Nick Lyon, director of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Photo: Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Judge David Goggins has ordered Michigan’s health director, Nick Lyon, to stand trial on involuntary manslaughter charges for deaths linked to the Flint water crisis, reports The Detroit News.

The backdrop: The anticipated ruling on Monday comes after Goggins reportedly delayed the decision for more than three weeks. Lyon is facing two counts of manslaughter charges and one count of misconduct in office connected to the Legionnaires' disease outbreak, which reportedly sickened 79 people and killed 12. If convicted, Lyon could face up to 30 years in prison, and another five years on the misconduct charge, per The Detroit News.

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Rashaan Ayesh
54 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

Photo: Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

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Axios
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 6 p.m. ET: 11,921,616 — Total deaths: 546,318 — Total recoveries — 6,506,408 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 6 p.m. ET: 3,035,231 — Total deaths: 132,042 — Total recoveries: 936,476 — Total tested: 36,878,106 — Map.
  3. Public health: Deaths are rising in hotspots — Déjà vu sets in as testing issues rise and PPE dwindles.
  4. Travel: United warns employees it may furlough 45% of U.S. workforce — How the pandemic changed mobility habits, by state.
  5. Education: New York City schools will not fully reopen in fall — Harvard and MIT sue Trump administration over rule barring foreign students from online classes.
  6. 🎧 Podcast: A misinformation "infodemic" is here.
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Bryan Walsh
2 hours ago - Health

Fighting the coronavirus infodemic

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

An "infodemic" of misinformation and disinformation has helped cripple the response to the novel coronavirus.

Why it matters: High-powered social media accelerates the spread of lies and political polarization that motivates people to believe them. Unless the public health sphere can effectively counter misinformation, not even an effective vaccine may be enough to end the pandemic.

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