The U.S today: White police officer involved in Breonna Taylor’s fatal shooting in Kentucky fired

The Louisville Metro police department in the U.S has fired one of the police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.

A termination letter sent to Officer Brett Hankison said he violated procedures by showing “extreme indifference to the value of human life.”

The letter also said Hankison, who is white, violated the rule against using deadly force. Taylor, who was Black, was shot eight times by officers who burst into her Louisville, Kentucky, home using a no-knock warrant during a March 13 narcotics investigation.

Police Arbitration: Hundreds of law enforcement officers across the country were fired, sometimes repeatedly, for violating policies but got their jobs back after appealing their cases to an arbitrator who overturned their discipline. It’s an all-too-common practice that some law and policing experts say stands in the way of real accountability, Martha Bellisle reports from Seattle.

Policing Poll: Americans overwhelmingly want clear standards for police on when officers may use force and consequences imposed on officers who do so excessively. That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research that finds Americans favor significant changes to the country’s criminal justice system.

Civil Rights Icons: The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young and Bob Moses were among those who risked jail time, assaults and even assassination in the 1960s battles against racial segregation and for voting rights in the South. AP reporters Dan Sewell and Russell Contreras have been asking ’60s leaders their thoughts on the current protests and mood engulfing the country.

Black and Outdoors: A video of a white woman targeting an African American bird watcher in New York’s Central Park has drawn attention to how the great outdoors can be far from great for Black people. Worries about discrimination, racial profiling and even subtle aggression keep some away. Those fears can perpetuate the stereotype that hiking, camping and even bird watching are “white” activities, reports Terry Tang.

Charleston Statue: Crews in the historic city have begun to remove a statue of former vice president and slavery advocate John C. Calhoun from a downtown square, the latest in a wave of such actions triggered by the death of George Floyd, reports Meg Kinnard from Charleston. In the wake of protests and unrest, city council members voted to remove the statue and place it permanently at “an appropriate site where it will be protected and preserved.”

Confederate Flag: The Mississippi flag is drawing criticism from two big forces in the culturally conservative state. Walmart says it will no longer display the state flag because it includes the Confederate battle emblem. The Mississippi Baptist Convention is calling on lawmakers to remove the Confederate symbol from the flag because many people are “hurt and shamed” by it.

NASCAR: The rope found hanging in Black driver Bubba Wallace’s garage at Talladega Superspeedway wasn’t a hate crime. Federal authorities said the rope had been hanging at the Alabama track since at least October. Video evidence showed it had been hanging from the garage door, but was the only one fashioned as a noose. Wallace coincidentally was assigned that garage.

@ AP