promoearn: A murder or tragedy?

Monday, March 8

Americans' views on race and policing shift as Derek Chauvin trial begins

Pending murder charge in Chauvin trial delays jury selection. Fully vaccinated individuals can get together. It's Monday's news.

Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry pulled back the curtain on Buckingham Palace. Vaccinated people have a new set of eased-up COVID guidelines. And is that green for St. Patrick's Day? Our coronavirus relief checks could be here in a few weeks.

It's Ashley and Alex with the news you need to know.

But first, calling all burger queens: Burger King UK is under fire for an empowering tweet gone wrong on International Women's Day.

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Pending murder charge in Chauvin trial delays jury selection

Jury selection was delayed Monday in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin as an appeal proceeds over the possible reinstatement of a third-degree murder charge. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in George Floyd's death last May. Legal experts say reinstating the third-degree murder charge would improve the odds of getting a conviction. The question at the heart of the case is whether what people saw on the video was murder or a terrible tragedy. Bystander video of the incident, as well as two autopsy reports, will play central roles in the trial. What's next? Twelve jurors and up to four alternates will be selected in a process that could take up to three weeks. Opening arguments are scheduled for March 29.

•	Minneapolis wanted to pay social media influencers to fight misinformation in the trial for the officer charged in George Floyd's death.

Demonstrators march past the Hennepin County Government Center on March 7, a day before jury selection was set to begin in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is accused of killing George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Jerry Holt, Star Tribune via AP

It's the eve of the COVID-19 relief bill's fate in the House

Millions of Americans should see checks of up to $1,400 land in their bank accounts in a few weeks. The one-time payments are part of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, which is likely to get final approval in the House on Tuesday. The Internal Revenue Service hasn't given us insight into how soon it will distribute the money, but analysts say checks should start appearing in bank accounts via direct deposit in a couple of weeks. Keep in mind: Not everyone who got a check the last time the government issued relief payments will be eligible this round. The package calls for checks of up to $1,400 to go to individuals with an adjusted gross income of $80,000 or less.

What everyone's talking about

•	#ChooseToChallenge is the theme for International Women's Day 2021. Here's what you should know.
•	Freedom of the press: In an "exceedingly rare" case, an Iowa journalist faces charges from reporting on summer protests.
•	2022 Winter Olympics without the USA? A push to boycott is growing over China's alleged human rights abuses.
•	MacKenzie Scott is off the market. The billionaire philanthropist, who divorced Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in 2019, married Seattle schoolteacher Dan Jewett.
•	A Capitol security report from Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré calls for hundreds more police officers, including mounted units to prevent another mob attack.

Meghan and Harry spill the royal tea

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan sat down with Oprah Winfrey last night and dropped some serious revelations about the royal family and the challenges they faced while living in the palace. I watched it, and my jaw was on the floor for nearly the entire two-hour interview. The big revelations:

•	Duchess Meghan said there were "concerns" during her first pregnancy about the color of her baby's skin.
•	Meghan said she was so close to suicide during her time in the palace that she couldn't be left alone. She received no support from the royal family.
•	Harry said his father, Prince Charles, wouldn't take his calls for a time.
•	Meghan and Harry revealed that the second child she's expecting is a girl.
•	Meghan said that, contrary to reports that she made Kate Middleton, her sister-in-law, cry, the reverse was true.
•	The Sussexes were secretly married three days before their royal wedding in 2018.

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan exposed royal friction during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Joe Pugliese, AP

Charges permanently dropped against Breonna Taylor's boyfriend

The charges against Kenneth Walker stemming from last March's fatal Louisville Metro Police shooting of Breonna Taylor were dismissed with prejudice, meaning he cannot be recharged. Walker, Taylor's boyfriend, was arrested and charged with assault and attempted murder of a police officer after he shot Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly in the thigh as police burst into Taylor's apartment. Walker maintained he did not know police were at the door and thought intruders were breaking in. In May 2020, the charges were dismissed without prejudice, and Jefferson Commonwealth's Attorney Thomas Wine called for further investigation to determine whether criminal charges were warranted. In a motion filed last week, Wine's office moved to dismiss those charges with prejudice, writing "no new information relevant to the charges against (Walker) in this matter has been brought to commonwealth's attention."

Real quick

•	Scholars are outraged over a Harvard professor's claims about sex slaves in wartime Japan.
•	COVID-19 is especially deadly for adults with Down syndrome, but many can't get a vaccine shot.
•	A Bowling Green State University student died after an alleged hazing incident left him on life support.
•	Secrets in the sand: The strange pandemic history beneath Deadman's Island in Gulf Breeze.
•	Two months and nearly 300 Capitol riot arrests later, the FBI is hunting hundreds more.

Vaccinated Americans can shoot their shot

To all our vaccinated (or soon to be vaccinated) readers, listen up: The CDC eased guidelines for those vaccinated against COVID-19. Fully vaccinated individuals may get together with other vaccinated individuals in small groups inside their homes without masks or physical distancing. They can visit with unvaccinated people from one other household who are at low risk for severe disease. The new guidelines say fully vaccinated people don't need to quarantine or take a coronavirus test if they've been exposed, unless they're symptomatic. Experts say the announcement may be the agency's attempt to clear up confusion created by some states rolling back coronavirus safety measures despite public warnings from health officials. Whether the guidelines will actually clarify things is up for debate.

A break from the news

•	These cities could become the biggest winners and losers as more Americans shift to remote work.
•	"Superhero" women have been juggling it all during the pandemic. But it comes at a cost.
•	Read the fine print: A year into the pandemic, travelers find some of their flight credits are expiring. Have yours?

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.