It’s Friday Jr. (That means Thursday.) Here are the top news stories of the morning, right after the weather: Sometimes it snows in April, but hopefully that’s behind us now. Today is cloudy, with highs in the upper 40s. It’s going to be a gradual process, but we will see more glimpses of sunshine through Saturday. Sunday looks like the sunniest day as we look ahead through the weekend. Check out the latest forecast from Updraft. Brooklyn Center renters blame police for chaos at Daunte Wright protests The Sterling Square Apartments is a two-building complex that stands directly across the street from the Brooklyn Center Police Department. For the last several nights, the lawn in front of the buildings has become the center of protests over the killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright. Law enforcement has repeatedly deployed blunt crowd control tactics that disrupt the protests, but also impact people -- including children -- who live nearby. Read the experiences of the people closest to the protests. Today: Officer who shot Wright to make 1st court appearance
Retired medical examiner: Cause of Floyd’s death ‘undetermined’ Derek Chauvin's defense attorney called a medical expert to the stand Wednesday who concluded that George Floyd’s manner of death is "undetermined," countering the Hennepin County medical examiner's ruling that it was a homicide. A key witness for the defense, retired Maryland medical examiner Dr. David Fowler testified that Floyd died of cardiac arrhythmia during the police restraint, but that methamphetamine and fentanyl, carbon monoxide exposure from the squad car, tumors and adrenaline all contributed to his death. Fowler’s testimony is meant to cast doubt on the testimony of medical experts called by the state who said police actions — including Chauvin’s knee on Floyd’s neck — are what killed him. 3 things to know: A former medical examiner who is the subject of a wrongful-death lawsuit involving the police killing of a Black teen in Maryland testified that George Floyd died of cardiac arrhythmia and a host of contributing factors Defense use-of-force expert testifies Derek Chauvin used “objectively reasonable” force against Floyd Case could go to the jury as early as Monday MN House panel moves to change police powers In the aftermath of Sunday’s fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, a Minnesota House committee met Wednesday to take up four bills aimed at changing how police operate in the state. Three things to know about COVID-19 in Minnesota right now:
* Minnesota is due to see its vaccine supply plateau or fall over the next two weeks
* A good day of data is raising hopes that we may be near a peak of the current wave, but it's too early to say for sure
* A new survey suggests Minnesota has one of the lowest rates of vaccine hesitancy in the country -- David Montgomery, MPR News ( Subscribe)
— Katie Moritz, MPR News | Find me on Twitter @katecmoritz | 