You made it to Friday. Here are the top news stories of the morning, right after the weather: Sunny moments. It’ll be mostly cloudy today, but with peaks of sun and clearing skies later. Lows are in the upper 30s, highs in the lower 50s. The weekend will be cloudy, too. Check out the latest forecast from Updraft. Chauvin trial: Witness testimony ends, closing statements on Monday Testimony has wrapped in former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's murder trial, with closing arguments in the case set to begin Monday. After that, the jury will deliberate. The jurors will stay in hotels while they decide whether Chauvin is guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder or second-degree manslaughter for his role in George Floyd’s death last May. How do courts ensure that jurors remain impartial? What mechanisms are in place to check that a juror is unbiased? And what happens if jurors can’t all agree on a verdict? Tune in at 9 a.m., when MPR News host Kerri Miller talks with two legal experts about the jury deliberation process. 3 things to know: Closing arguments to begin Monday Derek Chauvin did not testify in his defense, invoking his right to remain silent A retired Maryland medical examiner testified that George Floyd died of cardiac arrhythmia but that the manner of death was “undetermined” How you can help people in Brooklyn Center right now, in the aftermath of Daunte Wright’s killing (via In Focus Facebook Group, reply to screening questions to join) Protests continue in Brooklyn Center, a north Minneapolis suburb. The city was already a food desert. Now, with businesses boarded up, organizers are working to clean, drop off food, and collect money to support their community. Here’s how you can help. As protests against police violence continue, Legislature debates public safety reform A divide in Minnesota’s Legislature over a way forward on public safety sharpened Thursday after the Senate approved a budget plan without police law changes, and the House loaded up a competing bill with many revisions. The distance between the chambers will have to close soon with a deadline to adjourn the session now a month out.
Here are Minnesota’s latest COVID-19 statistics: 6,989 deaths (11 new) 549,830 positive cases; 95 percent off isolation 49 percent of adults with at least one dose; 33 percent completely vaccinated About 85 percent of Minnesotans 65 and older with at least one dose — Katie Moritz, MPR News | Find me on Twitter @katecmoritz
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