Good afternoon, Yesterday's conviction of Derek Chauvin on all counts — a rare conviction of a police officer for killing a Black civilian — sparked widespread celebrations in the streets of Minneapolis, instead of the unrest many had been fearing if Chauvin were acquitted. [ Read more] The end of the trial also sparked a more serious development: the U.S. Department of Justice has launched a sweeping civil rights investigation into the practices of the Minneapolis Police Department. The so-called "patterns or practice" investigation will examine the entire department, and could end up forcing dramatic change on the department. [Read more from Jon Collins and Dan Gunderson] Go deeper: A 2014 academic paper examining the success of past Justice Department investigations into police departments, finding variations and uncertainty in their effectiveness, but generally "substantial compliance" with the department's demanded reforms. [Read more from Joshua Chanin] "We're all so relieved," President Joe Biden said after the verdict. [Read more from The Associated Press] A few prominent politicians drew fire Tuesday for poor word choices in their post-verdict comments. The most notable was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's thanking "George Floyd for sacrificing your life for justice," which drew near-universal criticism. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also took heat for his tweet that "George Floyd came to Minneapolis to better his life. But ultimately his life will have bettered our city." [Read more from Bring Me The News' Adam Uren ] In the wake of George Floyd's death last year, the Minnesota Legislature passed a new law limiting police use of force. That law went into effect on March 1, but has yet to be fully implemented and may face legal challenges. [Read more from MinnPost's Walker Orenstein] Gov. Tim Walz and legislative Democrats are pushing for more new laws changing how policing works in Minnesota, with Walz promising to "burn political capital" to get them through Minnesota's divided Legislature. [Read more from the Forum News Service's Dana Ferguson] The biggest obstacle to the new laws Walz and activists want (not always the same!) is the Republican-controlled Senate. Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka has promised to hold hearings on the topic, but not to take any action. "I am not saying we will definitely do more police accountability this next four weeks. There may be something. I'm not saying we will not," Gazelka said. [Read more] Meanwhile lawmakers in both houses continue to debate and pass budget bills, setting up final negotiations between the two chambers and Walz. These negotiations will almost certainly carry on up to the last minute, and perhaps beyond. Some legislative action is happening besides the budgets and police bills. MPR's Brian Bakst reports that the Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to let lottery winners keep their identities private. Their identities are current public information, seen as a tool to prevent potential fraud. But critics say lottery winners are frequently exposed to harassment on account of their newfound riches. A companion bill awaits action on the House floor. Sen. Amy Klobuchar wrote a New York Times op-ed praising Walter Mondale and reporting an anecdote about when Mondale made Amy the Intern catalogue the vice president's office furniture. [Read more] Something completely different: I am going to try really hard to never lose my sense of wonder about this stuff. This is video of a helicopter, flying on Mars. How cool is that?? [Watch] Listen: Today is the fifth anniversary of Prince's 2016 death. I remember I was in the Pioneer Press office in the Capitol that day, covering the ongoing legislative session, and when the news broke our entire team of political reporters instantly understood that the demand for political news that day had suddenly fallen to zero. In any case, in honor of both Prince and this week's weather, check out "Sometimes It Snows in April." [Listen]
