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Minnesota officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright freed

SHAKOPEE — Kim Potter, the former Minnesota police officer who said she mistook her gun for a Taser when she shot and killed Daunte Wright in 2021, was released from prison early Monday. The Minnesota Department of Corrections said Potter was released at about 4 a.m. “out of an abundance of caution” for Potter’s safety. The department confirmed Friday she would be released Monday from the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee, but declined to say what time due to security concerns. Potter, a white former officer for the Brooklyn Center Police Department in suburban ...

Stocks stand still ahead of raft of earnings

NEW YORK — Wall Street remained stuck in its standstill Monday, and stocks again moved only modestly ahead of reports that could offer more direction on where the economy and corporate profits are heading. The S&P 500 edged up by 3.52 points, or 0.1%, to 4,137.04 after barely budging last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 66.44, or 0.2%, to 33,875.40, while the Nasdaq composite slipped 35.25, or 0.3%, to 12,037.20. Coca-Cola slipped 0.2% after it reported stronger-than-expected profit for the first quarter but refrained from raising forecasts for sales and other measures ...

International

China affirms ex-Soviet nations’ sovereignty after uproar BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese government said Monday it respected the sovereignty of former Soviet Union republics after Beijing’s ambassador to France caused an uproar in Europe by saying they weren’t sovereign nations. The governments of former Soviet republics Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were among those who rejected Ambassador Lu Shaye’s comment to a French broadcaster. While answering a question about the status of Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014, Lu said that there was no agreement to “solidify ...

National

‘Gender Queer’ tops library group’s list of challenged books NEW YORK (AP) — With Florida legislators barring even the mention of being gay in classrooms and similar restrictions under consideration in other states, a report released Monday says books with LGBTQ+ themes remain the most likely targets of bans or attempted bans at public schools and libraries around the country. The American Library Association announced that Maia Kobabe’s graphic memoir “Gender Queer” was the most “challenged” book of 2022, the second consecutive year it has topped the list. ...

Marijuana legalization advancing in Minnesota Legislature

ST. PAUL — Recreational marijuana could soon be legalized and regulated in Minnesota under bills that are entering the final rounds of debate at the Legislature. The House, where Democrats comfortably outnumber Republicans, was set to pass its marijuana bill Monday night after green-lighting similar legislation in 2021. The Senate, where Democrats hold only a one-seat majority, is scheduled to vote Friday on its own version. “Today is a big day because we are now at the five-yard line” for legalizing cannabis, the lead author, Democratic Rep. Zack Stephenson, of Coon Rapids, ...

Mexico intercepts liquid meth-filled tequila bottles

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican Navy inspectors have intercepted 11,520 tequila bottles bound for export that actually contained nearly 10 tons of concentrated liquid meth, the Navy said Monday. The discovery was made Sunday at the Pacific coast seaport of Manzanillo, the Navy said. It said the bottles contained approximately about 19,000 pounds of meth. Photos of the seizure show a sniffer dog alerting inspectors to cardboard boxes of glass bottles full of a brownish liquid, consistent with the color of “añejo” or aged tequila. The labels on the bottles were not visible. ...