Pretrial hearings begin in the Freddie Gray case. The manhunt for three police killers continues. And Pope Francis forgives.
It’s Wednesday, and here are five things to know for your new day.
FREDDIE GRAY CASE
The next phase: The six officers charged in the Freddie Gray case head to court today for pretrial hearings. They face charges ranging from false imprisonment to involuntary manslaughter. Attorneys representing the officers want the charges dropped or Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby to recuse herself. Activists have announced protest plans, and the Baltimore Police Department has canceled all leave in case violence breaks out. The trial of the “Freddie Gray Six” is scheduled to begin in October.
POLICE OFFICER KILLED
Massive manhunt: The search for three men involved in the fatal shooting of an Illinois police officer continues this morning. Officers in heavy gear, with K-9 partners and others on horseback, kept looking in Fox Lake for the men police said shot Lt. Joe Gliniewicz. The married father of four had been a cop for more than three decades and was nicknamed “G.I. Joe.” People barricaded themselves in their homes, school were put on lockdown and helicopters buzzed the skies during the search yesterday.
POLICE SHOOTING
Hands up?: Another officer-involved shooting captured on tape. This time it’s a fatal shooting in the front yard of a house in San Antonio, a shooting recorded on cell phones by bystanders. One four-minute video appears to show deputies shooting a man who has at least one hand in the air when he is shot. The second video has not been released by police, but the district attorney calls it “troubling.” The sheriff’s office said the man who was killed had a knife and was resisting arrest.
ABORTION
Francis forgives: Yesterday Pope Francis did what he does best — shook up the Catholic world — when he announced that priests around the globe are authorized to forgive the “sin of abortion.” The authorization begins in December, during the church’s “Year of Mercy.” Priests in the United States can already do this, but yesterday’s announcement extends this throughout the global church. The Year of Mercy ends November 20, 2016, but church officials say its possible the Pope will allow the abortion policy to continue beyond that.
IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL
One more vote: That’s all President Obama needs to get a major foreign policy victory. Supporters of his Iran nuke deal are just one vote shy of garnering enough support to keep the deal. That’s because yesterday two Senate Democrats — Chris Coons of Delaware and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania — announced their support. Some predict by the end of the week Obama will have the 34 Senate votes he needs to sustain his promised veto of the GOP’s upcoming resolution of disapproval, which will probably be voted on later this month.
