Today's Department of Justice (DOJ) announcement marks a much needed step towards holding four current and former Louisville Metro Police Department officers accountable for the 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor during a botched raid. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced:

"The Justice Department has charged four current and former Louisville Metro Police Department officers with federal crimes related to Ms.

Louisville Police Department Detectives Myles Cosgrove (right), who shot Breonna Taylor in her apartment, and Joshua Jaynes (left), who lied to get the warrant for the March 13 raid, were fired yesterday—the only "justice" they're likely to see. A third officer, Brett Hankison, was earlier fired and charged with endangering Taylor's neighbors. — Read the rest

It's a New Year's miracle! From the Louisville Courier-Journal:

The Louisville Metro Police Department is seeking to fire two more officers in the police shooting of Breonna Taylor — one who sought the "no-knock" search warrant for her apartment and a second who fired the fatal bullet.

Grand jury testimony in the Breonna Taylor case was released today, following an extraordinary request from a juror who said the prosecutor misled the public about why none of the officers who killed her were charged. The tapes run for 14 hours, meaning that it will be very late Friday before their contents can be reasonably reported on. — Read the rest

Many of us were disappointed — though sadly not surprised — when the Grand Jury for the Breonna Taylor case declined to indict the officers who killed her. The fact that one officer would be charged for stray bullets that didn't kill anyone only added insult to injury. — Read the rest

The family of Breonna Taylor on Friday demanded that authorities in Kentucky release all body camera footage, police files, and grand jury transcripts that led to no charges being filed against police officers who killed the Black woman while she was sleeping, during a mistargeted drug raid at her apartment. — Read the rest

From a statement that Stevie Wonder released yesterday, titled "The Universe Is Watching Us — Stevie Wonder In His Feelings":

"As time is evolving, it seems so much has changed. So much is moving to a different rhythm. The way we work, live, love, meet, and greet.

Not one police officer will be charged directly in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor. One police officer faces 3 counts over shooting into neighboring apartments. That's it.

"Two white police officers who fired into the apartment of Breonna Taylor, a Black medical worker, will face no charges for her death because their use of force was justified, but a third will be charged with the wanton endangerment of her neighbors," Kentucky's state attorney general said. — Read the rest

In Kentucky, a decision is imminent in the case of Breonna Taylor, who was killed by police. Attorney General Daniel Cameron's announcement in the Breonna Taylor case is expected soon.

Interim Chief of Police Robert Schroeder declared a state of emergency for the Louisville Metro Police Department on Monday. — Read the rest

The city of Louisville, Kentucky has agreed to pay several million dollars to the mother of Breonna Taylor, and install police reforms. The reforms and financial compensation are part of a settlement with Taylor's family, The Associated Press reports. — Read the rest

From KALB in Louisiana:

Louisville lawyer Sam Aguiar, one of the attorneys representing Breonna Taylor's family, said local law enforcement had tried to offer Taylor's ex-boyfriend a plea deal in exchange for him naming Taylor as a co-defendant in a drug case.

Hitting newsstands August 11 is the first Oprah-less O magazine cover. Oprah Winfrey gave up her cover spot for the first time in the magazine's 20-year history to honor Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old who was killed this past March by Louisville police officers. — Read the rest

Breonna Taylor was a 26-year-old EMT who was killed by 3 plainclothes police officers who wrongly delivered a no-knock warrant (which is already constitutionally questionable) at her home in the middle of the night on March 13, 2020. The whole situation is tragic and frustrating and after 4 months, there's still been very little recourse against the officers responsible. — Read the rest

Emergency services responded quickly and rescued a trucker who was dramatically dangling, moments from near-certain death.

An out-of-control big rig left its cab hanging precariously over a Louisville, Kentucky, bridge. The driver called 911, pleading for help and leaving a message for his family in case he didn't make it. — Read the rest

Cops in New York City falsely accused a Shake Shack last year of poisoning three officers' milkshakes. The manager of the Shake Shack, Marcus Gilliam, is suing them for defamation and for illegally detaining him as part of the scam, apparently an attempt to generate sympathy for police during protests against the George Floyd murder. — Read the rest

Ammon Bundy — the radical Mormon separatist who lead the armed takeover of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge back in 2016 as a sort-of protest against an admitted arsonist who had already agreed to serve prison time, but I digress — has pledged his solidarity with Black Lives Matter. — Read the rest

A half-hour special episode on how police in America respond to protests against police brutality: with greater brutality, armed for war.

As nationwide protests over the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are met with police brutality, John Oliver discusses how the histories of policing and white supremacy are intertwined, the roadblocks to fixing things, and some potential paths forward.

“Silence Is Not an Option”

PSA: If you're using a black square on Instagram as a way to show you are "muted and listening" to Black voices and/or to show your solidarity with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, STOP using the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag. That hashtag is meant to share resources and information and using it for a "Blackout Tuesday" post is drowning out the voices that need to be heard, activists say. — Read the rest