'BradCast' 4/21/2021 (Guest: Philadelphia Inquirer's Will Bunch on the need for institutional policing reform)
On today's 'BradCast':\xa0 U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland announced the Dept. of Justice will launch a civil 'pattern or practice' probe of the Minneapolis Police Department, the day after a jury found former MPD officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all counts of murder and manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd last year. Garland says DOJ will investigate whether there are systemic abuses in the MPD's use of force policies, including against protesters. But Garland may want to expand that probe to neighboring Brooklyn Center, MN, where police attacked both protesters and journalists exercising their First Amendment rights mere hours after a court explicitly barred the police from using physical force, pepper-spray and other intimidation tactics against members of the media. Philadelphia Inquirer national columnist WILL BUNCH discusses the outbreak of police violence against the free press and protesters around the country, the institution of policing in the US and its historical roots in racism, and the need for nationwide policing reform.\xa0 Bunch notes that if police are attacking journalists with major media organizations who can tell the world what happened to them, how are police treating citizens when there are no cameras around? Also today:\xa0 President Joe Biden announced the US has achieved his goal of 200 million COVID vaccine shots administered, eight days before the target of his 100th day in office. Biden will also reportedly announce an even more ambitious goal on Earth Day, pledging under the United Nations Paris Climate Agreement to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent over 2005 levels by 2030, with the ultimate goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.