In No Way: In another bad day in court for former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin, the chief of police testified that the way Chauvin kept his knee on George Floyd’s neck “absolutely” violated department policy. Chief Medaria Arradondo said that once Floyd had stopped resisting and was in distress, Chauvin should have stopped.

  Chauvin is on trial for murder in Floyd’s death while under arrest last May. The defense claims that by kneeling on Floyd’s neck to bring him under control, Chauvin was doing what he was trained to do. 

  Arradondo said, “That in no way, shape, or form is anything that is by policy, it is not part of our training, and it is certainly not part of our ethics or our values.” He also said that when Floyd stopped breathing, Chauvin or other officers should have tried to save his life, but didn’t.

  Inspector Katie Blackwell, who had been the training officer at the time of Floyd’s death, said of the way Chauvin held Floyd, “I don’t know what kind of improvised position this is.” She said Floyd should have been put on his side in the “recovery position” to help him breathe as soon as possible.

  Chief Arradondo fired the four involved officers the next day and referred to Floyd’s death as a murder. Three of the officers will be tried later.

  Earlier yesterday, an emergency room doctor who spent 30 minutes trying to revive Floyd testified that he believed Floyd likely died of oxygen deprivation, backing the prosecution’s central theory of the case. He noted that the police who arrested Floyd made no effort to revive him.

One Man, One Vote: West Virginia’s Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin told a radio host that he would oppose raising the corporate tax rate to 28 percent, a key component that would help pay for President Biden administration’s $2 trillion infrastructure bill. 

  Manchin said he knows other Democratic senators who also think the high tax rate would be too damaging to business. “We have to be competitive, and we’re not going to throw caution to the wind,” he said.

  With Democrats holding 50 Senate seats and the vice presidency, the loss of Manchin’s approval would kill the whole deal. Manchin said, “If I don’t vote to get on it, it’s not going anywhere.”

  In another development, the Biden administration announced a proposal to establish a global minimum corporate tax to discourage multinational corporations from moving corporate headquarters to lower-tax countries. 

Transitional Veto: In an act of political bravery, Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson vetoed a bill that would make it illegal for transgender minors to receive gender-affirming medication or surgery, thereby standing in the path of increasing conservative efforts to restrict health care and participation in society for transgender kids. 

  Republicans hold large majorities in both houses of the Arkansas legislature and could still vote to override the governor. Contrary to medical research and evidence, supporters of the bill say they would protect young people from undergoing irreversible medical treatments. Their bill says, “The risks of gender transition procedures far outweigh any benefit at this stage of clinical study on these procedures.”

  Doctors say that, to the contrary, young people denied treatment for transsexuality are more likely to consider suicide.

  In rejecting the law Hutchinson said, “I was told this week that the nation is looking at Arkansas because I have on my desk another bill passed by the General Assembly that is a product of the cultural war in America.” He said,  “The most recent action of the General Assembly, while well intended, is off course.”

Across the Blue Line: Mark Pavelich, a member of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” Olympic gold medal US hockey  team, died by suicide last month at age 63 in a Minnesota residential treatment center, according to the local medical examiner. 

  In 1980 it was Pavelich who provided the assist for  Mike Eruzione’s game winning goal against the Soviet Union, sending the Americans into the final game. He went on to play in the NHL, scoring a career 137 goals and 192 assists.

  He ended up being a troubled man and was arrested for beating up a neighbor.

  Family and friends have said they believe Pavelich suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy —  known as CTE — caused by repeated blows to the head while playing hockey.

The Spin Rack: Earl Simmons, the 50-year-old rapper known as DMX, is reported to be on life support in a “vegetative state” after a heart attack. Simmons was the first musician whose first four albums debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. He’s lived the true thug life with arrests for fraud, assault, driving under the influence, and weapon and narcotics possession. — Donald Trump, America’s brander in chief, appears to be abandoning “Trump” which he put on everything from steaks to skyscrapers for simply “45.” The 45th president’s website is 45Office.com, and his political action committee is SaveAmerica45.com. — The New York State legislature is on the brink of raising taxes for people who make a million dollars or more.

Hoop Dreams: Baylor last night crushed Gonzaga’s dream of topping an undefeated season with an NCAA basketball championship. Baylor was up nine points before Gonzaga was even on the board and at one point in the second half led by 20. The Bears controlled the ball like hand magicians to win their first-ever championship. Final score, 86-70.

Memoir Lane: President Biden’s son, Hunter, says in his new memoir he was so drug-addled at the time that he has no memory of a sexual congress with a District of Columbia stripper who ended up having his child. He has since acknowledged fatherhood. The amazing thing is that Hunter Biden is not the most embarrassing presidential offspring in the history of the White House.

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