Moment of silence for Chauvin at Minnesota GOP state convention sparks blowback

Minnesota Republicans left their state convention with endorsed candidates and a renewed focus on winning statewide office in 2026, but a delegate-driven tribute to Derek Chauvin is giving Democrats a fresh line of attack as the campaign season begins.

The brief moment of silent prayer for the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of second-degree murder in George Floyd’s killing was not planned by party leaders, but it prompted swift condemnation from Democrats.

The moment of silence came at the request of one of the roughly 2,300 delegates as the convention work began early Saturday morning. Any delegate has the right to make a motion during that part of the convention process, said state Rep. Danny Nadeau, a Republican from Rogers who chaired the convention, in an interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune. Delegates offered hundreds through the weekend, he said.

Nadeau said he recommended against the motion, but his job is to facilitate the delegates’ work, and he cannot unilaterally block it. The motion passed on a voice vote after Nadeau asked the crowd if they “would like to have a short 30-seconds stand in silence for Derek Chauvin.”

—Star Tribune

Baltimore crime drop continues, with homicides down 23% from last year

Baltimore’s decline in violent crime continued through May, with homicides down more than 23% compared with the same point last year as city leaders pointed to a combination of focused policing, violence interruption programs and community partnerships.

As of June 1, Baltimore recorded 40 homicides and 120 nonfatal shootings in 2026, compared with 52 homicides and 121 nonfatal shootings during the same period in 2025.

The reductions extend a yearslong downward trend in lethal violence that city officials say has produced some of Baltimore’s lowest homicide totals in decades.

“We still see too many people turning to guns to solve conflicts, and one life lost to violence in our city is one too many,” Mayor Brandon Scott said. “In the months and years to come, we will continue to invest in these strategies, strengthen our partnerships, and maintain our focus on saving lives.”

—Baltimore Sun

Boston Public Library under fire for scheduling drag queen story hours for kids

BOSTON — The Boston Public Library’s series of drag queen story hours for families in celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month has raised concerns from the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts.

C.J. Doyle, the executive director of the independent Catholic advocacy group, says he fears that the scheduled events are a “demonic assault on the innocence of children, who are being exploited to mainstream the sexual deviancy of transvestites.”

Roughly 19 story hours are scheduled in June, according to the BPL calendar, with the first slated for Monday in the West End. The events primarily target children ages 5 and under.

“Children and families are invited to come and celebrate Pride Month with drag queen Ms. Patty for a fun-filled story hour of songs, stories, and more!” an advertisement for Monday’s event reads.

—Boston Herald

The secret ingredient tying your candy, makeup and medicines to Sudan's war

OBEID, Sudan — Its illicit journey begins in the blood-soaked orchards of central Sudan before being spirited to ports across Africa and then to the U.S. and Europe.

By the time it ends up in everything from M&Ms to medicines to makeup, few consumers or businesses know they're contributing to the world's worst humanitarian disaster.

Gum arabic, a resin that comes from the acacia tree, is as ubiquitous as it is unglamorous, virtually unknown despite being a vital ingredient in hundreds of products. Its importance as a thickener and stabilizer — with no real substitute — should make it a boon for Sudan, once responsible for up to 80% of the world's supply.

Instead, gum arabic, like so much of the country's gargantuan wealth, now provides both the reason and resources for its staggeringly ruinous civil war. That war, now in its fourth year with little sign of abating, has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced some 14 million people and left almost 20 million facing acute hunger. It has also co-opted the economy, so that Sudan's many riches bankroll the belligerents even as most Sudanese are impoverished.

—Los Angeles Times