A juror who cast one of the unanimous votes to convict a former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of killing George Floyd said deliberations were primarily spent trying to convince one person who was uncertain about the jury instructions.

Brandon Mitchell, the first juror to speak out since the trial, said he felt the deliberations should’ve only taken 20 minutes.

And “Much of the time in deliberations was spent going over terminology and making sure we understood what exactly was being asked.”

Mitchell also added that the jury wasn’t affected by tensions in Minneapolis or concerns about what effect their verdicts would have.

After over 10 hours of deliberating, Derek Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on Tuesday April 20th.

President Joe Biden will call for a $200 billion investment into free preschool for all three- and four-year-old children in his first speech to a joint Congress tonight.

Biden’s administration says the Americans Family Plan would benefit 5 million children and save the average family 13-thousand dollars.

The plan would be paid for by raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% of Americans, which aligns with the president’s vow not to raise taxes on those making less than $400,000 a year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased its outdoor mask wearing guidelines Tuesday, saying fully vaccinated Americans don’t need to cover their faces anymore unless they are in a big crowd of strangers.

Those who are unvaccinated can also go outside without a mask, in certain situations.

For most of the past year, the CDC had been advising Americans to wear masks outdoors if they are within six feet of one another.

The new guidance released Tuesday represents another carefully calibrated step on the road back to normal from the coronavirus outbreak.

Sydney LaBelle can be reached at labe7208@sttthomas.edu.