National

Samara Heisz/iStockBy WILLIAM MANSELL and EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News(NEW YORK) -- The novel coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 631,000 people worldwide.Over 15.4 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing […]

pastorscott/iStockBy KARMA ALLEN, ABC News(NEW YORK) -- California State University voted to make ethnic and social justice studies a requirement for graduation amid ongoing calls for related reforms in the wake of national unrest.The university's Board of Trustees approved the measure on Wednesday, marking the first change to the school's general education curriculum in more than four decades, school officials said.Cal State, the country's largest four-year public university system with […]

nazarethman/iStockBy MEREDITH DELISO, ABC News(AURORA, Colo.) -- Five attendees of a rally and vigil for Elijah McClain held last month in Aurora are suing the Colorado city and its interim top cop over what they say was an unconstitutional police response that "terrorized" peaceful protesters.On June 27, thousands of demonstrators gathered for a "violin vigil" to celebrate the life of McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died last year a […]

Samara Heisz/iStockBy WILLIAM MANSELL and EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News(NEW YORK) -- The novel coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 625,000 people worldwide.Over 15.3 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing […]

ABCBY ASHAN SINGH, DEBORAH KIM, and ALLIE YANG, ABC NEWS(NEW YORK) -- For almost a year now, Taylor Cassidy has been creating TikToks. However, her short, creatively edited videos have been so much more than viral dance challenges.One of Cassidy’s latest videos posted to her nearly two million followers is an explainer on “Blaxploitation.” In the video, which racked up nearly 400,000 views in one day, she teaches viewers that […]

ABC NewsBY: CHRISTINA CARREGA(MINNEAPOLIS) -- The former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd is also facing multiple felony charges of tax evasion.Derek Chauvin and his estranged wife, Kellie May Chauvin, were charged on Wednesday by Washington County prosecutors with failing to file their taxes since 2016 and filing fraudulent returns since 2014.The couple, who have two homes in Oakdale, Minnesota, and one in Windermere, Florida, owe $37,868 in […]

Courtesy Emily RuttBY: ELLA TORRES(PHILADELPHIA) -- A Philadelphia police officer has been charged with three counts of simple assault after video purportedly showed him spraying peaceful, kneeling protesters with pepper spray during protests against police brutality, officials said.Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced the charges against Officer Richard Nicoletti, 35, on Wednesday.Nicoletti was seen on social media videos on June 1 spraying the three protesters "without provocations," according to a […]

ABC NewsBY: IGNACIO TORRES, JESSICA HOPPER, and ALLIE YANG(HOUSTON) -- For years, the highlight of Candido’s day has been returning home from work to his wife and children, Caleb and Emma. He has carried the pride of his job as an essential worker in the construction industry.That was until he brought COVID-19 home.“The first symptom was at work. I felt different types of chills. Then my legs felt shaky," Candido, […]

JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty ImagesBy AARON KATERSKY, IVAN PEREIRA, and VICTOR ORDONEZ, ABC News (NEW YORK) -- Michael Cohen, a former attorney for President Donald Trump, will be released from federal prison and return to home confinement in Manhattan.Cohen, serving a three-year sentence for violating campaign finance laws and lying to Congress, was ordered back to the federal facility in Otisville, New York, on July 9 after spending two months […]