Former police officer involved in death of George Floyd released from jail

The former Minneapolis police officer who was seen kneeling on the neck of George Floyd posted a $1 million bond and was released from jail Wednesday, according to Fox News.

Derek Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. He was released from Oak Park Heights prison where he had been since May 31.

A notice of release was posted by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office indicating Chauvin paid a $1 million bond and is required by law to show in court on March 8, 2021, at 9 a.m. Chauvin also paid the non-cash bond Wednesday.

Coronavirus-related deaths spike in the U.S.

With at least 7,519,846 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the US, 211,343 deaths related to the virus have been reported by Johns Hopkins University’s tally of cases, according to CNN. 

As of today, there have been 20,505 new cases reported and 457 deaths reported from Johns Hopkins.

These numbers include cases from the District of Columbia, all 50 states and the U.S. territories.  

Twenty-two states have seen a surge in COVID-19 cases this week. 

Apple releases new mask-wearing smiling emoji

The mask-wearing emoji received an update from Apple: the keyboard character will now be smiling under the medical face mask instead of frowning. 

The new emoji is part of the latest update in the iOS 14.2 software and is expected to be released publicly this month, according to CBS.

This change in the popular emoji’s design is meant to reflect that everyone, not just the sick, should wear masks in public to protect themselves and others during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Apple is showing its support for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines regarding the use of face coverings to slow and stop the spread of the virus. 

New England Patriots player tests positive for COVID-19

Stephon Gilmore, the team’s star cornerback, tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the Patriots to cancel practice Wednesday, according to the New York Times.

Gilmore was known to have tested positive two days after the league put into place new measures to halt the spread of infections.

The new measures will include video surveillance of players and team personnel to ensure masks are being worn, a ban against traveling during bye-weeks and a limited number of free-agent tryouts.

This comes at a time when the NFL has been struggling with COVID-19 cases as games have been rescheduled and postponed in recent weeks.