Marietta

A crowd of protesters in Baltimore toppled a statue of Christopher Columbus and then tossed it into the city’s Inner Harbor on Saturday night, The Sun reported. The explorer’s statue, located near the Little Italy section of Baltimore, was dismantled as fireworks went off around the city during the Fourth of July celebrations. The protesters used ropes to pull down the statue and then rolled it to the water, sending it hurtling into the harbor, The Sun reported. It is the latest statue to tumble during national protests over racism and police violence. Statues of Columbus have fallen in other cities, along with statues of Confederate figures. Protesters, in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis on May 25, have called for the removal of statues of Columbus, WUSA reported. Protesters believe Columbus is responsible for the genocide and exploitation of Native Americans, the television station reported. The statue, carved in Italian Carrara marble, is owned by the city of Baltimore and was dedicated Oct. 8, 1984, The Sun reported. Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer and President Ronald Reagan attended the dedication.

Is it real or just a publicity stunt? Only Kanye West knows for sure. The rapper tweeted Saturday night that he is running for president in 2020. “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States.” West tweeted, adding the hashtag #2020VISION. Rumors of the singer running for president have circulated before, Billboard reported. He has had several highly publicized meetings with the current resident of the White House, President Donald Trump. West has been a frequent and vocal supporter of Trump and said in April he was going to vote for the president in November’s election, The Hill reported. “And we know who I’m voting on,” West said at the time. “And I’m not going to be told by the people around me and the people that have their agenda that my career is going to be over. Because guess what: I’m still here!” In October 2018, West visited Trump in the Oval Office, sporting a red “Make America Great Again” hat, The Hill reported. West surprised viewers during the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards when he floated a possible run for president, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It is not clear whether West seriously plans to run this year, and whether any official paperwork for an election run has been filed, The Hill reported. It is also unclear what West’s party affiliation might be should his candidacy be valid, or whether he would be running as an independent. West has not responded to requests for comment by several media outlets.

A Florida man is accused of killing two people on the same day in two different counties, authorities said. Ian Jackson, 26, of Miramar, was arrested Wednesday, WPLG reported. Jackson is accused in connection with the murders of Roy Gissendanner in Broward County and O’Neill William in Miami-Dade County, the Sun-Sentinel reported. Gissendanner, 63, was found by Broward County deputies on June 22 with two gunshot wounds, including one to his head, the newspaper reported. He was pronounced dead at the scene. While investigating, deputies learned that Jackson was driving Gissendanner’s Ford Taurus, WPLG reported. Deputies then learned that the Miami Gardens Police Department was investigating the fatal shooting of William at a gas station in Miami-Dade County, the Sun-Sentinel reported. “This incident was captured on surveillance footage and shows Jackson arriving at the gas station in the vehicle stolen from Gissendanner, where he is seen confronting a second victim,” the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Each department filed warrants for Jackson’s arrest, the Sun-Sentinel reported. Jackson was arrested in Broward County and was taken to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County, where he is being held without bail

One of the former Minneapolis police officers involved in the death of George Floyd on May 25 was released from jail Saturday, according to Hennepin County jail records. Tao Thao, 34, posted $750,000 bail and was released from jail shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday, the Star-Tribune of Minneapolis reported. Thao had been held on $1 million bail with no conditions or $750,000 bail with conditions, the newspaper reported. Thao was one of the officers present when fellow Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. He is the third former police officer to be released. Thao, along with Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, were charged with unintentional aiding and abetting second-degree murder as well as aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, KSTP reported. Lane and Kueng were already released from jail. Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter and remains in jail. Thao is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. on Sept. 11, the Star-Tribune reported.

A steady stream of boats headed up the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh toward the Hot Metal Bridge while a crowd of protesters clashed with supporters on the riverwalk Saturday. Hundreds of boats and thousands of people were expected to take part in a boat parade in support of President Donald Trump. Most Trump supporters were dressed in red, white and blue and were not wearing masks. As chanting escalated back and forth between Trump supporters and protesters, mounted police positioned themselves between the two groups. Tensions heightened as the two sides began yelling and cursing at each other on the riverwalk. Additional police officers responded to the scene, creating a barrier. Pittsburgh police were on the scene monitoring the situation. “This was supposed to be a nice Trump rally on boats. It was very well organized, but for these people to show up and do this is so wrong,” Maggie Jayson, a Pittsburgh resident, told WPXI. “And we are going to demonstrate peacefully, ‘cause that’s our right. And as long as we’re doing it in the right manner, we can do that.” After less than an hour, police escorted Trump supporters from the pier in what ended as a non-violent -- but also not entirely peaceful -- Fourth of July gathering.

It was “Back to the Future” for the Milwaukee Brewers. Now that baseball training camps have opened, the team released its annual movie-spoofing video. The one that dropped Friday was a parody of the 1985 science fiction classic, “Back to the Future.” Instead of a time-traveling DeLorean automobile, the Brewers used a bullpen car to go back to 1982, the year “Harvey’s Wallbangers,” managed by Harvey Kuenn, led the team to its only World Series appearance. The video includes Brewers players Ryan Braun, Lorenzo Cain, Brent Suter, Keston Huira and Christian Yelich, WTMJ reported. Even Brewers manager Craig Counsell makes an appearance. Huira played the modern-day version of Marty McFly, while Suter reprised the eccentric role of Emmett “Doc” Brown, WITI reported. Last year, the Brewers parodied the 2004 teen comedy “Mean Girls,” and in 2018 spoofed “Dumb and Dumber” and “The Sandlot,” WITI reported.