Unions threaten work stoppages

AG to form grand jury after death

New York’s attorney general Saturday moved to form a grand jury to investigate the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died after being hooded and held down by Rochester police earlier this year.

“The Prude family and the Rochester community have been through great pain and anguish,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement about Prude’s death, which has sparked nightly protests and calls for reform. She said the grand jury would be part of an “exhaustive investigation.”

Prude’s death after his brother called for help for his erratic behavior in March has roiled New York’s third-largest city since video of the encounter was made public last week, with protesters demanding more accountability for how it happened and legislation to change how authorities respond to mental health emergencies.

Prof investigated for posing as Black

A George Washington University professor under investigation after a blog post written under her name said that she had posed as a Black woman will not teach classes this semester, the university said Friday.

The announcement came after the university said Thursday that it was looking into an essay posted on Medium, written under the name of the professor, Jessica A. Krug, in which she described a prolonged deception of assuming various Black identities even though she is white.

The university was “working on developing a number of options” for students affected by the change in plans, it said in a statement Friday.

Ahead of Labor Day, unions representing millions across several working-class sectors are threatening to authorize work stoppages in support of the Black Lives Matter movement amid calls for concrete measures that address racial injustice.

In a statement first shared with The Associated Press, labor leaders who represent teachers, autoworkers, truck drivers and clerical staff, among others, signaled a willingness Friday to escalate protest tactics to force local and federal lawmakers to take action on policing reform and systemic racism. They said the walkouts, if they were to move forward with them, would last for as long as needed.

Mosque explosion blamed on gas leak

The death toll from a suspected gas explosion and fire at a mosque outside the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, has risen to 20, police and doctors said on Saturday.

The explosion on Friday night hit as Muslim worshippers were about to end their evening prayers, police officer Zayedul Alam said.

Thirty-seven victims with severe wounds were taken to Dhaka’s specialist burn and plastic surgery institute, he said.