speaking with me about daunte wright's coming back in april of this year. —— speaking with me about daunteother news. ministers of belgium's multiparty government have decided to close the country's two nuclear power plants and their seven reactors by 2025. the decision could leave belgium with an electricity shortfall if alternative generating capacity is not brought on stream. ministers have, however, pledged funds for research into other forms of nuclear power. the renowned author and journalist, joan didion, whose essays, novels, and screen plays chronicled american society, has died. she was 87. among her best known works was the essay collection "slouching toward bethlehem", and the award winning "the year of magical thinking," which was inspired by the death of her husband. close to one million polish people left their homeland in search of higher wages and a better life in the uk after it opened its labour market in 200a. many have settled here — but a combination of brexit, the pandemic and the pull of theirfamilies has persuaded others to return. our correspondent adam easton rep

he also though said this isn't full justice. >> justice would be restoring daunte to life and making the wrighte again. justice is beyond the reach that we have in this life. for daunte. but accountability is an important step. a critical, necessary step on the road to justice for us all. >> reporter: he went on to say potter who is in custody without bail seen her smiling in her latest mug shot after she was convicted on two counts of manslaughter for killing daunte wright, she will still have the chance to correspond end speak to her family, daunte wright will not. sentencing is set for february 18th which based on the guidelines she will likely be in the range of a little over six years and a little under nine years for that sentence. but when it comes to today, daunte wright's mother said 23 was his favorite number and here we are with this verdict on the 23rd of december. wolf. >> i want you to stick around. stay with us. i have some more questions for you. i want to bring in cnn legal analyst joey jackson and laura coates. laura, are you surprised potter was found guilty on both charges?

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outside the court, daunte wright's mother, katie wright, gave her reaction to the verdict. moment that we heard "guilty" on manslaughter one — emotions, every single emotion that you could imaginejust running through your body at that moment. i kind of let out a yelp, because it was built up in the anticipation of what was to come while we were waiting for the last few days. and now we've been able to process it, we want to thank the entire prosecution team, we want to thank communities, support, everybody who's been out there that has supported us in this long fight for accountability. well, earlier, we spoke to reverendjim bearjacobs who's close to daunte wright's family and also director for racialjustice for the minnesota council of churches. my immediate reaction was one of relief. as the jury deliberations went on, i must admit i began getting a little more sceptical about whether we would see guilty verdicts in this case. and you're calling of course for police to change the way they operate, to issue citations and summons rather than force in the wake of what happen

the mother of daunte wright, katie wright, gave this reaction to the verdict outside court.he moment that we heard "guilty" on the manslaughter one, emotions, every single emotion that you could imagine just running through your body at that moment. a kind of let out a yell, because it was going to build up in anticipation of what was to come while we were waiting for the last few days. and now we have been able to process it. we want to thank the entire prosecution team, we want to thank communities, support, everyone who has been out there who has supported us in this long fight for accountability. that was katie right there. the incident led to several nights of intense protests at a very sensitive time in the united states and not far from the court where white police officer, derek chauvin, was standing trialfor the murder of a black man, george floyd. let's have a listen to kimberly potter's tearful evidence in court. i remember yelling "taser, taser, taser," and nothing happened. and then he told me i've shot him. let's get more on this story with our north america co

there he is with his then 2-year-old son, daunte wright jr. that day by then officer potter, and she has been found guilty on both counts. let me bring in our entire legal team here, who's been following this throughout, along with our correspondent, adrienne broaddus, and josh campbell. elliot williams, let me begin with you. you've got a 15-year maximum sentence for the first degree manslaughter count, 10 years for the second degree manslaughter count. and we just -- our viewers might not know what blakely factors are. those are aggregating factors. the prosecution here is going to push for a sentence longer than what we might normally see in a case like this because of aggregating factors, similar to what we saw in the derek chauvin trial. what is your take on the verdict? >> right, well, in light of the fact that the defendant didn't have a criminal history or, you know, it was an accidental shooting and so on, i think they're going to have a hard time getting aggravating factors in here. but they're there. one will certainly be that the i

justice would be restoring daunte to life and making the wright family whole again. d the reach that we have in this life for daunte. but accountability is an important step, a critical, necessary step on the road to justice for us all. i want to thank the jury for their careful attention and deliberation and their service to the people of minnesota. i want to thank all the witnesses who testified and who came forward with what they knew about this case. i especially want to thank my remarkable team. when i took this case, i said it would be difficult to prosecute because history has shown that trying cases like this one is difficult. this team did not shy away from the challenge and the people of hennepin county and the american people and the people of minnesota, what they saw in the courtroom was the fruit of many, many hours of labor and hard work and planning. from my office, i want to thank specifically mr. matthew frank. i want to thank erin eldridge. i want to thank eric miller and devon voight and mary ann dodd. but this team would not be anything if it wasn'

former police officer kim potter is found guilty of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of daunte wright. our experts will break down the verdict and its significance for the fight to hold police accountable. also tonight the omicron surge worsens as the holiday travel rush gets into full swing across the united states the demand for covid tests is intensifying. new york city just scaled back its new year's eve bash. former president trump takes his battle with the january 6th select committee to the united states supreme court. he is ramping up his efforts to keep his white house records secret by asking the justices to step in. we want to welcome our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." let's get straight to the breaking news. the guilty verdicts in the trial of former police officer kim potter. we'll go to minneapolis tonight. potter has now been convicted on two counts of manslaughter in the shooting death of daunte wright. >> reporter: wolf, yes. when that guilty verdict was read, little emotion from the former bro

daunte wright can't. i want you to hear from katy bryant, daunte wright's mother, with her reaction right after the verdict was read. >> oh, my gosh. the moment that we heard guilty on the manslaughter one, emotions, every single emotion you could imagine just running through your body at that moment. i kind of let out a yelp because it was built up and the anticipation of what was to come while we were waiting the last few days. and now we've been able to process it. >> my thoughts are also with those who work in law enforcement and public safety. we hold you in high regard and we also hold you to high standards. we don't want you to be discouraged. your community respects and appreciates you. we want you to uphold the highest ideals of our society and ideals of safety. >> this of course is the second high profile conviction of a minneapolis area police officer or former police officer that we've seen. of course, back in april it was derek chauvin that was convicted in the murder of george floyd. ellison

neither side disputed she did not intend to kill daunte wright, the jury intend to kill daunte wrightcted recklessly on the day in question.— the day in question. we, the “ury, on the charge i the day in question. we, the “ury, on the charge ofi the day in question. we, the jury, on the charge of manslaughter. the day in question. we, the jury, on the charge of manslaughter in| the day in question. we, the jury, i on the charge of manslaughter in the first degree, while committing a misdemeanour on or about april 11 2021 in_ misdemeanour on or about april 11 2021 in the — misdemeanour on or about april 11 2021 in the state of minnesota find the defendant guilty. the}r 2021 in the state of minnesota find the defendant guilty.— the defendant guilty. they found kimberley pottery _ the defendant guilty. they found kimberley pottery guilty - the defendant guilty. they found kimberley pottery guilty of- the defendant guilty. they found kimberley pottery guilty of two l kimberley pottery guilty of two counts of manslaughter. to the delight of demonstrators outside the court, many of whom fee

kimberley potter mistook her handgun for a taser when she shot daunte wright.er jab protection begins to wane after 10 weeks. ecuador has made it compulsory for everyone aged five or over to get the coronavirus vaccine, in response to the increase in covid infections. only those with a medical justification will be exempt. president putin has asked for an immediate response to his demand for nato to stop expanding to the east — to ukraine. he also said he'd initiated high—level talks with the us.

>> daunte wright caused his own death, unfortunately. ose are the cold hard facts, the evidence. >> reporter: while prosecutors argued an unarmed wright posed no threat. >> i would have preferred had daunte wright followed the commands and not tried to flee, sure. does that absolve her from liability does that allow her to shoot him to death it does not. >> reporter: tonight potter denied bail and escorted out of court in handcuffs, facing up to 15 years in prison. >> we have a degree of accountability for daunte wright's death. accountability is not justice. justice would be restoring daunte wright to life and making the family whole again. but accountability is an important step, a critical necessary step on the road to justice for us all >> reporter: when potter was taken into custody, the judge made a point of saying that the former police officer should be treated the same as anyone else convicted of such a serious crime. sentencing is set for february 18th. prosecutors have said they will argue for the longest sentence possible lest

as daunte wright tried to escape, the officer wearing the body camera, threatened to taser him., did she realise she'd mistaken her gun for a taser. kimberly potter was arrested three days after daunte wright died of a single gunshot wound to the chest. giving evidence in her own defence, kimberley potter told the court the killing of daunte wright was an innocent mistake. i remember yelling, "taser, taser, taser." and nothing happened. and then he told me i shot him. whilst neither side disputed she did not intend to kill daunte wright, the jury decided she acted recklessly on the day in question. we, the jury, on the charge of manslaughter in the first degree, while committing a misdemeanour on or about april 11 2021 in the state of minnesota find the defendant guilty. they found kimberley potter guilty of charges of manslaughter. cheering. to the delight of demonstrators outside the court, many of whom feel such verdicts also speak for the many others, african americans in particular, who have suffered racism and brutality at the hands of the police. i kind of let out a yelp

prosecution's first witness. >> reporter: the very first witness is the mother of 20-year-old daunte wrighthas died in this case, there is a so-called spark of life witness and katie is acting in that role at the spark of life witness, someone who can speak to the type of person he was, his character can kind of give that personal touch to him. she has the uniqueness of being a factual witness in this case. she was the person he was on the phone with when the interaction was happening between him and kim potter, the former officer now on trial for manslaughter that she is facing. so we're getting a sense of both the personal touch and the personality of daunte wright, the person lost. we are also getting facts here with our testimony. katie you mentioned today started with opening statements. both sides laid out a road map for what we can expect to play out as we go through the course of the trial. for the prosecution, they're saying that kim potter, this veteran officer should have known better, that she was trained better than to reach for her gun instead of her taser. i want you to lives

stopping short of the moment when daunte wright died.ting] the woman's voice can be heard shouting, "taser!" several times. she thought she was drawing her taser rather than her nine millimeters handgun, when she shot daunte wright in the chest. the incide occurred at a very sensitive time, not far from the court where the white police officer, derek chauvin, was standing trial for the murder of the black man, george floyd. here's some of kimberly potter's evidence in court. >> i remember yelling "taser, taser, taser!," and nothing happens, then he told me i shot him. >> here's more from washington. reporter: it took the jury, made up of six men and six women, over 27 hours to reach the verdict. they had asked questions to the judge durinthat time, showing they were engaged in this right from the beginning, returning thaterdict, she was facing two manslaughter charges for his death. as we heard, the defense said she was trying to tackle someone who was resisting arrest. and she had mistook her taser and her gun. the prosecution said this

>> daunte wright! >> reporter: shortly after the verdict crowds outside the courthouse chanted wright's name. while the state pushed to reassure potter's police family. >> when a member of your profession is held accountable, it does not diminish you. in fact, it it shows. it shows the whole world that those of you who enforce the law are also willing to live by it it. >> reporter: the jury took nearly 27 hours to deliberate whether potter's actions were criminal. >> i took the wrong [ bleep ] gun! >> reporter: over eight days in minneapolis jurors heard from 33 witnesses including tearful testimony from potter herself. >> i didn't want to hurt anybody. >> reporter: the defense aimed to prove the 26-year police veteran was protecting her fellow officers during a risky traffic stop. >> she didn't cause this, and she had a right to use deadly force. >> reporter: in closing arguments they faulted wright for not cooperating with law enforcement. >> she says taser, taser, taser. and he said okay. stop, i giv

. >>> day two in the trial of a former minnesota police officer who fatally shot daunte wright during a traffic stop is expected to begin in the coming hours. emotions were running high as wright's mother was the first to testify on wednesday. cnn's josh campbell has more. >> reporter: this was a moment officer kim potter says she made a fatal mistake, which cost 20-year-old daunte wright his life. >> [ bleep ]. i just shot him.

>> daunte wright caused his own death, unfortunately. but those are the cold hard facts, the evidence. >> reporter: while prosecutors argued an unarmed wright posed no threat. >> i would have preferred had daunte wright followed the commands and not tried to flee, sure. does that absolve her from liability? does that allow her to shoot him to death? it does not. >> reporter: tonight potter denied bail and escorted out of court in handcuffs, facing up to 15 years in prison. >> we have a degree of accountability for daunte wright's death. accountability is not justice. justice would be restoring daunte wright to life and making the family whole again. but accountability is an important step, a critical necessary step on the road to justice for us all. >> reporter: when potter was taken into custody, the judge made a point of saying that the former police officer should be treated the same as anyone else convicted of such a serious crime. sentencing is set for february 18th. prosecutors have said they will argue for the longest sentence poss

what justice looks like is people like daunte wright would still be living today. he would not have been stopped and killed because he had an air freshener hanging above his window in his rearview window in his car. that is one of the things that justice looks like. justice looks like police will not get jittery when they stop a black person for basically anything and then end up killing them. justice will look like when police are basically treating black people the way they would treat a white individual because most of these cases where people end up dead, the greater proportion of numbers are lack people, so there is a long way we have to go before we have justice in this country. justice means what is fair and what is just, and that is not what is happening right now, but that has to happen systemically throughout police departments within this country, and through police reform. >> friday marks one month since south africa announced the first case of the coronavirus variant known as omicron, and scientists now are developing a clearer picture of those dangers

during the trial, kim potter said she had mistaken her handgun for a taser when she killed daunte wright during a traffic stop in april. new research released by the british government suggests someone infected with the omicron rather than the delta variant is up to 70% less likely to need hospital treatment. the news comes even as countries across europe impose further restrictions, france and italy today both reporting record infections. as tensions rise in ukraine, president putin demands western countries make a promise not to extend their influence in russia's back yard. translation: you must give us guarantees. - you must do it immediately, now. hello, and wherever you're joining us, hello, and wherever you'rejoining us, in the uk or around the world, thank you forjoining us this hour. i'm shaun ley. a former police officer in minnesota has been found guilty of manslaughter, following the killing of a black motorist, daunte wright. kimberley potter says she mistook her handgun for a taser during a routine traffic stop. the prosecution argued she'd shown culpable negligence during t

justice would be restoring daunte to life and making the wright family whole again. ountability is an important step. critical necessary step on the road to justice for us all. >> benjamin crump echoes those comments, what we heard from katie. you have been on this road to justice for some time now in a number of different cases. what do you see the impact of this verdict being? >> i think it is profound, erica, it is on the same level as the verdict that we saw in the killing of george floyd as well as ahmaud arbery. you know, in 2021 it is historical year in our quest for racial justice in america when we see three for three, that people who killed unarmed black people unjustly being held accountable. it really is about not just a victory for accountability for daunte wright's family, but it is a victory for america and our quest for equal justice under the law. >> katie what do you want people to know about daunte? >> daunte was my son. he had a smile that would light up the room. he was a father. he was -- he had his whole life ahead of him. and he was taken to so

>> i would have preferred had daunte wright followed the commands and not tried to flee, sure. does that absolve her from liability does that allow her to shoot him to death it does not. >> reporter: the jury deciding the case has nine white men and women with two asian americans and one african-american woman. and they're sequestered as they try to reach a verdict. lester >> ron allen in minneapolis this evening, thank you. >>> in 60 seconds, the sex trafficking trial of ghislaine maxwell goes to the jury. >>> and with covid cases on the rise, what you need to know about getting tested on the ri what you need to know about getting tested. cleans our old free detergent. tide hygienic clean free. hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin. is now a good time for a flare-up? enough, crohn's! for adults with moderate to severe crohn's or ulcerative colitis, stelara® can provide relief, and is the first approved medication to reduce inflammation on and below the surface of the intestine in uc. you, getting on that flight? back off, uc! stelara® may increase your risk of infections,

kimberley potter mistook her handgun for a taser when she shot daunte wright.the boosterjab protection begins to wane after 10 weeks. the former south korean president park geun—hye is to be granted a pardon by the government. ms park was impeached and removed from office in 2017 and jailed for 22 years on corruption charges. the renowned american author joan didion has died at the age of 87. in an illustrious career, she chronicled contemporary us life in the 1960s and �*70s. didion worked as a novelist, screenwriter and journalist. now on bbc news, it's the media show.

you know who won't be home for the holidays is daunte wright. facing expensive vitamin c creams with dull results? olay brightens it up with new olay vitamin c. gives you two times brighter skin. hydrates better than the $400 cream. i've been telling everyone... the secret to great teeth is having healthy gums. crest advanced gum restore. detoxifies below the gumline... and restores by helping heal gums in as little as 7 days. crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. >>> now, the jury in the sex trafficking trial of ghislaine maxwell will resume deliberations in a few hours from now. in closing arguments on monday, the prosecution focused on maxwell's relationship with jeffrey epstein and is claimed she manipulated vulnerable girls for sexual abuse. the defense maintained her relationship was not criminal and attacked the women who testified about the abuse. maxwell has pleaded not guilty. she faces up to 70 years in prison if convicted on all counts. >>> now, jurors are also deliberating in the trial of kim potter, the former minnesota police

there was no indication that officer potter intended to kill daunte wright.s a mistake that took a young man's life. and when you're talking about an officer who is on the force longer than mr. wright was alive, and then you look at her experience and her training, i do think this was a verdict that was commensurate with the facts. for the first degree charge, the jury needed to find that kim potter made a conscious or intentional act regarding the handling of her gun. and the prosecution put in a lot of evidence specifically through their experts that that conscious or intentional act was made. and i think what they did was, when they talked about when she put her hand on the weapon, which was on the opposite side, the taser is on one side, the gun is on the other, one has a snap, one doesn't, the gun is twice as heavy as a taser. when you go through those elements individually, and then all together, that is the intent that is necessary for this particular charge. >> and listen, they did ask, the jury did ask the judge to hold the gun, to hold the gun, they

she mistook her firearm for her taser when she fatally shot daunte wright. g me now, jeff storm, an attorney for the wright family. jeff, nice to see you. must be a very difficult time for this family. i mean, tell us about how daunte wright's family is feeling right now. we're coming up against a major holiday and, of course, they know that there has yet to be a verdict in the case that is so impactful to them personally. >> well, laura, an experienced lawyer like yourself knows that it's agonizing for attorneys, let alone a family in this situation. you know, every single second that goes by is an incredible struggle for the family, particularly given that they paid very close attention to the evidence and the feeling a lot of us have is that, you know, we have concerns about what you would know to be injury nullification, the concerns that they will make their decision based on something other than the law, because that was very much the defense strategy here. and that aspect and dwelling on that is certainly agonizing for the family. >> did the family hav

she admitted that they racially profiled daunte wright.e didn't use those words, but she came as close to saying that as she's ever going to come. she admitted that she had the ability to put a stop to what was happening and she didn't. she admitted that she wrongfully killed him, and after she shot him, she collapsed to the ground crying over what the consequences might be for her. and she monopolized all the first responders standing nearby her, who could have tried to render aid, because as far as she knew, he needed help and so did his passenger, and he could have been saved. despite all of that, my mind steps back in and reminds me that the law was engineered to protect her under a circumstance like this and based on what we've heard up to this point, if the jury critically reads the law and follows it, she's likel. >> thanks to both of you. we'll keep you updated throughout the day on this. >>> but still ahead, what's next for the white house and senator joe manchin, after she dashes the hopes for a build back better plan. you're wat

we did just get a statement from the legal team for daunte wright's family.ustice system has provided accountability, but they write, "from unnecessary and overreaching tragic traffic stops, to the shooting that took his life, the daily made a dramatic one for his family and yet another example for america of why we desperately need change in policing, training, and protocol if we're ever going to restore the confidence of black and marginalized in law enforcement. we need to create meaningful change." what do you make of that statement and what happened next? >> they have to be some efforts on the part of police across the nation to try and come back and get the trust of the community at large. i think that goes back to training. but i don't think that any amount of training could have helped officer potter at that time. remember, she testified that she had 1700 hours of training on the use of the taser. and obviously the difference between the taser and the glock she had. i'm not sure any amount of training could have stopped this particular circumstance, w

with first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of 20-year-old black motorist daunte wrighturing a minor traffic stop in april. bodycam video showed potter pointing her 9-millimeter pistol at wright, repeatedly shouting "taser!" before firing a single bullet into wright's chest. potter claims she drew the pistol by mistake. she said 26-year-old police veteran who is training other officers when she shot wright. just before daunte was killed, he called his mother to say he was being pulled over -- allegedly because an air freshener was obscuring his rearview mirror. for an expired registration tag. katie bryant testified in kim potter's trial last week. she was the prosecution's first witness. >> he was really nervous. i reassured him it would be ok. amy: the call ended. katie bryant later made a video call. a woman, likely daunte wright's partner alayna albrecht-payton, who was in the car at the time of his killing, answered the phone. >> she said that they shot him and she based the phone toward the driver's seat and my son was laying there. he was unresponsive and he looke

they let go of daunte wright and stepped back? >> cork to the video.ng to the video. >> and after you shot daunte wright, you said, "shit, i just shot him, i grabbed the wrong fucking gun and i shot him, i'm going to go to prison and i killed a boy." you said all those things, right? >> i don't remember. >> that's what's on the video, that's what you said, right? >> yes. >> and you said that there are a lot of things you don't remember, on direct you testified that your memory came back when you saw your husband that day. didn't you tell dr. miller that you remember seeing the gun in your right hand? you said that, right? >> i don't remember. my interview with him, i was distraught. i wasn't in a good place. >> after you shot daunte wright, you didn't behave like someone who had just saved johnson's life, did you? >> i was very distraught, i had just shot somebody. i had never done that. >> you never asked sergeant johnson if he was okay, right? >> i don't remember the conversations. >> you didn't check in on him at all, right? >> i don't know. >> you

the defense attorney said that daunte wright caused his own death. how shocking is that?ing. look, it's a common refrain by defense attorneys to say that the victim actually was complicit in his or her own death. the prosecution still has a very compelling point here is that the words she uses at the scene where she says, number one, she shouts "taser" and then number two, she says, i intended to tase him, that's negligence right there and adds -- the way negligence works is you're accepting this person's conduct based on how a reasonable person would have acted, a reasonable officer. and any officer should have -- oh, my goodness, i'm ringing, sorry, guys. any officer would have known based on their training and experience whether it was a gun or not. so it's not uncommon for defense attorneys to go where they did here, but i think the prosecution has a compelling point. >> the prosecutor, dave, argue that accidents can still be crimes as a result of recklessness or negligence. is that the key issue that is another stake right now? >> it is, wolf. i think the prosecution

but we also saw very emotional testimony from daunte wright's mother, and we know why daunte wright'sher was crying. what we know about kim potter is right after she shot and killed daunte, she didn't say, let me get him help. oh, my god, you know, can i save his life? he said, i messed up, expletive. i'm going to jail. and i think jurors listening to her on that videotape making that statement, that self-serving statement about her own situation, not providing aid to daunte wright, and then watching that emotional testimony on the stand, i think jurors weren't convinced that that emotion was about killing daunte as opposed to about her being afraid of going to jail. >> now, you've said this verdict is a game-changer in terms of police accountability. why is that? >> well, historically we have not seen jurors being willing to convict police officers in cases like this. they've given police officers the benefit of the doubt. police officers have not historically been held accountable in cases like this. and to see nine white jurors in particular in the jurisdiction that this case happe

daunte wright's father and crying mother were embracing in a long hug with the prosecution. wright's mother later on said today we got accountability, and that's what we've been trying to get from the very beginning. this is, of course, the second jury to convict a former minneapolis area police officer. the first was earlier this year with derek chauvin. and minnesota attorney general keith elson who led the prosecution in both efforts said this sent a message that juries want to hold police officers to high standards. and he said for law enforcement this shouldn't be seen as a symbol of shame but instead as a moment to restore trust through accountability. he added, though, as we heard frank mason say, this isn't full justice. because at the end of the day potter still was able to correspond and speak with her family. daunte wright cannot. >> in terms of sentencing, omar, when does that happen? and any indication what the judge is going to do here? >> reporter: yeah, so sentencing is set for february 18th and potter is currently being held without bail, and she's actually b

>> this was the moment officer kim potter says she made a fatal mistake which cost 20-year-old daunte wrighta traffic violation. during that stop, officers discovered an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on a gross misdemeanor weapons violation. wright was being handcuffed when he struggled and jumped back into his car. that's when officer potter pulled out her gun. >> i'll tase you! taser, taser, taser! [ bleep ]. i just shot him. i shot him, oh, my god. oh, my god. >> reporter: daunte wright was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound to his chest. >> there is no do-over when you take a young man's life. >> reporter: kim potter is now on trial for first and second-degree manslaughter. she has pleaded not guilty and said she meant to use her taser which is holstered on her left side but mistakenly withdrew her firearm from her right side. in opening arguments, prosecutors showed the juror body camera footage of the shooting. and focused on the firearms training potter received which they say was extensive. >> she was trained not to shoot an unarmed driver. she was trained

kim potter, the former officer who says she mistook her gun for her taser when she fatally shot daunte wright. what both sides said in closing arguments >>> the fate of jeffrey epstein confidant ghislaine maxwell also now in the hands of a jury. prosecutors calling her a sophisticated predator the defense saying she's on trial for epstein's crimes. >>> and the christmas classic brought to life in a whole new way by young performers inspiring america. >>> this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening. as we come on the air, late word from the cdc that omicron has become the most common coronavirus variant in the u.s. with cases doubling every two to three days, the highly contagious variant has overtaken the delta variant with breathtaking speed many americans approaching the christmas holiday with a sense of dread as the heavily mutated virus rapidly infects the unvaccinated and vaccinated alike though, as we'll show you, often with sharply different outcomes officials stress symptoms among the vaccinated and boosted trend toward the mild side still hospitalizations are on the

potter, the former minnesota police officer who shot and killed daunte wright during a traffic stop, is now in the hands of a jury. in the same courtroom where derek chauvin was convicted of murdering george floyd, potter's lawyers monday made the case that wright's death was a tragic accident saying potter mistook her firearmarm for her tase. >> taser, taser, taser. i shot him. oh, my god. i'm going to go to prison. >> nobody is perfect, ladies and gentlemen, and this lady here made a mistake and, my gosh, a mistake is not a crime. >> reporter: potter's lawyers insisting she was justified in using deadly force because she feared wright would injure another officer while driving away. >> daunte wright caused his own death, unfortunately. if he would have gone and -- with the officers, been handcuffed, go in the squad car, go take a ride downtown, and it's over. >> reporter: but the prosecution urging the jury to reject the idea that potter simply made a mistake. >> there is no mistake defense. you will not see an instruction on the defense of mistake. a judge will not give you an ins

during court, it was emotional at times, particularly daunte wright's mother began to cry as prosecutorsfor the holidays. kim potter even had to avert her eyes at moments when body camera footage was played from that day. now as i mentioned before, the jury is back to work after offering a question earlier. they have been at it close to four hours and the judge is expected to let them continue for about another hour and a half or so from today until they would be asked to come back tomorrow but for now, wolf, we wait. >> all right. we'll see what happens. omar, thank you very much. omar jimenez covering this trial for us. >>> other legal news we're following here. former president trump is now suing new york state attorney general lateshia james asking a federal court to stop her investigation into the trump organization. cnn's senior justice correspondent evan perez is working this story for us. so evan, what is this lawsuit allege? >> this is -- what the former president and his company, trump organization, are trying to do is they are trying to preempt leticia james' investigation int

>> no. >> you didn't run down the street and try to save daunte wright's life, did you?were focused on what you had done because you had just killed somebody. >> i'm sorry it happened. i'm sorry. >> i mean, the prosecutor was able to point out her mistakes, but she also got very emotional and expressed remorse, the sorrow. and then is, again, a case they don't have to prove intent. what stands out more to a jury, the pointing out what she did wrong or the emotional response it might evoke from the jurors themselves? >> emotional response. look, laura, these are split second decisions that occurred. there's no intent that this officer -- and by the way, we all know being a police officer is a really difficult job. everybody knows that, and in all my years as a jury consultant, juries really want to give the benefit of the doubt to police officers because their job is so difficult, but the fact that that police officer got on that witness stand and started crying, those were not crocodile tears. those were the real deal. i think that's going to weigh real heavily on the ju

charged in the killing of daunte wright during a traffic stop. wright's mother testifying today as the first witness. ron allen is there >> you shot him. why? >> i don't know. >> reporter: katie bryant, daunte wright's mother scene on police video arriving at the scene after her son had been shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop last april. >> and i wanted to protect him because that's what mothers do. >> reporter: bryant the first witness at the trial of former officer kimberly potter charged with manslaughter she has pleaded not guilty potter's attorneys say she fired her gun, mistaking it for a taser. jurors seeing new police video of her reaction. >> this was an accident she's a human being. >> reporter: prosecutors insist potter, who had 25 years of experience, was reckless and flouted her training, showing the jury images of two weapons highlighting the differences. >> she drew it she aimed it she pointed it directly at daunte wright, and she did those things without bothering to confirm what was in her hand >> reporter:

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during the trial she said she mistook her handgun for a taser when she killed daunte wright during affic stop in april. here's a bit of her testimony. >> i remember yelling taser, taser, taser and nothing happened. and then he told me i shot him [weeping] >> joining me now for more on the story is no mia it all -- is our correspondent. defense and prosecution both agreed that she didn't mean to kill him, she mistakenly withdrew the wrong weapon. what were the key arguments the jury was weighing? >> for the prosecutors it was a case of a preventable death. they argued that this was a police officer of more than 20 years experience and she had to know the difference between a taser and her handgun. for the defense they said that this was an honest mistake and that she was simply trying to arrest somebody who was resisting arrest. it's worth mentioning that intent was not part of the charges. the jurors didn't need to be convinced by the prosecution that kim potter had tried to kill daunte wright. instead ts was all about whether she caused his death recklessly, whether she was consciou

it's not about daunte wright.otter is the one who pulled the trigger on the gun. >> listen, she does sound distraught after making that fatal mistake. you don't think that will play with the jury? >> well, look, she does sound distraught. but on the other hand, did she or any of her fellow officers do anything to assist daunte wright, who they know she had just shot? she knew she had shot somebody in the chest and they're concerned about her. they needed to call medical emergency right away and they failed to do that. she knew she made a mistake, clearly. >> yeah. antonio, thank you very much. i appreciate it. thanks for joining us. >> thank you, don. good night. >> kim potter faces first degree manslaughter and second degree manslaughter charges. >>> a black couple low balled on the value of their house by an appraiser and when a white friend showed the same house, it shot up almost half a million. now they're suing. sleep better and longers you when you need it most. it's non habit forming and powered by the mak

the first prosecution witness, daunte wright's mother.ng. [crying] >> reporter: katy bryant shaken as she describes her final conversation with her son daunte wright. bryant was the first witness called in a manslaughter trial of former police officer kim potter. potter is accused of shooting and killing wright after she says she mistakenly pulled her gun instead of her taser. >> he called me to tell me he's been pulled over. he asked, you know, if he was in trouble and he just sounded really nervous. but i reassured him it would be okay. >> reporter: but what bryant heard next still haunts her. >> i could hear the phone being put down and i heard them say, somebody tell somebody to hang up the phone and then that's all i heard. >> reporter: on the stand, bryant revealing what she saw on facetime. >> she said that they shot him. [crying] and she faced the phone towards the driver's seat and my son was laying there. he was unresponsive and he looked dead. >> reporter: bryant testified a neighbor then drove her to the scene about ten miles