South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg (BOO'-tuh-juhj) is telling officers after a fatal police shooting that they must activate their body cameras during any interaction with civilians.
The Democratic presidential candidate asked his police chief to issue an executive order Tuesday confirming an existing department policy about use of body cameras. The order came two days after a white officer fatally shot a 54-year-old black man. The officer said the man refused commands to drop a knife.
Prosecutors investigating Eric Logan's death say the shooting was not recorded on Sgt. Ryan O'Neill's body camera because the officer was driving without emergency lights while responding to a call about a suspicious person going through vehicles.
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, center, speaks during a news conference, Sunday, June 16, 2019, in South Bend, Ind., as South Bend Common Council President Tim Scott, left, and South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski, listen. Democratic presidential candidate Buttigieg changed his campaign schedule to return to South Bend for the late night news conference, after authorities say a man died after a shooting involving a police officer. (Santiago FloresSouth Bend Tribune via AP)
Buttigieg says the city has been working for years to improve relations between police and the community. He says that "must continue with more urgency than ever" after Sunday's shooting.
Family members embrace one another during a vigil for Eric Logan Monday, June 17, 2019 on Washington Street in South Bend, Ind. Logan, 54, was killed in South Bend early Sunday after someone called police to report a suspicious person going through cars, according to the St. Joseph County prosecutor's office. (Michael CaterinaSouth Bend Tribune via AP)
Guests gather and listen to community leaders speak during a vigil for Eric Logan Monday, June 17, 2019 on Washington Street in South Bend, Ind. Logan, 54, was killed in South Bend early Sunday after someone called police to report a suspicious person going through cars, according to the St. Joseph County prosecutor's office. (Michael CaterinaSouth Bend Tribune via AP)
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont announced Monday he will run for reelection this year, squelching speculation that the 82-year-old progressive icon might retire at a time when the Democratic Party is anxious about the advancing age of its top leaders.
Hailing from a Democratic stronghold, Sanders' decision virtually guarantees that he will return to Washington for a fourth Senate term. And his announcement comes at a critical moment for Democrats as the party navigates a growing divide over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.
Sanders has criticized President Joe Biden's handling of the U.S. relationship with Israel even as he's hailed much of Biden's domestic agenda ahead of what could be a tough reelection fight for Biden against presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Sanders said he wants the war in Gaza ended immediately, massive humanitarian aid to follow and no more money sent to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"We are living in a complicated and difficult political moment," Sanders told The Associated Press on Monday. “I very strongly disagree with Biden in terms of the war in Gaza.”
At home, he said, the presidential election is between Biden and Trump, “and Donald Trump is in my view the most dangerous president, has been the most dangerous president in American history.”
With the prospect of Trump's possible return to the White House, Sanders framed his bid to return to the Senate as being driven by concerns about the future of democracy in the U.S. In an announcement video, he said that in many ways the 2024 election “is the most consequential election in our lifetimes.”
“Will the United States continue to even function as a democracy, or will we move to an authoritarian form of government?” he said. He questioned whether the country will reverse what he called “the unprecedented level of income and wealth inequality” and if it can create a government that works for all, and not continue with a political system dominated by wealthy campaign contributors.
Known for his liberal politics and crusty demeanor, Sanders has been famously consistent over his 40 years in politics, championing better health care paid for by the government, higher taxes for the wealthy, less military intervention and major solutions for climate change. He has also spent his career trying to hold corporate executives to account, something that he’s had more power to do as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Sanders is an independent. He was a Democratic congressman for 16 years and still caucuses with the Democrats.
He sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020. He said a year ago that he would forgo another presidential bid and endorse Biden’s reelection this year.
“I have been, and will be if re-elected, in a strong position to provide the kind of help that Vermonters need in these difficult times,” Sanders said in a review of his positions as chairman of the important Senate panel and a member of the chamber's Democratic leadership team, as well as a senior member of various other committees.
AP writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed from Washington.
FILE - Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., smiles as he addresses Unite Here Local 11 workers holding a rally, April 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. Sanders is running for re-election. The 82-year-old, from Vermont, announced Monday, May 6, that he's seeking his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
FILE - Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a news conference, Jan. 25, 2024, at the Capitol in Washington. Sanders is running for re-election. The 82-year-old, from Vermont, announced Monday, May 6, that he's seeking his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)
