DoJ to investigate federal forces’ tactics in US cities as mayors condemn Trump

Watchdog to look at use-of-force allegations in Portland and Washington as other mayors say: we don’t need your deployments

The justice department inspector general said on Thursday it would conduct a review of the conduct of federal agents who responded to unrest in Portland and Washington DC, following concerns from members of Congress and the public.

Related: DoJ watchdog opens investigation into federal agents' actions in Portland – live

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Woman who gave birth alone in Denver jail cell sues city authorities

Lawsuit alleges prison staff and nurses ignored Diana Sanchez’s pleas while she was in labour

A woman who gave birth alone in her jail cell in Denver is suing the city after deputies and nurses allegedly ignored her pleas for help during about five hours of labour.

Surveillance video released by her lawyer show Diana Sanchez lying down on a narrow bed, crying out in pain, before she gives birth to a baby boy on 31 July 2018. An absorbent pad is slid under her door for her to put on her bed about 45 minutes before she gave birth. After she gives birth, a nurse walks in and picks up the baby.

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Strong wind blows dozens of air mattresses through Denver park – video

Dozens of inflatable mattresses cartwheeled across a park in Denver, Colorado, on Saturday as strong winds whipped through the neighbourhood. Robb Manes, who filmed the bizarre spectacle, described it as the ‘great mattress migration of 2019’. According to local reports, the mattresses had been set out for an open-air film screening called the Bed Cinema later that day

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Denver becomes first US city to decriminalize ‘magic mushrooms’

Unofficial results show citizen initiative on psilocybin passed, following path of decriminalized cannabis

Voters on Tuesday made Denver the first US city to in effect decriminalize psilocybin – the psychoactive substance in “magic mushrooms” – adding a new chapter to the city’s role in shaping wider drug policy.

The citizen initiative on the ballot followed the same tack taken by marijuana activists to decriminalize pot possession in 2005 in the city. That move was followed by statewide legalization in 2012. A number of other states have since broadly allowed marijuana sales and use by adults.

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