“The result is a serious blow to activists who’d hoped the trial would pave the way for new accountability for police, and it’s a huge blow for prosecutors. Still, the result could have been much worse.” The Atlantic’s David A. Graham on the lessons from the mistrial in the first Freddy Gray case.

+ This year, the number of charges brought against police officers for on-duty killings tripled. One big reason: Video. (Don’t underestimate the power of media momentum.)