America’s longest running storyline isn’t going to end with one fair verdict, but a decent chapter is a hell of a nice plot twist. The story that began with a dying man crying, “I can’t breathe” ended with a sigh of relief as Derek Chauvin was convicted on all counts. It’s worth noting what was different about this case from the others that preceded it. First, there was the video evidence that was essentially a 10 minute snuff film. Second, there was a willingness by other law enforcement officials to testify against Chauvin. The latter made a big difference and serves as a reminder that the guilty verdicts marked a good day for victims of police violence and a good day for good cops. That’s how justice works. In the end, a jury found unanimity around believing what they could see with their own eyes. That’s a welcome change in today’s America. VP Harris on the need to take steps to address the broader problem by passing the police reform laws named after George Floyd. “It is not just a Black America problem or a people of color problem. It is a problem for every American. It is holding our nation back from reaching our full potential. A measure of justice isn’t the same as equal justice.” Biden to America after Floyd verdict: ‘We can’t stop here.’

+ Twelve jurors did their jobs. Now it’s time for the Senate to do theirs. The law delivered justice to George Floyd. America’s political leaders are up next.

+ DOJ to Investigate Minneapolis Police for Possible Patterns of Excessive Force.

+ Margaret Sullivan in WaPo: “After so many previous instances in which police officers were acquitted of what looked to many people like murder, this time was different. And it was different, in some significant portion, because of a teenager’s sense of right and wrong.” By bearing witness — and hitting ‘record’ — 17-year-old Darnella Frazier may have changed the world.

+ How important was the video? Just recall the initial police press release. “Officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs and noted he appeared to be suffering medical distress. Officers called for an ambulance. He was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center by ambulance where he died a short time later.”

+ Dahlia Lithwick: This Verdict Was About the Power of Bystanders. “Not just the bystanders who stood by and filmed the police as the travesty was unfolding and not just the bystanders who implored the police to stop, or the bystanders who improbably and amazingly called the cops on the cops. This verdict was also the result of the police officers who stepped in to testify against their own.”