Author
George Floyd’s brother: ‘Make sure that he is more than another face on a t-shirt’
WASHINGTON — George Floyd’s younger brother, Philonise Floyd, pleaded with lawmakers on Capitol Hill Wednesday to ensure that his brother didn’t die in vain. “I can’t tell you the kind of pain you feel when you watch something like that. When you watch your big brother, who you looked up to your whole entire life […]
Congressional Dems lay out expansive police reform plans
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats outlined their vision for sweeping police reforms on Capitol Hill Monday, following weeks of nationwide protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. “Never again should the world be subjected to witnessing what we saw on the streets of Minneapolis: the slow murder of an individual by a uniformed […]
Civil rights groups urge Congress to combat police brutality
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of civil rights organizations urged U.S. congressional leaders to quickly pass legislation to address police killings of black people in the wake of a series of recent deaths that have ignited protests around the country. “In recent weeks, the chronic structural issue of police killings against Black people across our country has, […]
Trump plans July 4 celebration despite pandemic
WASHINGTON — The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t upended President Donald Trump’s plans to hold a Fourth of July celebration in the nation’s capital this summer. The White House told the Associated Press this week that Trump intends to move ahead with a scaled-back version of last year’s massive “Salute to America” event on the National Mall. […]
House passes $3T relief bill that’s been declared ‘dead on arrival’ in Senate
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Friday cleared a massive $3 trillion relief bill aimed at blunting the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sweeping legislation, which passed largely along partisan lines by a vote of 208-199, carries a price tag that’s roughly equal to the four previous coronavirus response bills already signed into law. […]
From hospital, Justice Ginsburg slams Trump birth control rules
WASHINGTON — Hospitalization for a gallbladder condition didn’t stop U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg from assailing Trump administration’s birth control rules on Wednesday. Ginsburg, 87, was hospitalized at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Tuesday night, but was animated as she participated in an oral argument via teleconference surrounding a Trump administration policy that allows […]
Trump intelligence nominee grilled on ‘deep state’ conspiracy theory
WASHINGTON — Last summer, Texas Republican Rep. John Ratcliffe withdrew himself from consideration to be the national intelligence director, just days after President Donald Trump nominated him for the job. Key Senate Republicans appeared reluctant to fully embrace the nominee — who has a reputation as a conservative firebrand in the U.S. House — and Ratcliffe faced accusations […]
Trump’s critics warn his order to keep meat plants open imperils workers
WASHINGTON — Democratic senators are accusing President Donald Trump of putting workers at risk by ordering meat and poultry processors to remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic. Senate Democrats including Democratic Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown are asking Trump to amend an executive order he signed last week, which declared meat plants to be “critical infrastructure” and […]
U.S. Supreme Court tosses gun case as Kavanaugh urges future debate
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday avoided issuing a landmark Second Amendment ruling in a closely watched gun rights case, but set the stage for future legal battles. A divided court ruled that a challenge to New York City gun restrictions was moot because the city had later changed its regulations. The case had been billed […]
U.S. Congress clears, Trump signs $484B relief bill as lawmakers pledge future aid for states
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Thursday overwhelmingly approved nearly $500 billion in additional COVID-19 relief, the bulk of which is aimed at buoying small businesses after loan funding dried up. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law Friday. The House cleared the $484 billion funding bill along bipartisan lines as some lawmakers returned […]
‘Ambulances leaving at all hours’ from Ohio federal prison, a COVID-19 hotbed
Craig Wilson, 42, is about halfway through a 10-year prison sentence for possession of methamphetamine and a firearm. He’s afraid he won’t survive until early 2026, when he’s slated for release. “I feel like I’ve been handed a death sentence,” Wilson said in a recent court filing. He’s one of about 2,400 inmates currently incarcerated […]
Trump ousts another watchdog as critics see ‘disturbing pattern’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday ousted the second federal watchdog in the span of five days as congressional Democrats accused him of purging federal employees for political reasons. Trump removed the Defense Department’s Acting Inspector General, Glenn Fine, who had been on the job since early 2016. Last week, Fine had been named by a group of […]