The lead Senate GOP negotiator over new policing legislation is floating a compromise on a major sticking point that has derailed past efforts to curb excessive force by law enforcement: civil lawsuit protections currently afforded to police officers. The issue of so-called qualified immunity has been a flashpoint in talks over legislation aimed at imposing
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Senate Republicans on Wednesday declined to change their conference rules that ban their use of earmarks, an issue that divides the GOP conference and will be a test for how the party will operate over the next several months with Democrats in control of the US Senate. Not a single senator offered an amendment to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Transgender girls would be banned from playing on girls’ sports teams under a bill that advanced in the Missouri House. House lawmakers voted 100-51 on Wednesday to add the proposal to another bill. Republican supporters argued the change is needed to protect girls in sports. They decried the risk of being
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Senior Biden administration officials this week will answer questions on how President Joe Biden plans to remake US climate policy in a globally broadcast CNN town hall, the network announced Monday. “CNN Town Hall: The Climate Crisis” will air Friday at 10 p.m. ET. It coincides with this week’s celebration of Earth Day and will
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One day after two four-star military commanders told Congress they did not have problems with extremists in their ranks, the top adviser on the issue to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin took a different view and stated plainly that he believes the opposite. “It would be remiss if we didn’t admit that there is a problem
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The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Vanita Gupta to be associate attorney general in a narrow 51-49 vote after Sen. Lisa Murkowski joined with Democrats in support of President Joe Biden’s Justice Department nominee. Vice President Kamala Harris was on hand for a procedural vote Wednesday morning in case she was needed for a possible 50-50
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had months (and months) to ponder what she would say if and when former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of the murder of George Floyd. Which makes what she did say on Wednesday — in the immediate aftermath of the Chauvin verdict — all the more baffling. “Thank you,
Continue Reading Arizona’s Republican governor on Tuesday vetoed a state bill that would have made it harder for students to learn about sexual and gender identity in schools, but issued an executive order requiring schools to be more transparent about their proposed curriculum on the topics. Gov. Doug Ducey vetoed SB 1456 nearly a week after the
Continue Reading Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday signed a bill legalizing simple possession of marijuana beginning this summer, making it the first Southern state to do so and accelerating a revamp of cannabis laws that have disproportionately jailed Americans of color for nonviolent offenses. The bill, signed a day after April 20 — marijuana’s unofficial holiday
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In the months after George Floyd’s death, Minneapolis Police Department officers reported using force on far fewer people — but then use of force spiked late last year, a CNN analysis of department data found. And after Floyd’s death, Black people are still subject to use of force by Minneapolis officers at a highly disproportionate
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A St. Louis husband and wife facing criminal charges for waving guns at racial injustice protesters last summer are asking a judge to send their case back to the grand jury, citing concerns about Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s handling of it.
Continue Reading The New York state legislature passed a bill on Wednesday that would automatically restore voting rights to people convicted of a felony once they are on parole. The bill is intended to improve upon a 2018 executive order granting voting pardons to the 35,000 New Yorkers on parole, according to Assembly member Daniel O’Donnell, a
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The Senate narrowly voted to advance the nomination of President Joe Biden’s nominee to be associate attorney general, Vanita Gupta, setting up a final vote expected later Wednesday despite fierce opposition from most Republican senators. Vice President Kamala Harris was on hand in case she was needed for a possible 50-50 tie on the procedural
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The Justice Department has launched a federal civil probe into policing practices in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd and the murder convictions for ex-cop Derek Chauvin, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Wednesday. “The challenges we face are deeply woven into our history. They did not arise today, or last year; building trust between
Continue Reading Senate Republicans will decide Wednesday on whether to change their conference rules that ban their use of earmarks, an issue that divides the GOP conference and will be a test for how the party will operate over the next several months with Democrats in control of the US Senate. The discussion to bring earmarks back
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Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and a former public liaison official inside the Trump White House, will meet with the former President at Mar-a-Lago next week as he finalizes his plans to launch a campaign for New York governor. “I will be down there next week for a
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The measure won approval in the state Senate last month and the House held a committee hearing on the bill last week.
Continue Reading The GOP-led Arizona House on Tuesday passed legislation that would make changes to the mail-in voting process in the state, including stopping some voters from automatically receiving ballots. The bill, a part of the ongoing Republican effort to restrict voting across the country, passed on a party-line vote and comes months after former President Donald
Continue Reading The Senate narrowly voted to advance the nomination of President Joe Biden’s nominee to be associate attorney general, Vanita Gupta, setting up a final vote expected later Tuesday despite fierce opposition from most Republican senators. Vice President Kamala Harris was on hand in case she was needed for a 50-50 tie on the procedural vote
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The Missouri House has ousted a lawmaker accused of sexually and physically abusing his children years ago.
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