Is Biden overlooking Bureau of Prisons as reform target?
President Joe Biden took quick action after his inauguration to start shifting federal inmates out of privately run prisons, where complaints of abuses abound.
Joe Biden
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Congress passes bill to fund Capitol security, Afghan visas
Congress overwhelmingly passed emergency legislation Thursday that would bolster security at the Capitol, repay outstanding debts from the violent Jan. 6 insurrection and increase the number of visas for allies who worked alongside Americans in the Afghanistan war.
‘This is how I’m going to die’: Officers tell Jan. 6 stories
Capitol police officers testified Tuesday about their experiences during the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Jan. 6 hearing opens as police detail violence, injuries
A committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection opened its first hearing Tuesday with a focus on the law enforcement officers who were attacked and beaten as the rioters broke into the building — an effort to put a human face on the violence of the day.
8 US attorney picks by Biden would include historic firsts for Indiana, nation
Eight new individuals have been nominated by President Joe Biden for U.S. attorney positions across the country, including attorneys for Indiana’s Northern and Southern districts.
Biden backs changes in military sexual assault prosecution
President Joe Biden on Friday put his stamp of approval on a long-debated change to the military justice system that would remove decisions on prosecuting sexual assault cases from military commanders.
Federal executions halted; Garland orders protocols reviewed
The Justice Department is halting federal executions after a historic use of capital punishment by the Trump administration, which carried out 13 executions in six months.
Federal agency blocks Indiana’s Medicaid work requirements
The Biden administration has revoked the federal authorization for Indiana’s planned work requirements for low-income residents who receive their health insurance through Medicaid.
Pence: Idea of overturning election results is ‘un-American’
Former Vice President Mike Pence has defended his role in certifying the results of the 2020 election, saying he’s “proud” of what he did on Jan. 6 and declaring there’s “almost no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president.”
Senate confirms Jackson-Akiwumi to 7th Circuit
In a 53-40 vote Thursday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Candace Jackson-Akiwumi to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, making her the first person of color to sit on that bench since Judge Ann Claire Williams, the first person of color to join that court, retired in 2018.
CDC extends eviction moratorium a month, says it’s last time
The Biden administration on Thursday extended the nationwide ban on evictions for a month to help millions of tenants unable to make rent payments during the coronavirus pandemic, but said this is the last time it plans to do so.
New York court suspends Rudy Giuliani’s law license
An appeals court suspended Rudy Giuliani from practicing law in New York because he made false statements while trying to get courts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the presidential race.
No jail time in 1st riot sentence; Oath Keeper pleads guilty
An Indiana woman on Wednesday became the first defendant to be sentenced in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and avoided time behind bars, while a member of the Oath Keepers extremist group pleaded guilty in a conspiracy case and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in a major step forward for the massive investigation.
GOP ready to block elections bill in Senate showdown
The Democrats’ expansive elections and voting bill is all but certain to be rejected in a key test vote in the Senate, providing a dramatic example of Republicans’ use of the filibuster to block legislation and forcing hard questions for Democrats over next steps.
Biden’s silence on executions adds to death penalty disarray
Activists widely expected Joe Biden to take swift action against the death penalty as the first sitting president to oppose capital punishment, especially since an unprecedented spate of executions by his predecessor ended just days before Biden took office.
Biden to sign bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday
The United States is commemorating the end of slavery with a new federal holiday.
Loan relief granted to defrauded for-profit college students
The U.S. Education Department said Wednesday it’s erasing student debt for thousands of borrowers who attended a for-profit college chain that made exaggerated claims about its graduates’ success in finding jobs. The Biden administration said it is approving 18,000 loan forgiveness claims from former students of ITT Technical Institute, a chain that closed in 2016 after being dealt a series of sanctions by the Obama administration.
Emails show Trump pressured Justice Dept. over 2020 election
During the last weeks of his presidency, Donald Trump and his allies pressured the Justice Department to investigate claims of widespread 2020 election fraud that even his former attorney general declared without evidence, newly released emails show.
US urges court to reimpose Boston bomber’s death sentence
Joe Biden’s administration is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate the death sentence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev despite the president’s vocal opposition to capital punishment.
Senate votes to confirm Biden pick for DC appeals court
The Senate on Monday confirmed the first appellate court judge of President Joe Biden’s tenure, elevating a judge with strong prospects of landing on the president’s short list should a Supreme Court vacancy arise.