Apr 21 Justice Department encourages imprisoned drug offenders to seek clemency By Associated Press In a video statement Monday, Attorney General Eric Holder said the change is designed to help federal drug offenders imprisoned under now out-of-date sentencing guidelines. Continue reading
Apr 17 Watch SeaTac airport workers fight exclusion from $15 minimum wage By PBS News Hour In SeaTac, Wash., home of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, citizens voted last year to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. However, a court decision — now being appealed — has excluded the 5,000 or so workers on airport… Continue watching
Apr 16 Watch Are new regulations tough enough to prevent another West Virginia chemical spill? By PBS News Hour Three months ago, a storage tank leaked up to 10,000 gallons of the chemical MCHM in Charleston, W.Va., where more than 300,000 people were exposed to one of the worst cases of drinking water contamination in U.S. history. To examine… Continue watching
Apr 14 Watch Feds classify Kansas shootings as hate crimes By PBS News Hour Federal authorities confirmed that they believe shootings at two Jewish community sites in Kansas were motivated by hate. Gwen Ifill talks to Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center to learn more about the 73-year-old suspect, Frazier Glenn Cross,… Continue watching
Apr 11 U.S. Sentencing Commission takes steps to depopulate federal prisons By Willis Raburu In a bid to reduce the federal prison population, the U.S. Sentencing Commission set in motion a change of formula to determine the sentencing of low-level, nonviolent federal drug law offenders. The commission voted Thursday to reduce sentencing guidelines… Continue reading
Apr 08 Philippine top court says reproductive health law constitutional By Anya van Wagtendonk In a landmark decision Tuesday, the Philippine Supreme Court ended a months-long legal battle with Catholic leaders when it upheld a bill that provided free contraception and sexual education to its nation’s poorest citizens. Continue reading
Apr 02 Read the Supreme Court’s campaign finance ruling By News Desk .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; padding-top: 30px; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }… Continue reading
Apr 02 Supreme Court strikes down campaign contribution limits By Mark Sherman, Associated Press The Supreme Court struck down limits Wednesday in federal law on the overall campaign contributions the biggest individual donors may make to candidates, political parties and political action committees. The justices said in a 5-4 vote that Americans have a… Continue reading
Mar 31 DC decriminalizes marijuana By Justin Scuiletti Updated March 31 at 5:17 p.m. EDT Washington Mayor Vincent Gray signed into law Monday a bill that decriminalizes marijuana possession of an ounce or less in the District of Columbia. Possession of pot, previously a misdemeanor, will now… Continue reading
Mar 26 Watch Labor board rules Northwestern football players are entitled to unionize as school employees By PBS News Hour The National Labor Relations Board has made a landmark ruling in favor of football players at Northwestern University who claim they are school employees. Currently the decision only applies to private schools, but it is expected to reverberate more widely. Continue watching